Thinking About Thorns

During this holy time of year as we consider the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, devoted Christians consider the pain, agony and humiliation that Jesus endured for us. As I was considering the vents of the passion of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit drew my attention to the crown of thorns.

And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, Mark 15:17 (NKJV)

Bible scholars say the thorns that grew in that area were quite long and, when shoved on Jesus head and then struck with a rod, would have gone deep into Jesus’ head. We are talking about more than the small thorns that we see on a rose bush. These were hideous and would have been like long, thick needles piercing his scalp. And because the head usually bleeds a lot when wounded, there would have been quite a lot of blood flowing down his face and head. It has been pointed out that the crown of thorns signifies the deliverance of our minds from the lies of the enemy. We are now free to think right, and we have the mind of Christ. We need no longer be tortured in our minds because the blood of Jesus has set us free in our minds.

However, Holy Spirit pointed something else out to me about this crown of thorns. He took me back to Genesis 3.

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “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, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19 (NKJV) emphasis mine

This verse tells us that Adam’s disobedience brought about a curse that affected the ground. Rather than easily harvest the fruit and herbs, it would become difficult and labor-intensive for mankind. Thorns, thistles, and weeds would spring up and make it difficult to grow and harvest food. For the first time, Adam had to put forth hard physical effort to combat the thorns and other challenges to bring forth a harvest. Man had to work hard and had to rely on his own effort to get what he needed from the earth.

In considering the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, I believe there is additional significance beyond the deliverance of our minds. I believe it is also showing us that we would no longer have to work and rely on our own effort. The crown of thorns points to grace. Grace has made it possible for us to reap a harvest by trusting in God to work for us. God has given us grace to do what we cannot do. We can rest in Christ and allow the grace of God to work for us. Now what we need to do is labor to enter the rest of God (Hebrews 4:11).

The crown of thorns reveals that Christ took away the torture and anxieties of the mind, and it shows us that He released grace to work on our behalf.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:4-9 (NKJV)