Crown of Love

“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they placed a stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery, yelling, ‘Hail! King of the Jews!” Matthew 27:28-29

Place Number 5-The headquarters of the Roman Soldiers

I have read this passage over and over and each time I come across the crown of thorns it stops me. In Revelation it says Jesus wore many crowns because He is more than any name could describe. And in the case of His death He wore the crown of our sin. This crown that the Roman soldiers placed upon Him was more than the mocking they used it for. The pain of the thorns represents the pain of our sin and the crown represents the unending love of Jesus.

It is and was more than a crown of pain it was a crown of selfless love wore by the King of Kings. Jesus is standing in front of us taking all that we deserve upon Himself and I can’t help but to see and hear Him saying with such deep agony “I love you, do you see that I love you. I am taking on your sin and the sin of the world so that you can be with me forever. I am the only pure and perfect sacrifice. I bought you with my blood. I placed the crown of thorns upon my head to show you that I am the King of Kings who wore your sin. Today I wear many crowns! Lift your eyes up to me, look at me_______ (put your name), stop looking everywhere else. Look at Me the one who really, truly loves you and will love you forever no matter what.”

“And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and beat him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again.” Matthew 27:30-31

It does anger me when I read this and not just at the ugliness of these people who crucified my Savior but because I too so many times have grabbed that stick and beat Him on the head. And no matter how many times I have done it, do it, or will do it, Jesus says I still love you, I will not tolerate it but I love you, I bought you. He looks at me and sees me just as He looked at all those who persecuted Him-with complete, unconditional, never ending love that is saturated with His blood.

Jesus today I ask that we will truly grasp Your love. Help us to see through Your eyes the love You have for us. Jesus these are not just words in a book they are a description of You, Your love. Jesus open up the very core of every heart and pour Your love within them. Jesus I ask with a deep burden that every person will see how loved they are. Jesus my heartaches for those who overlook all that You have done, my heart breaks for those who have no clue who You are. Whatever has to be done Jesus I am ready and willing send me wherever to share Your love, Your name! Amen

Serious Issues!

“Very early in the morning, the leading priests and other leaders met again to discuss how to persuade the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death. Then they bound him and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.” Matthew 27:1-2

Brothers and sisters there is so much description of love through the death and resurrection of Christ. The Word is God-breathed and used for the specific purpose to show us how loved we are. I hope that your hearts are being softened and that you are experiencing true love.

Place Number 4- The headquarters of the Roman governor-Pilate

Jesus is now standing trial before Pilate and at this point Jesus has been beat up, His face is bloody and His hands and feet are bound up. There in the midst of complete hate and jealousy Jesus is having accusations made about Him that are not even true. The more Pilate refuses to do what the leaders say the angrier they become and the more they charge Jesus for doing.

Every year during Passover Pilate releases a prisoner of their choice. It just so happens that the prisoner is a notorious criminal named Barabbas. Pilate comes out and says, “Which one do you want me to release to you-Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah? …the crowd shouted back their reply: Barabbas! But if I release Barabbas, Pilate asked them, what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah? And they all shouted, Crucify him! Why? Pilate demanded. What crime has he committed? But the crowd only roared the louder, Crucify him... I am innocent of the blood of this man. The responsibility is yours! And all the people yelled back, EW will take responsibility for his death-we and our children! So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him.”

Place yourself somewhere in the crowd, a place where you can see all that is going on and where you have a clear view of Jesus. Then listen to the crowd yelling “Crucify Him” and Pilate saying the words, “have Him flogged with a lead-tipped whip, and then turn Him over to the Romans soldiers to crucify Him.”

Now I want you to walk over to Jesus and take His hand and follow Him as He is led away to be flogged. (In Deuteronomy 25:3 “No more than forty lashes may ever be given; more than forty lashes would publicly humiliate your neighbor.”) I want you to stand there as Jesus is being flogged 40 times with a three pronged whip that has lead in the prongs. And if you can stand there and not feel loved we have serious issues. We should be so overwhelmed with emotion every time we think of Christ’s display of love that it brings us to our knees. I know it is rough, but guys it was real and Jesus felt every whip, every punch, and every person’s spit that hit His face. He did it for us! He did it out of love! Oh, we are loved, we are loved, we are so, so loved!

Jesus I cannot even begin to imagine what You felt and not only from the physical pain but from the verbal pain of hearing the ones You created yelling for You to be crucified. Jesus as I place myself next to You I can’t help but to hit my knees in adoration and thankfulness. Only You right now can see and feel all that my heart is saying. Amen