Thought for the Season
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John 19:2-5
There is some discussion whether it is acanthus or lycium spinosum as Winer, Hug, Luthardt & Godet suggest. But whatever was used in the local area it would have been painful being all around the head. It is not always easy to imagine how Jesus would have felt. The other object of this was to humiliate him or as the Mark account says 'mock' him as 'King of the Jews', and it was in this humiliating appearance that Pilate had him in front of the people in Jerusalem, the supposed city of peace. There is almost a sense of irony in these thorns as Genesis 3 records how for Adam the ground was cursed and that therefore it would bring forth thorns and thistles (vs.17-18). Jesus being the second or last Adam (1 Cor.15.45). Mocking is not a wise thing to do and can possibly lead to danger. The sort of danger Sarah may have imagined when she saw Ishmael mocking her son, Isaac. As a result Hagar and Ishmael were forced to leave and prevent anything more threatening than mocking. 'Crown' comes from the Greek word, 'stephanos' which is the root of the word to twine or wreathe, and can be a badge of royalty, a prize in public games, according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. It could therefore be used in the sense of a royal crown or a victor's crown. It is the root of the word for that popular Biblical Christian name Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. Him whose spirit of forgiveness was evinced when dying his final recorded words were 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin.' This spirit of forgiveness is an example to many since then until now. |
And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his
head, and they put on him a purple robe.And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and
they smote him with their hands
The
picture above is of a Crown of Acanthus' (Diaglott) accompaning scriptures
from the Gospel of John. This feature of the end of Jesus' life is also included
in the Matthew and Mark accounts so it surely happened.