OceanSide church of Christ

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THE CROWN OF THORNS (2)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     In a previous lesson, we began a two-part study of “The Crown of Thorns.”

 

B.      This was the crown Jesus wore during the crucifixion.

 

C.     It was mostly likely made from the Zyzyphrus spina-Christi thorn bush, a bush having 1 inch thorns growing on its branches.

 

D.     The crown was placed on the head of Jesus and remained there throughout the entirety of the crucifixion.

 

E.      In our last lesson, we described the crown as follows:

1.       A crown of rejection

2.       A crown of pain

3.       A crown of irony

4.       A crown of humiliation

 

F.      In this lesson, let’s look at some other descriptions of this crown.

 

I.                    A CROWN OF HATRED

 

A.     In Proverbs 29:10, we learn:  “The bloodthirsty hate the upright…” 

 

B.      Hatred is an evil emotion.

1.       It leads people to say and do horrible things. 

2.       The wise writer said:  “Hatred stirreth up strifes…” (Prov. 10:12). 

3.       At this point in our Lord’s ministry, hatred

a.       …caused men to lead an innocent man to the judgment seat. 

b.      …caused them to treat Him in ways they would not treat an animal.  Their hatred led them to mock the truth, that is, that Jesus was the King of the Jews (See Matt. 2:1-2). 

 

C.     The hatred displayed by the Jews was in direct violation of their law.  Leviticus 19:17 states:  “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart…”

 

D.     This crown was a display of the kind of hatred men can have for other another man. 

 

E.      Hatred is listed beside idolatry in the list of sins of the flesh (Gal. 5:20).  Paul said “that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21).

 

II.                 A CROWN OF DENIAL

 

A.     Crowns are supposed to be symbols of acknowledgement that the person crowned is the king. 

 

B.      In II Kings 11:12, we see an example of this in the crowning of Joash.  “And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.”

C.     The crown of thorns was not a positive affirmation that Jesus was king. 

1.       It was a denial of that very thing.

a.       The Romans denied it. 

b.      The Jewish leaders denied it. 

c.       The Jewish people denied it. 

2.       When Pilate made the sign that read:  “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” and placed it over Jesus’ head on the cross, the Jewish leaders wanted the sign re-worded (John 19:20).

 

“Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Kings; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.

 

III.              A CROWN OF DEFEAT

 

A.     Crowns were often symbols of victory.

1.       The champions of the Olympic Games were crowned with the stephanos, the victory crown (I Cor. 9:25). 

2.       Kings would sometimes take the crown of the enemy king and wear it as a symbol of victory over the enemy (I Chron. 20:2). 

 

B.      The crown placed upon Jesus’ head had nothing to do with victory at all.

1.        It was a symbol of defeat.  It was composed of thorns, not precious gold. 

2.       Those who stood before Him, did not bow in reverence.  They bowed only to mock their enemy. 

 

C.     Jesus had told the Jews in the Garden of Gethsemane:  “This is your hour” (Luke 22:53). 

1.       This is the hour that they believed that they would destroy their enemy. 

2.       He would ultimately be killed, and, they believed, His voice would be silenced forever.

 

IV.              A CROWN OF CURSING

 

A.     Thorns are never symbols of something positive. 

 

B.      They are associated with cursing instead of blessing. 

1.       When God cursed the earth after man sinned, He said:  “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…” (Gen. 3:18). 

2.       The thorns of the crown Jesus worn spoke of the curse of man that was being brought upon him. 

a.       He was not being honored.  He was being scorned. 

b.      He was not being respected.  He was being condemned. 

 

V.                 A CROWN OF CONTRAST

 

A.     This crown stood in contrast to many crowns that day: 

1.       The crown of victory

2.       The crown of the high priest

3.       The crown of royalty

4.       The crown of Pilate

5.       The crown of the Roman emperor. 

 

B.      They intended to show the world that this man who believed Himself to be the Son of God and King of the Jews was wrong. 

1.       They wanted the world to know that the only crown of which he was worthy was the crown of thorns.  He was not worthy of the crown of a true king. 

2.       When Pilate retired to his kingly abode, Jesus was hanging in agony on the cross with a crown of thorns on His head. 

3.       I am sure that many of Jesus’ adversaries were thinking:  “Who is the true king now?”

 

C.     Little did they know what the next 36 to 48 hours would bring to pass.  Right now they reveled in their victory while their enemy hung on a cross outside of the city of Jerusalem.

 

VI.              A CROWN OF ANTICIPATION

 

A.     Jesus knew exactly who He was.  He knew God’s mission. 

1.       He humbly submitted Himself to the plan of redemption devised by the heavenly Father. 

2.       He understood that this plan was not to end on the cross. 

3.       In fact, He had often told His disciples that he would be killed in Jerusalem, but He would also rise again.  “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him:  and the third day he shall rise again” (Matt. 20:18-19). 

 

B.      He was also fully aware of the prophecies that had gone before Him.  One of the missions that He knew He was to accomplish was to fulfill prophecy (Matt. 5:17-18).

 

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

           

1.       One of those prophecies is found in Daniel 7:13-14. 

 

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him:  his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

 

2.       Jesus would rise from dead and ascend to the right hand of God. 

a.       When He arrived, He would be given a dominion and a kingdom.  In essence, He would be crowned as King of kings. 

b.      The crown of thorns would be replaced with a crown of victory and power and honor and glory.  Jesus anticipated this time. 

c.       The Hebrew penman wrote:  “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). 

 

C.     Jesus knew that He would not be remembered for a crown of thorns.  He would be remembered for the victory crown placed upon Him by His heavenly Father.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     After the crown was placed on Jesus, He endured the six long hours upon the cross, but this was not the end.

 

B.      On the third day after his burial, He arose from the dead.

 

C.     He ascended to the right hand of God and was given a kingdom and rules as king over it.

 

D.     One day, this great King is coming back.

1.       Revelation 1:7

 

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him:  and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.

 

2.       I Timothy 6:15

 

Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.