20 Mar, 2008

Crown of thorns

The thorns on Christ's head were real. So was His suffering.

Jesus suffered for you. How do you respond to suffering?

Soldiers jammed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and mocked Him as "King". Are we guilty of "crowning Christ with thorns," when we reject the suffering that comes into our lives?

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Mark 15:16-20

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV)

What do you learn about "thorns" in today's God's Story scripture?

We can only begin to imagine what incredible pain our Savior experienced when the crown of thorns was mercilessly beaten into His head by the Roman soldiers.

The amazing truth is that even though Jesus had the power to stop this pain, He didn't. Our suffering Savior let it continue, because this was part of His journey to the Cross where He would give His life to provide forgiveness for our sins.

Paul experienced and wrote about his "thorn in the flesh". It may have been malaria, epilepsy, or probably a disease of the eyes. (Galatians 4:13-15) This "thorn" was severe enough that it affected his life and how He served God. Though God did not answer Paul's prayer to remove this "thorn", He used it to demonstrate His Kingdom power in his ministry. God used a "thorn" of suffering to keep Paul humble and depending on His Spirit.

What is a "thorn" of suffering that God may be using to help you learn humility and to depend on Jesus completely?

It might be a physical sickness or inability. Maybe you have some emotional scars that never seem to heal. Perhaps you're facing a very difficult circumstance or you're experiencing a relationship that is hurting you. God can and will use life's "thorns" of pain to bring Godliness to our character. His strength provides joy to our soul even in suffering.

If we allow the truth of Christ's death and resurrection to be real in our lives, we will have a willingness for God to make us holy rather than than happy. It's more important to be Christ-like than comfortable.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
  • Though you may not feel like accepting a "thorn" of Godliness right now, thank God that His love is patient. Ask Him to give you the faith you need to accept a "thorn" of suffering in your life. Thank Him that He will use His Spirit to bring you to the point where you trust Him to use "thorns" to help you grow in Christ-like character.
  • Write down whatever seems to be a "thorn" in your life. Over the next few weeks, write down ways that God is using it to teach you to be more like Christ.
  • If you take communion in a service this weekend, remember to focus on the suffering that Jesus endured for you.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?

  • As you pray for friends and family who need Jesus, remember to pray for Jesus to help you accept a "thorn" of Godliness into your life so that they might see God's Story in your story.
  • Ask an older Christian friend to share with you what he or she has learned about the "thorns" of suffering in his or her lifetime.
  • Share what you learned today with another student or family member or friend who is going through pain. Remember to be sensitive and focus on listening so that you can offer encouragement and hope, not a teaching lesson.
  • Remember to bring someone who needs Jesus to a church service with you this weekend.
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God's Story is brought to you by Youth for Christ. YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been with YFC for over 30 years and has served as Campus Life Staff, in leadership for DCLA, and as an author and speaker. Byron is available for speaking at youth or adult events and conferences. For booking, write to byron@3Story.org.

Byron and his wife Linda live in Minnesota and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, a grandaughter, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.