May 30
2 Sam 15:23-16:23 | PS 119:113-128 | Prov 16:10-11 | John 18:25-19:22
Make no mistake, when the Roman soldiers fashioned a crown of thorns for Jesus there was a two fold purpose. As they kneeled stating, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (John 19:3), you can almost see their mocking grins. In addition, as they were physically beating him, and spitting on him, this crown of thorns impaled into the skin of his scalp was intended to be exceedingly painful. These low-level Roman soldiers were finalizing their painful mockery, taking a symbol of royalty, and turning it into something painful and degrading. But, as Christians, we must see in the crown so much more. There were two prophetic pictures of Messiah: Messiah ben David, the conquering king, and Messiah ben Joseph, the suffering servant. Unknowingly, this crown of thorns brought the two Messianic pictures into unison.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, the curse placed upon Adam as a result of his sin in Genesis 3:17-18, "...“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,...". Jesus took the object of the curse, the result of that sin, the thorns themselves, and carried that curse to the cross as our suffering servant, paying the price that we were unable to, as it is written in Galatians 3:13, " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),". While intended to be a mockery, the crown of thorns was an excellent symbol of what Jesus was about to accomplish,
But in Revelation 19:11-16, we see Messiah ben David arriving to the battle of Armageddon, crowned "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" to eliminate the forces assembled under the banner of the Antichrist. Hebrews 2:9, states this clearly as we read , "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.", and in Philippians 2:5-11, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." A crown of thorns, not an accident, but another amazing portrayal of our Savior, our King.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: