This Easter Week....The Crown That SpeaksНамуна

THE THORNS

And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Matthew 27:29

Years ago, my husband and I visited his mother in another state, and behind a fence in her yard, we discovered a tree that had vines with long thorns. Our thoughts gelled at that moment, and Dan went to the garage and grabbed wire, pliers, gloves, and pruning shears. Together, we weaved a crown of thorns that, from that moment on, topped our Christmas Tree annually and became a table centerpiece every Easter. We did this because the thorns in the crown speak.

The crown shoved on Jesus' head is believed to be from a Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) tree, which grows in Africa and the Middle East. From my research, I found that each leaf grows two hard thorns at its base: one straight and the other hooked. Imagine that as the Roman soldiers placed it on Jesus’ head, the shape of the thorns became its anchor, digging deep into His skull.

Not only did the deep wounds from being nailed to the cross cause Jesus to bleed out, but it is a known fact that even minor cuts to the skull caused profuse bleeding. His bleeding began in the Garden of Gethsemane from Hematidrosis, a medical condition brought on by extreme stress.

As I survey the crown we made and see its long thorns, I can’t imagine the pain of someone shoving it into my skull. Jesus wants us to be humble people, and this lowly crown filled with thorns certainly is no crown fit for a king, and the soldier intended to belittle Him. How much more humbling can one get than to be stripped naked, beaten, spat upon, and mocked publicly, then crowned with spiny thorns?

EASTER TAKEAWAY: May the crown that speaks speak humbleness into our lives.

PRAYER: Father, It is hard to fathom all Your Son, and You endured at the praetorium to Skull Hill, to the grave where he was laid. I know Jesus felt each thorn and was willing to bear all the cruel torture to complete His task on earth so that one day, He will reward us with the crown of life! In Jesus’ Name. Amen