A Crown of Thorns for a Crown of Glory

May 04, 2019

A Crown of Thorns for a Crown of Glory

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory.”*

This year on the afternoon of Good Friday, Al and I participated in a unique interactive service that was held to commemorate some of the events of Jesus Christ’s last days on earth. Pastors from at least six different congregations in the community met together to plan a service appropriate for people of all ages from kids to adults, and invited volunteers to help with various parts of it.

In addition to a march around the church with palm branches, scripture readings and hymns, there was a short reenactment of Christ’s last words from the cross. The drama, put on a narrator and four young people, focused on the reactions of the criminals on either side of Jesus and of the Roman centurion standing near by.

During another portion of the service, the congregation was invited to visit several stations that were set up in different areas of the building. Four of the stations were in the fellowship hall: “Anointing,” “Foot Washing,” “Judgment/Denial” and “Trial/Crowning.” The station for the “Last Supper” was in the entrance to the kitchen. The remaining three, “Betrayal/Arrest,” “The Cross” and “Forgiveness,” were located in the church foyer and sanctuary.

Each person in attendance was given a booklet in which to write down reflections as he/she visited the different centers. There wasn’t a particular order to follow and it wasn’t mandatory to go to all of them. Volunteers were present at each table to assist with a very simple object lesson or action. For example, there was a pastor at the Anointing station to anoint people with oil on their foreheads, remembering the loving act of Mary of Bethany who anointed Jesus just a few days before His arrest.

At the Foot Washing station, participants washed their hands in a bowl of water and were given a purple towel to take home as a reminder of the example Jesus set when He washed the feet of His disciples. A heavy chain reminded those who visited the Denial table of the burden of carrying the weight of guilt.

As they walked from station to station, some of them were visibly moved. Many didn’t talk, but rather read the scriptures and questions, thinking about the application to their own lives. Al and I volunteered to help at the “Trial/Crowning” table, where people viewed a crown woven from a thorny vine, perhaps resembling the one the Roman soldiers may have forcefully put on Christ’s head.

Al shared the story from our trip to Israel in 2010, when our Israeli guide cut some branches off a shrub with extremely long thorns and gingerly wove it into a circle. After the crude crown was finished, he held it up and asked who in the group would come forward to wear it. While the majority of us hung back, one man bravely volunteered. A dramatic object lesson!

Also at our table was another crown made of braided ropes. People were invited to stick a toothpick into the crown between the braided rope and think about the “thorns” in their lives, sins for which Christ died. As the minutes passed and the same message was repeated many times over, the irony of the crowning of Christ became clear to me.

Rather than wearing a crown of gold and precious stones, Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords was humiliated by the Roman soldiers who forced him to wear a purple robe, a crown of thorns on His head and carry a staff instead of a ruler’s scepter. A sign on His cross announced, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” (Matthew 27:37 NIV)

Jesus our King chose the path of servant leadership and suffering so that salvation could come to all of mankind. On the cross, His calling was fulfilled, His mission accomplished. Sorrow on Friday... but celebration on Sunday!

When He comes to earth again, He will be wearing the golden crown He so deserves, the crown of glory. May we rejoice in this honor He has given us, crowning us with salvation and gifting us with new life. And may we wait for His return with great expectation. Come quickly, King Jesus!

*Psalm 24:9-10 NIV