Crown Him with Many Crowns
/Our God is the creator of diamonds. He puts pressure on carbon for thousands of years, producing this beautiful and valuable stone. Although, we know that the same God who turned water into the best of wines could certainly form a diamond with a word in an instant; yet He continues to use the wonders of His creation to carry out its marvelous workings taking thousands of years to produce one beautiful, incredible stone. And He knows where the richest stores of the most stunning diamonds have yet to come to the surface. He is also the creator of other precious stones like rubies and sapphires and emeralds. He has produced and knows where veins of gold lie that would make the California gold rush look like a monthly gathering of the local library club. And yet this creator, this God of everything, chose to allow Himself to be crowned with a twisted ring of jagged thorns just before His crucifixion. This culminated a lifetime of humility and stark humanness in which the God of the universe voluntarily robed Himself. In wearing this crown of thorns, He proved Himself to be just the kind of king we need. He is a king who is familiar and acquainted with suffering and pain.
"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53.3-5 ESV)
In wearing this crown of thorns, He proved that He is a king who has come to redeem us from the curse of sin, part of which carries this mandate: "…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). His wearing this crown of thorns proclaims His reversing this curse.
This harsh coronation ceremony was yet another confirmation of a lifetime of verification that the kingdom of God is nothing like the kingdoms of this world. His kingdom is the antithesis of everything for which the kingdoms to this world stand.
- A crown of thorns replaces a crown of gold and precious stones.
- A cross reveals a suffering savior king, not an aloof tyrant.
- The empty tomb represents a kingdom in which all who enter will never die, for their king is alive forever.
- His soon return is the hope of all who follow this servant king in His self-sacrificial lifestyle.
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting…But my kingdom is not from the world" (John 18.36).
Yet we know that the day is coming soon when our King will be recognized by all as the true King of the universe. In the book of Revelation, we find the apostle John recording his visions of the heavenly realms. Here is one powerful picture he records for us: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God" (Revelation 19.11-13 NIV).
He is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.
