Thorns

They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. Mark 15:17

This tree caught my attention as I was walking in the woods last week. The rugged thorns immediately took me to picture the crown of thorns placed upon the head of Jesus before his crucifixion. We know the story of that horrific torture of Jesus. Humankind has come up with some particularly gruesome and creative ways to torture other people. This crown of thorns was another of those extraordinary torture techniques inflicted on Jesus. The crucifixion itself is a horrible way to die. The added dimension of a crown of thorns was gratuitous cruelty.

I touched the thorns and they were sharp and stout. They could penetrate the scalp with just a bit of pressure placed upon them. I cannot imagine the pain that this added to the suffering of the already depleted body of Jesus.

We don’t like to think that civilized humans can come up with such creative tortures, but we can and we do. Rather than think of the awful minds of the torturers, we care called to think on the willing mind of Jesus who endured this suffering for his people- you and me.

Prayer: Lord, we can hardly imagine the love that motivates Jesus. Help us to come close to sharing it, Amen