Why Did Jesus Wear A Crown Of Thorns?
Why a Crown of Thorns?
Thorns seem to be a very odd item for the Romans to fashion a crown out of. They went and retrieved a purple robe to mock Him. Yet, when it came to the crown, they made it of thorns. Why?
Why did Jesus wear a crown of thorns? Jesus is the great Priestly King after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7). Jesus is the King of righteousness and of peace. He is also Priest. Jesus offered Himself for all time as a single sacrifice for sins and then sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:12) where He, as the Priestly King, is able to save to the uttermost all who draw near to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25). The crown of thorns is symbolic and carries the weight of these things. Thorns are often symbolic in Scripture for the curse. Because of one man’s transgression, the ground was cursed with thorns (Genesis 3:17-19). It is not only a twisted symbol of His Kingship but it also foreshadows His Priestly work as He who knew no sin was made sin (2 Corinthians 5:21a). Taking the curse that was due to man upon Himself, condemning sin in the flesh, being crushed by the Father on our behalf.
Jesus is worthy to be dwelt upon. Will you take some time to dwell more with me on this?
Thorns and Thistles
God created the world in six days. After He created man in His own image and likeness, He declared that all of His creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). There was no death. No thorns and thistles. No rotten fruit or vegetables. It was very good.
God gave Adam one command,
“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
They had everything they could ever need or desire. God had given it all to them. More importantly He gave Himself to them. The very God of the heavens and the earth. The One who created all things, walked in their midst. Had unbroken fellowship with them!
God Himself, and all that He had given them, was not enough for them. Instead of obeying their Creator, instead of choosing to do what is right, instead of choosing the best thing, which is God Himself, Adam chose to rebel against God. Adam chose to transgress His commandment.
Thus, the Lord God says to Adam,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19, bold added)
Because of Adam’s transgression the earth is now cursed. Man, whose labor before always produced good fruit, would now labor and be rewarded with thorns and thistles.
Thorns exist because of the one man’s transgression. The earth, which knew the fullness of God’s blessing, now knows His cursing.
Thorns are clearly pictured throughout Scripture as a negative thing (Numbers 33:55; Proverbs 15:19). A remembrance of the curse. A judgment upon the nations (Isaiah 34:13). An object that chokes out the life of men who believe the gospel (Matthew 13:3-8).
Thorns and thistles are a living picture of God’s judgment upon transgression. God will judge all trespasses against Him. None will escape His righteous judgment. When you see thorns, it will do you good to remember this.
For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation. (Romans 5:16b)
Justice will be served. Every transgression will be punished under the wrath of the Almighty Creator God.
The Priestly King
We can praise God for Jesus who is both King and High Priest. I personally am thankful that Romans 5:16 doesn’t end with condemnation. Read on,
But the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:16c-19, bold added)
This is beautiful. Man sinned. If left to ourselves, we would face condemnation. No escaping the judgment of God towards sin. Yet,
God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
God is love. So, He did not leave us to perish without a Savior. He sent us Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God, the second member of the Trinity. He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. Israel, God’s chosen people, were expecting a Messiah King. A King who would come to restore peace and prosperity to the nation.
When Jesus came onto the scene He proclaimed,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
The King sent by God was standing in front of them. Jesus announces this and tells them to change their mind. Stop thinking the way they are thinking and believe on Him! Yet, the Gospels are clear that He was despised and rejected. Led out of the city as a sheep to be slaughtered.
Israel rejected their King. They handed Him over into the hands of lawless men to die accursed upon a tree.
For more on Israel’s rejection, see our articles:
The people of Israel were looking for the wrong king. They wanted a military king. Not a priestly king. Not a king who would save them from their biggest problem. Save them from the wrath of God. They wanted deliverance from the wrath of the nations.
Yet, a bigger problem existed. The wrath of God for the punishment of sin. How is Jesus to save us? Our transgressions and sins have made us enemies of God. God is holy, perfect, good, just, and always does that which is right.
Our crimes and rebellion must be punished. This is the beauty and the terror of the cross. God satisfied His justice in Christ. Jesus offered Himself as the payment for the sins of men and was crushed under God’s wrath for us.
Being made both Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36). Bearing the guilt and punishment of all who believe. All who are in Christ. (For more depth on this see our articles: Why Did Jesus Die For Our Sins? and Forsaken By God).
This is what the crown of thorns points to.
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him. (Matthew 27:24-31, bold added)
In a lengthy effort to mock the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Roman soldiers go to great lengths to dress Jesus up with kingly themed items. A purple robe for royalty. A reed for an iron scepter of power. A crown of thorns displaying the status of a king.
These soldiers placed on the brow of Christ a crown of thorns in an attempt to mock Him. They prophetically proclaimed what was about to happen in Jesus’s priestly role.
The crown of thorns symbolized the curse of God upon the earth because of the transgression of not just Adam but all men. Also, it symbolized the disobedience and rebellion of man. Because of Adam’s rebellion, thorns came into the world. The very world Jesus created. God’s very good creation was marred because of the sin of men.
This crown was laid upon Jesus the Christ. Thereby, pronouncing to all that the curse of God towards man for sin has now been laid upon Christ. Displaying to all that the disobedience, rebellion, and transgression of men was laid upon the Son. Then the Son was treated as a rebellious transgressor of God’s law.
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:23)
The Scriptures reveal that in order to display God’s righteousness in justifying the wicked who have faith in Jesus, God had to satisfy His justice in something or someone else. Nothing in all of creation could provide a sufficient payment for the sin of the world. Nor could any man in their own merit or with their own blood atone for their own sin (or anyone else’s).
But the King, Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, could. He is of infinite worth. Therefore, He has in Himself the ability to pay for the sins of all who would believe.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 2:23-26)
Jesus, functioning as priest,
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11-14)
Jesus does not just fulfill the role of King as He waits until all His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. But He fulfills the role of Priest, too. As He is ever interceding for men in the presence of God the Father.
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues forever. Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:22-25, bold added)
For those who repent from their old way of thinking, from their old way of living, and from their dead deeds. For those who believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and live as if they truly believe. These know that Jesus, as the Kingly Priest, is ever living to intercede for the one who draws near to Him.
Will you be like Adam? Rejecting God for something that is created? Or will you repent of this foolishness, seeking for the glory of God in Christ Jesus?
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)
Related Questions
How long were the thorns on Jesus? The Romans who were making a mockery of Jesus put Him in a purple robe, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and put a reed in His hand as a scepter (Matthew 27:27-31). This all happened moments before He was made to take up His cross and drag it to Calvary to be crucified. The Scriptures tell us that they took off His robe off before His crucifixion. But the crown of thorns was most likely left on until He was buried.
What do thorns symbolize in the Bible? Thorns and thistles were not a part of the initial creation. They are a product of the fall. Thorns and thistles were brought into the earth as a curse because of the transgression of Adam (Genesis 3:17-19). Throughout Scripture this idea of thorns and thistles being a curse is present. Due to the transgressions of people, God would send the curse of thorns as punishment (Isaiah 34:13).