April's Wisdom Word: "Crown of Thorns"

[John 19:1-3 TPT] “Then Pilate ordered Jesus to be brutally beaten with a whip of leather straps embedded with metal. And the soldiers also

wove thorn-branches into a crown and set it on his head and placed a

purple robe over his shoulders. Then, one by one, they came in front of

him to mock him by saying, “Hail, to the king of the Jews!” And one

after the other, they repeatedly punched him in the face.”

The crown of thorns was pressed into His head and skin until blood

flowed down His face and neck onto His shoulders and chest making a

bloody mess. The crown of thorns, the nail pierced feet and hands, the

spear in His side and the 39 stripes on His back were all symbolic of

the punishment He bore for our sins, and He died. I want to focus on

the crown of thorns. We know that thorn bushes grown primarily in

dry arid lands. They do not have much beauty to them, but they do

have purpose.

In [Numbers 33:51-53 KJV] (paraphrased) God commands the people

of Israel to cross-over the Jordan River and to possess the land, but

also to drive out all of the inhabitants completely. God says, “If you do

not drive them out completely then those you allow to remain will be

pricks in your eyes and thorns in your side, and they will vex (trouble)

you all your days.”

Israel disobeyed and they have been vexed with attacks and wars for

over two thousand years!

So, how does that relate to the N.T. gentile church? Thorns are

painful if touched and they represent poor living conditions and

barren dry land. Jesus wore this on His head which represents the

mind, will, and emotions. Jesus took our mental anguish and trauma,

our fears, our stress, our anxiety upon Himself and bore it for us.

[Isaiah 53:3-5 KJV] “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of 

sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces   from Him; he was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath

borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded (pierced, tormented) for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the

chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

Jesus wore the crown of thorns and He endured the mental anguish and

depression. He endured the mocking, the cursing, the false

accusations, the rejection and the shame of a people He loved. He bore

our pain and carried our sorrow, but He gave us something far greater.

A Helmet of Salvation to protect us from fiery darts, thoughts of evil proportion and wicked devices and plans. We renew our minds with the refreshing and cleansing Word of God, so that we drive out the wicked

ones who inhabited the land of our minds. Amen!

Love Always Wins,

Pastors Rick and Sheryl