I am amazed at many of the details of the story of Jesus’ trials, His suffering, abuse, and mockery, and how that there is significance to each event, to each episode. This morning we took a graphic look at the torture He suffered in being scourged or flogged. The ripping apart of His flesh, the wounds, the blood - it does sound gory until I remember that He did it for me, and then it becomes glorious! We looked at how the Lord laid the sins of the world upon Him, and how that each lash with the scourge, though physically beating His back, it was, Spiritually speaking - beating my sin.
Well, tonight, I want to look at another episode that is linked with the scourging, and that is the wearing of the crown of thorns. And I want us to see that though the soldiers did it mockingly, that I think we can see some significance to it. Pilate had Jesus scourged, and John 19:2 says, “And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe.” Now remember, when a person was scourged, they were stripped of their clothing. So Jesus was naked as they beat Him, and tore apart His flesh.
After the scourging, they did three things: 1. Put a crown of thorns on His head. 2. Put a reed in His hand. 3. Put a purple robe on Him. Now, the word there for “robe” does not denote the long kind of robe, but just a short robe that came over the shoulders, and barely covered the chest. So He was naked from the chest down, bleeding, and suffering. Then they put a reed in His hand as a type of mock scepter - the official staff of a king or ruler, symbolizing authority and power. But a reed, a hollow-stemmed brass was a symbol of weakness. Jesus had even referred to them as “shaking in the wind.”
So these soldiers, vulgar no doubt in their comments to Him, as He stands their naked and bleeding, were really enjoying this torture, and took every opportunity to degrade, deface, and down Him. And so with the short robe on, and the reed as a scepter in His hand, they also “platted a crown of thorns, and placed it upon His head.” The thorns referred to here are very long, sometimes even 3½ inches in length. So the soldiers made this crown, and shoved it down onto His head. No doubt they pierced the skin of Jesus, and more blood began to run down His face. What mockery and shame He bore for us.
But what of it? What about this crown of thorns? I just want us to look at something interesting in the Bible and see if we can’t find some encouragement out of the fact that He wore the crown of thorns. The first thing we see, in regard to thorns, is that they were a product of the curse. In Genesis 3:17-19 it says, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife . . . and eaten of the tree which I commanded thee . . . cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow . . . thorns and thistles shall it bring forth . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat.” So the thorns were a product of the curse that came because of sin.
They are, then, a sign of three things: 1. Sin. 2. Sorrow. 3. Sweat. The soldiers used the thorns to mock Christ, but through their mockery, God still shows us even more so, how that Jesus bore our sins. When God put our sins upon Christ, what better symbol than putting thorns on His head. “For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). But let’s look at something about the fact that He wore a crown. A crown is representative of authority, ruler-ship, and power.
So the fact that Jesus wore a crown of thorns could mean three things: 1. He is King over my sins. 2. He is King over my sorrow. 3. He is King over my sweat (toil). Now, I am thankful for all three of those. I am thankful that He rules when it comes to my sin. I’m glad, because some other people would like to rule over that. In fact, they think they do, sometimes. We all have people who will try and remind us of what we’ve done, or certain sins we committed. And even if we don’t have people to do it, the devil will send his imps to do it.
The devil wants you to live in guilt, and doubt your salvation. He wants you to walk in condemnation. But don’t let his schemes work on you. Yes, you did it. Yes, you committed it. But Yes, it is forgiven. And when a sin is repented of, somehow it passes through the blood of Jesus, and when it does it disintegrates and exists no more. And when the enemy comes back to take me on the guilt trip, I can proclaim: “You don’t have any rule in my life. Christ is King over my sins - and He says they’re gone!”
I am also glad that He rules over my sorrows. I am glad that when things discourage me, and bring despair, that I can take to God in prayer! The songwriter said, “In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief.” And it’s not just about praying that brings me relief. It’s the fact that I am praying to the One Who is Sovereign over my sorrow, God over my grief, and Master over my mourning!
Then He is King over my sweat. Let me say it like this, “The things that make me sweat.” Worry, fret, panic, be uptight, be nervous, be concerned, be anxious, be afraid. We are human beings. We get concerned about things. We get uptight about things. We worry, fret, and panic sometimes. We get nervous and anxious because we feel a situation is out of control. But Jesus is King of our sweat. He is King of those things that cause us to fear and worry. Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.” The Lord is more than concerned about what concerns you, He is KING over what concerns you.
Let’s look a little bit further. When you get into the NT, in Mark 4 we see that thorns are used to symbolize three more things: 1. Lusts of other things. 2. Deceitfulness of riches. 3. Cares of this world. And I just want to look at the third one. He is the King of your cares. That’s consistent with what we just saw. Your sorrow, your sweat, and the cares of life - he is King over it all. He rules over it! So here’s the question: What are you concerned about? What’s on your heart? What’s causing you to sweat? What sorrow or grief is trying to grip your life? What care is trying to weight you down?
Whatever it is that’s trying to rise up in your life, and overtake the place of God, the Word of God, or the rulership of God in your life, I have come to tell you that he is the King over it. That’s why He can say, “Cast your care upon him; for he cares for you.” That’s why he can say, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
That’s how the psalmist can say, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel will not slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is the shade upon thy right hand. Th sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
No wonder He could tell Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee!” He is king over every care, every storm, every problem, every situation, every crisis, every difficulty, every disappointment, every dilemma, and over every thing that concerns you. You don’t have to worry, fret, lose your temper, lose your cool, or lose your mind. You don’t have to have a nervous breakdown, a heart attack, nor do you have to get depressed, discouraged, or live in despair.
And even though the soldiers did it mockingly, there is hope found even in the crown of thorns on the Savior’s head, because through that God let’s us know that He is the King over the thorns in our lives!
