So it's Holy Thursday here in Australia. A time for the beginning of one of the most important moments in the Christian calendar- the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a time that I really treasure as it shows every one of us in real terms the steps Jesus took for us to be saved and for me, there's no better representation of this then the Cross and the Crown of Thorns.
The value of the Cross is well known and to be honest, I don't think really needs an explanation. If you want to know why a Cross is used, feel free to watch the Passion of the Christ or visit any of the many Stations of the Cross services held across the country tomorrow.
But why a crown of thorns? Why not any other painful implement that could damage, but not kill? Why was this the chosen pain method?
Growing up, I always thought of the crown of thorns as an unnecessary addition to the Passion story, much in the same way I did the fact that as people we have to act as the crowd and tell off Jesus. We can already see he was carrying a cross, dying for us and being treated like dirt. Why then do we have to act like the crowd heckling him and further more, why did he have to have a twisted mess of thorns dug into his head?
It's that exact description mentioned above however that today makes me truly believe that there is no other way that Christ's love for us could have been represented.
The crown of thorns is perfect in that it is imperfect in every way. It is lots of painful, thorny bushes, each twined together to create the ultimate pain machine. With one branch, it's painful enough, but get a few and twist them together, and the pain is amplified, especially when it's dug into the skin.
The idea of thorns relates back to the days of the fall of man and I believe it, above anything else, is a perfect representation of our brokenness as people. We each sin and are hurt and this can be painful and draw us to turn away from love and feeling worthy. The thing is though that we don't just do this once, we do it time and time again, and over time, we build up our sin and it twists in our lives like the crown of thorns, creating immense pain. The crown of thorns is a literal way of showing our twisted, messed up lives.
Jesus knows this and wants to alleviate our suffering. It's why he is willing to have the crown of thorns placed on his head. He wants us to be freed from all our brokenness and pain and like the cross, for him to carry it. It is, along with cross, a sign of the immense love God has for every one of us, that while He realises we do wrong, He is always wanting to bring us towards Him and His grace and love and mercy, no matter what the cost.
The crown of thorns also provides a great visual example of the pain, betrayal and anguish that is happening around Jesus. Just as the thorns represent the twisted mess our lives can sometimes get in, they were doing the same for the lives of the disciples including Peter and Judas, who during this time betrayed the man they called the Son of God and either ran away, denied or sold Him out.
The thing is though, just like how Jesus took away the pain by taking on the literal crown of thorns, He does the same in a metaphoric sense for first the disciples when He appears to them after the resurrection and then for Peter. All He asks for them to do, is to turn back to Him and believe.
A priest I was talking to the other day made a very interesting point. He said that there is no difference between Peter and Judas in the Passion. Both betray Jesus, both commit sin and both feel extremely hurt by it. The difference is how they deal with the crown of thorns now placed on their heads. Judas turns away and takes his life after realising his error, while Peter trusts in God- he's the first one who runs in to the tomb when the women tell the disciples that the stone has been rolled away. He could have been met by Roman Soldiers who arrested him or by thieves but he risked that possibility for the love of God.
It is the same with each one of us standing here today. We all are broken, we all struggle with pain, addictions, hurts and our sinful nature. The great thing is though is that we have a God who loves us so much that he wants to free us of all of this and all we have to do is like Peter, turn back to Him and believe.
This Easter season, my invitation to each of you is to look at the crown of thorns in your life and take them to Christ. Ask him to help free you from your pain and if you feel there's sin or hurt that needs to be alleviated, then go to confession and ask for God's forgiveness and mercy.
We need not wear the crown of thorns- Jesus has already offered to take that role for us and for that, we should be forever grateful.
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