“And when they had intertwined a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head…”
Matthew 27:29
When we read the Gospel of Matthew, we see that under the direction of Pontius Pilate, the Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns on the head of Jesus to mock him as the King of the Jews. Oh, if they had known what they were doing and the symbolism their actions entailed! Thorns were not present in the original and perfect world. The soldiers, however, had no trouble finding thorns to place on Jesus’ head. Thorns that were a direct result of man’s original sin are now found in abundance in a world that is steeped in sin. What the soldiers unwittingly did had great significance. There is nothing random in the Bible. Every word that has been written in its pages is significant.
In Genesis 3:17-18 we read, “And unto Adam, he said, ‘Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you….’” Here we see God’s continued description of God’s curse on Adam for his sin. Adam disobeyed the command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The crown of thorns vividly symbolizes the curse of sin being placed on Jesus’ head. It immediately takes the reader back to Genesis, reminding us of why Jesus went to the cross – to take the penalty for sin on our behalf! He bore our sins, sickness, cancer, diabetes, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, poverty; you name it – He bore it!
He died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that the curse God had pronounced upon this earth because of sin can be removed for those who believe in Him. Ultimately, creation itself can be redeemed. “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in the hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). Christ’s actions will blunt every sharply pointed thistle and thorn, as well as the other effects of the curse!
While the Roman soldiers may have mocked Jesus, as many others do today, He is indeed the King of kings, Creator, and Lord of the universe. He conquered sin and death through His death and resurrection so that all those who repent and believe on Him can be saved!
The Christian can shout, “O death, where is your sting?” There was a curse on the earth, but Jesus reversed the curse! Thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
