“And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matt. 27:29).
When Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the serpent, the curse of sin and death infiltrated their world. But the curse did not stop with them. The beautiful earth that God created for man to inhabit also suffered. As God told Adam in Genesis 3:17-18, “cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth.” Thorns, therefore, are representative of the curse of sin on the earth.
Further, under the Mosaic Law, those who were hanged on a tree were cursed. For most capital offenses covered by Jewish Law, stoning was the form of punishment. But sometimes the dead body would be hung from a tree for all to see as a deterrent to further crime. However, the law made it illegal to leave the body hanging overnight (Deut. 21:23).
In Galatians 3:13, Paul references this law in relation to Jesus and his death on the cross, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” The cross of Christ is sometimes also referred to in Scripture as a “tree,” as in Acts 5:30, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed and hanged on a tree.” (See also Acts 10:39).
In his passion and death, Christ bore both curses for us. First, he wore the mocking shame of the crown of thorns on his head. And then he actually became sin for us and bore the curse of the sin of the world in his body on that tree. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 plainly states, “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.”
No curse remains, therefore, to haunt those redeemed by his blood. For the throne of Christ’s passion was the cross, and his crown, the thorns. He carried both with him into his death, that he may triumph over all those powers of darkness, sin, death, and hell (Col. 2:15) at his resurrection.
To be cursed is to be condemned, and Paul makes it clear in Romans 8:1 that “there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” And why is that? Because Christ erased the curse when he satisfied the debt payment to God for our sin. But not only was Christ made a curse but for us; he bore that curse of sin willingly. As Hebrews 12:2 says, he endured the cross and the shame of the curse “for the joy that was set before him.”
In the Song of Solomon 2:2, Christ is depicted as a rosa inter spinas, Latin for “a rose among the thorns.” It is impossible to pick a rose without encountering thorns. And thus it is with the beauty and excellency of Christ. He makes it clear that to be his follower, we must be willing to take up his cross (Matt. 16:24), for without conflict there is no conquest. And without conquest, there is no triumph. He that does not triumph over sin here in this world of thorns shall never triumph over Satan hereafter in a crown of glory.
Contemplations:
- O Lord, help me remember that I am not alone in this cursed world of thorns and crosses. Not only have you tread that path before me, so you are thoroughly acquainted with my pain and grief (Isa. 53:3), but you have also triumphed over all and now offer me rest among the thorns in the refuge of your bosom, until you bring me to yourself in glory. So help me sit and rest and find shelter in you right now (Psalm 124:6).
- Lord, in all my delight and mirth let me ever cling to that thorny crown that you willingly wore for me. This way my joy will be tempered with the weight of the price you paid for me to enjoy you and to enjoy life so full of grace and blessing. For I know that in the world to come, I will be in your presence where there is fullness of joy. I will be standing at your right hand, where there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16:11).
Further References for Matthew 27:29:
Gen. 3:18; Num. 33:55; Song 2:2; Jer. 12:13
