Matthew 27:29 “and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.”
Those of you who remember Coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys will remember the hat he always wore at the games. It didn’t matter what kind of weather he faced or if the game was indoors, he always wore that hat. The hat was a Stetson Fedora and it was his trademark, along with his uncanny ability to pick the right players and strategies to win football games. My dad also had a Stetson Fedora and he wore it to work as well. He didn’t make any big headlines or win general national prominence. He was well known throughout his professional community as a comptroller of the electric company that served all of South Texas. He retired in 1973 and went home to God in early 1981. Many years later, Mom asked me if I would like to have that hat and I immediately said I did. There is just one problem with that hat: it is a size 6 7/8 and my head is a 7 ¼. When I tried to wear it, it perched just a little high on my head. It doesn’t matter. Even though my dad has been gone out of my life for 34 years, every once in a while I pick up that hat and set it on my head. It is just a way to get in touch with him, to hope some of his wisdom will somehow pass through that hat and into me. There have been a few times down over the years when I think it worked.
As you can see from the quotation above, Jesus also had a hat of sorts. It was a gift from the Roman soldiers. They took branches of the jujube tree, a tree known for its fruit and thorns, and twisted them into a crown and placed it forcibly on his head. They also gave him a nice purple robe and a staff for a scepter. Along with these gifts, they beat him and tortured him and mocked him and prepared him for the eventual horrible death on the cross. This crown, this hat, is also for us a source of wisdom and pride. I am not suggesting that you go out get some jujube tree branches or even some prickly rose bush branches and place them on your head. Please don’t do that! What I am saying is that we can learn from at least emotionally wearing this crown. He wore it for a long time, all the way from the torture room, through the city streets and finally up that Golgotha hill to his final destination. He wore that crown for hours and hours. He endured its pain and he did that, along with everything else that day, for us.
As Christians, we are often invited to take up the cross and follow Christ. It was a heavy burden and the symbology is obvious. What isn’t obvious and what is often overlooked, is that crown of thorns. The message is that Jesus endured what, compared to the crucifixion, was a much lower level of pain and he endured it for a long time.
Life often presents us with the same opportunity, the same challenge. It may be a physical challenge or a less than ideal life style or living situation. Maybe it involves taking care of someone else who needs us, someone who is not able to take care of themselves. That commitment or situation may be life-long or long term. It can certainly tempt us to escape or turn our backs on our responsibilities or turn inward in despair at what we can’t control or change. The lesson of the crown of thorns is one of endurance, having the strength and the courage to last, even when the pain of the thorns seem to be never-ending. It is at that very time, when we need to call on Jesus to give us a hand and to show us how to wear our own crown with courage and with his grace.
What is in your life that seems to run on without end? What life challenge are you faced with? Whatever it is, turn to Him who showed us how to wear life, to wear our crown of thorns as he wore his.
No comments:
Post a Comment