Jesus Christ: What is the meaning of the crown of thorns?

✝️ Jesus Christ died on the cross for the redemption of humanity, but the journey to the cross was not easy. The Roman soldiers tortured and humiliated him and placed a crown of thorns on his head. This scenario is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John.

In this article we address the why of the crown of thorns, but also details such as how the crown of thorns is made and where the crown of thorns is kept today. Throughout the article, you will find many excerpts from the Gospel.

"Then they twisted together a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then they knelt before him and mocked him. "Hail, King of the Jews!" they said. They spat on him, took the stick, and struck him on the head again and again."
Matthew 27:28-29

"They put a purple robe on him, then twisted a crown of thorns and placed it on him. And they began to shout to him: "Hail, King of the Jews!"
Mark 15: 17-18

"The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They dressed him in a purple robe and went to him again and again saying: "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they slapped him in the face."
John 19: 2-3

The crown of thorns is theone of the key features of which we remember when we think to the crucifixion of Jesus. The thought of the pain that accompanies it is heartbreaking 😔. Yet, Jesus endured it for us, for the salvation of our souls.

1. WHY DID JESUS WEAR THE CROWN OF THORNS? 

Jesus did not wear the crown of thorns by choice, it was placed on His head by those who wanted to see Him suffer. The kind of suffering they had in mind was different from that of Jesus; theirs had no eternal value. They mocked His authority because He said He was the king of the Jews. 

"Meanwhile, Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him: "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"You said so," Jesus replied.
Matthew 27:11

What Jesus' captors did not know was that He was and always is the King of kings 👑, and the world will bow at His feet. They did not understand the nature of the kingdom He ruled.

Revelation 19:16

2. WHAT PLANT WAS THE CROWN OF THORNS MADE FROM?

When Jesus wore the crown of thorns, it was made of twisted thorns. According to  Wikipedia , tradition and existing remains suggest they must come from the bush botanically known as  Ziziphus spina-christi, popularly known as the name of the jujube tree. 🌿

During its stay at the Sainte-Chapelle (Paris), several thorns from the crown have been removed and presented as gifts from the kings of France to important personalities of their time. 

Today, this beautiful  relic  is kept in a golden and crystalline reliquary and looks like a crown made of brittle but elegantly woven sea rushes. 

3. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE CROWN OF THORNS?

Matthew 27:28-29 says:

"They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, then twisted a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt before him and mocked him. "Hail, King of the Jews!" they said."
Matthew 27:28-29

The crown of thorns was placed on Jesus' head as a sign of mockery. Those who put him there made a spectacle of him by pretending to bow before their king.

Isaiah 53:4 says:

He surely took our pain and bore our suffering, but we considered him punished by God, struck by him and afflicted.
Isaiah 53: 4

Jesus took upon Himself our pain and sufferings and the crown of thorns was one of the ways He did it. That is why He understands our pain very well and comforts us in our difficult moments. 🙏🏻

According to a commentary on Biblehub.com (for English speakers), thorns and briars were the curse of the earth, sent because of disobedience of the Man and the expulsion from paradise. Christ came to undo Adam's fault by removing its consequences and taking on His head the symbol of evil brought to the earth and wears it on His temple. He came removing the law of ordinances that tore and tortured the Jewish people and takes its symbol, the thorny circle , and is crowned with it. The thorn is also a sign of sin and mockery and causes unbearable pain when it pierces the flesh and penetrates the heart.

The thorns were the symbol of a curse and by having them on His head, He bore our curses and gave us blessings in their place.

4. WHERE IS THE RELIC TODAY?

The crown of thorns was transferred from Jerusalem to Constantinople in 1063. The King of France Louis IX brought it to Paris around 1238 and had the Sainte-Chapelle (1242-48) built to house it. 🇨🇵

Many relics and treasures of the Church were lost during the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Napoleon saved the crown of thorns and it was kept at the National Library until 1806 when it was placed in the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris . ⛪

The Crown of Thorns is displayed to the faithful on Good Friday during a special service.

5. THE NOTRE-DAME FIRE

🔥 When the spire of the Notre-Dame cathedral collapsed in a fire on April 19, 2020, it seemed that the priceless treasures inside would be lost forever  😱. One of them was the crown of thorns. Thanks to the rescue efforts of Father Jean-Marc Fournier, the crown was saved along with other relics.

Many treasures, including the crown of thorns, recovered from the building during the fire, have been taken to the Paris town hall to be kept safe. The crown remains there but is likely to go to Louvre Museum until it, along with other relics, can be returned to the cathedral. 👍🏻

6. CONCLUSION

Meditating on the meaning of the crown of thorns, remember that Jesus suffered for your freedom  🤔. He shed his blood and endured death on the cross so that you could live and have an abundant life.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly."
John 10:10

In this article (Joseph Prince)  JJesus wore the crown of thorns for you said that every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus' head, represented by the crown of thorns. He wore this crown so that you could have peace of mind and that you may wear the crown of glory and take his righteousness and all his benefits.

🙏🏻 Every blessing we enjoy today is found in Christ, and we can thank and praise him for his redemptive work on the cross. When he endured his cruel death, he did it out of love for us, and we give him all the glory.

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