In the old hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross are the words:

‘See from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?’

Jesus wore a crown of thorns so we could wear crowns of glory. In Scripture, thorns represent sin. In Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, He said, ‘The ground will be under a curse…[…it] will produce thorns’ (Genesis 3:17-18 CEV). Later He told Israel that unless they removed their enemies from the land, ‘they will be like…thorns in your sides’ (Numbers 33:55 NCV). Solomon warned: ‘Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road’ (Proverbs 22:5 NLT). And Jesus warned, ‘You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes’ (Matthew 7:16 TLB).

Author Max Lucado wrote: ‘The crown of thorns Jesus wore represented all our sins. As we were caught in the brambles of envy, anger, shame, discouragement, guilt, bitterness, and unforgiveness, so Jesus, who knew no sin, became “an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10 NIV). Not once did Christ use His supernatural powers for personal comfort. With just a word He could have transformed the hard earth into a soft bed…hurled the spit of His accusers back into their faces…and paralysed the hand of the soldier who braided the thorns. But He didn’t. Instead, “He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross”’ (Colossians 2:14 NLT).

And He did all of it with you in mind. Jesus gave His life for you.

What Now?

Look up the hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Listen to it or read the words, then spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ sacrifice for you, and thanking God for His unending love.