Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. Matthew 27:27-29 (NIV)
A few years ago, I heard “someone†teach about this passage and I made a note of related scriptures in my Bible. I went back to this study again and gave them some thought this weekend. I thought about “a crown of thorns†and my sins.
To Adam he [God] said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you…†Genesis 3:17-18 (NIV)
In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them. Proverbs 22:5
When I look at my sins, my mind immediately goes to the awesomeness and joy of knowing I have a Savior who has covered those sins with His blood. I am, and will forever be, a child of God. My sins are covered but there are still consequences for my sins.
God is holy. God is the standard and His standard does not waver. Scripture tells me that God is “jealous†of anything or anyone that I put above Him – including my own standards and ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Scripture tells me that God will allow harsh consequences to happen in response to intentional sin. David knew that what he did to Uriah was wrong. The death of his son with Bathsheba was a consequence. Harsh? David’s sin was harsh against God.
I don’t know all the checks and balances of sin, consequences/punishment, and God’s mercy. That is God’s job. He is the only Judge. I only know that as I thought about the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head I could see my sins had wove that bloody headdress. It took Jesus to make the balance. My sins are great. God’s love for me is greater. May my time of pondering bring me to a greater realization of my God who is King of kings and Lord of lords. May I know more about ‘holy fear’ and ‘extravagant love’ when I am in God’s presence. May my worship of God be more than just the music and words inside a sanctuary. May my worship of God be the life that I walk in holiness following Jesus. (Romans 12)
