Adrian Rogers - The Crown
That question: what will you do with Jesus? And what will He do with me? That’s a question that deeply moves my heart today; it ought to move your heart. The Lord Jesus, was crowned with thorns. It was not incidental, it was not accidental that Jesus was crowned with thorns. Though the crowning of thorns came out of a diseased mind, the crowning of thorns was a cruel mockery, it was a wicked act of hatred and rebellion. Yet in another sense, Jesus being crowned with thorns was a part of a drama that had been written before the world was swung into space.
Jesus being crowned with thorns has a message, a message indescribably glorious, and wonderful. We’ve seen how Jesus came into Pilate’s judgment hall, and Pilate tried to wash his hands of making a decision, allowed Jesus to be scourged. They took a vicious whip that cut His back to ribbons then they tied Him to a whipping post. Men would have died, had they not been strong, from that scourging. When they’d finished, they put a scarlet robe on Him, they put a bamboo reed in His hand for a scepter. They took a crown of thorns and pressed it on His brow and then took clubs and beat Him upon His head. No rubies in this crown, the only rubies there, the ruby red drops of the blood of the Son of God.
Take your Bibles, turn if you would, please to Matthew chapter 27. I begin reading here in verse 26, it speaks of Pilate and it says, «Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews! ' And they spit upon Him and took the reed and smote Him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him».
Are you ready for some wonderful truths? Do you want to see why I said this was not incidental, not accidental, that God allowed this to happen, and though done by the hands of wicked men, yet a part of the magnificent plan of Almighty God? Several things I want you to notice. First of all I want you to notice what I’m going to call the sacred mystery of that crown. Do you have it? The sacred mystery of that crown. In the one sense, this was the random thought, the cruel jest, the hollow mockery of a psychopathic Roman soldier. And yet, on the other hand, there was a mystery here, known in the heart and mind of God. What does a crown of thorns speak of? It symbolizes the curse that is upon humanity, on you, on me, on us all because of sin.
When God created mankind, God put mankind in a garden. And in that garden, the Garden of Eden, there were no thorns. There were no thistles. There were no brambles. The first rose that ever bloomed was a rose that bloomed without thorns. And when Adam picked blackberries he didn’t have to fight brambles like we do to get to them. There were no thorns there. You might put in the margin of your Bible, Genesis chapter 3 and look if you will in verse 17. There our Lord speaks of the curse that came upon Adam and Eve because they sinned, they disobeyed God, and the Bible says, because as a result of that sin God came into the garden and listen to what God said in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 17, «Cursed is the ground for thy sake: in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life».
Now listen to verse 18, «Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread». Thorns and thistles began to grow on planet Earth; until this time they had not grown. The thorn, the thistle is the sign of the curse of sin upon humanity. Put this verse down in your margin, Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 8, «But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected». Did you hear that? «That which beareth thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned». Jesus was bearing those thorns. Jesus was wearing that crown. Had Adam not sinned, thorns would never have grown on this Earth. Jesus wore that crown because Jesus bore that curse. Jesus wore the crown because He bore the curse. The thorns that Jesus wore on His head speak of the hardship, the sorrow, the death that comes with sin.
Are you having heartaches? Are you having sorrow? Do you know sickness? Can I tell you this, that the thorny pathway that we walk is because of sin. The bed of briars that we sleep on is because of sin. And no matter how well you may be or think you are right now and no matter how you may feather your nest, there’s a thorn in it and sooner or later you’ll find it. When you go out into the field to work, no matter what your occupation you’ll be working in a thorny field and your body will find, like the Apostle Paul, a thorn in the flesh. You will know sickness, you will know suffering, you will know pain, because something has happened to creation. Put this verse down, Romans 8 and verse 22, «And we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now». Why? There’s a curse upon everything friend, because of sin. You want to know why we have confusion, frustration, suffering? Why? Look at every hospital and say, «Sin did this».
Look at every mental institution and say, «Sin did this». Look at every jail and say, «Sin did this». Look at every twisted and warped body and say, «Sin did this». Look at all heartache, pain, suffering, toil, and anguish and you can write over it one word: sin! And the thorn is the emblem, the symbol of that sin. When Jesus died on that cross He was crowned with thorns, He wore the crown because He bore the curse. Second thing, not only do I want you to see the sacred mystery of that crown, but I want you to see the solemn misery of that crown. That crown speaks of suffering, it speaks of pain. That crown was placed upon His head, the temple, one of the most sensitive parts of the human body, it was placed there.
These great spikes were put there and then on top of that, with a club they began to beat and batter the head of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who paint and depict the Lord Jesus on the cross are kind. We would not want to see a picture that portrayed Him literally. His face was so brutalized you could not tell whether it was the face of a man or an animal. Remember, with their hands they had snatched the beard from His face. Can you imagine that? With their fists, they had battered that face, loosened His teeth, blood runs down His nostrils, it’s mingled with the filthy spittle from their mouths. They have taken a club, a club, and with that club they have battered the Lord Jesus Christ. You would not want to see Him.
Isaiah 52 verse 14 say this, «His visage,» that means His countenance, «was marred more than any man». That is, He didn’t look like a man. He didn’t even seem human there upon the cross. Why this? Well, Isaiah 53 verse 4 says, «Surely He hath born our griefs, He hath carried our sorrows». There is the mystery of that crown. There is the misery of that crown. Some years ago in New York City, there was a mother who was hanging out her clothes, she was outside. A neighbor came screaming and said, «Your house is on fire! Your house is on fire»! She dropped her clothes, ran into that house, it was a raging inferno, went to the crib where her little girl was. Took that baby, wrapped that baby in a blanket, and came out to the front yard and laid that child upon the grass there as the house was consumed. No chance to get anything else.
That mother’s face took the heat of those flames and was horribly scarred. Her hands were burned, gnarled and could never, ever again be the kind of hands that God created them to be. But the little baby was not touched at all with that fire. Not a hair was singed. That little girl grew up to be a beautiful girl and when she was eighteen, her high-school class was having an outing. It was senior day, they were on the Hudson River on a boat and the parents had been invited and this girl because of her charm and her beauty was the center of attention. At a certain moment this girl’s mother passed by, with her face hideously scarred, her hands gnarled and burned, and one of the high-school girls, not thinking how cruel the remark would be, said, «Who is that hideous woman»? This girl said, «I don’t know». Her own daughter said, «I don’t know who she is». Was ashamed of her mother. The mother heard it.
Later on when they got home, the mother said, «Darling, come here. I want to tell you something. You’ve often asked me about the burns on my hand and the burns on my face and I’ve never told you. And I have not told you because I did not want to add to your sorrow and give you a burden to bear. But now I’m going to tell you, when you were a baby, I went into a burning house and rescued you, not a hair on your head was touched, but these scars on my face and these scars on my hand are there because I rescued you from the flames». When that daughter saw that and heard that she was smitten with shame and remorse. She took those two hands of that darling mother, put those hands together, brought them to her lips and wet them with her tears and her kisses. Then she brought that scarred face to her lips and kissed that face over and over again, and said, «Oh, my mother, can you ever forgive me»?
Well friend, I had rather be that daughter, ashamed of her mother, than to be ashamed of Jesus who wore that crown for me. Oh how could we ever, how could we ever blush to speak His name or to own His cause! Jesus wore my crown. The sacred mystery, He bore the curse. The solemn misery, He suffered our Hell. The Bible says in First Peter Chapter 3 verse 18, «For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God». The third thing I want you to notice, that is what I want to call the shameful mockery of that crown. Not only the mystery and the misery, but the mockery of that crown. What were they doing? Well, look if you will in Matthew 27 verse 29, «And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, mocked Him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews.'»
Why were they mocking Him? Well, because of their rebellion. They were saying, «You’re not our king. You’re not a true king. We will not bow the knee to You». What they were doing is this, they were ridiculing His right to rule. They were ridiculing His right to rule. They didn’t put a purple robe on Him, that’s the sign of royalty, they put a red robe on Him, that’s the symbol of sin. They did not put a scepter in His hand, they put a reed in His hand. They did not put a diadem on His brow, they put a crown of jagged thorns on His brow. And the homage that they paid Him was to spit in His face. Can you imagine, that here is the Lord of Glory, and they spit in His face?
May I tell you what the root of all sin is, not what you do wrong that you ought not to do, or not that you fail to do what you ought to do. Sin is refusing to bow the knee to your rightful King. These other things are the result of that. Do you know what sin is? Sin is rebellion. Sin is a clinched fist in the face of God. Psalms chapter 2. I want you to listen to the first three verses of Psalms chapter 2 and you’re not going to understand what was happening here. In Psalm chapter 2 verse 1 through 3, «Why do the heathen rage»?
Do you know what rage is? Rage is what you do when you don’t know the answer. «Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the Earth set themselves and the rulers take council together against the Lord and against His anointed,» that means against His Christ, «saying, 'Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.'» That is what? «We do not want Christ to rule over us». When Jesus Christ came into this world, Jesus Christ came into the Roman world of government, Jesus came into the Greek world of culture, and Jesus Christ came into the Hebrew world of religion. Those are the dominant thoughts and they rejected Him. Rather than crowning Him with a diadem they crowned Him with thorns.
Today the same thing is happening, in the world of government, we’ve outlawed the Lord Jesus Christ in America. America that has had a Christian-Judeo foundation. We move from one dilemma to another, one crises to another, and leave the One standing outside the door who is the only One who can unscramble the whole mess. And in the world of culture, can you imagine standing up in one of our great universities today, and saying that, «Jesus Christ is the answer»? There’s room for humanism. There’s room for blasphemy. There is room for fornication, for sodomy, for adultery, but no room for the Lord Jesus Christ. And the so called culture of us today, has dropped beneath the dignity of the beast of the field. And in the world of religion, we will not bow the knee to Jesus Christ.
Many churches in the world today are glorified country clubs with steeples on top. And the Lord Jesus Christ crowned with thorns is left standing outside the door. How many churches today are still preaching the Book, the blood and the blessed hope of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? You say, «Well at least they were religious». I remind you that it was a religious crowd that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of the people in America don’t need religion, they need to turn from religion to Jesus Christ.
Friend, there was the mystery of that crown, He was wearing the curse. There was the misery of that crown, He suffered for us. There’s the mockery of that crown, men today, as then, refused to bow the knee to Jesus Christ. And today you will either bow the knee or crown Him with thorns one more time. Here’s the fourth thing I want you to notice, and it is the saving ministry of that crown. This is not by happenstance. Why did Jesus wear a crown of thorns? Because God is teaching a lesson that, «Him who knew no sin,» that’s Jesus, «God hath made to be sin for us». Second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21 «For Him who knew no sin, God hath made Him to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him».
What does that mean? It means that my crown of thorns, my sin, my curse was put on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus bore that punishment. Please listen to me. You’re a sinner and as surely as you’re sitting there and I’m standing here your sin will be punished. God is a holy God, and God has sworn by His holiness that all sin will be punished. God never has, God never can, God never will let one half of one sin go unpunished. Your sin must be punished. There’s only one question, who will bear that punishment, you or Jesus? That’s the only question. No sin is ever overlooked. Sin will be pardoned in Christ or punished in Hell, but sin will never be overlooked.
That’s the reason the Bible says in Second Corinthians 5 verse 21, «Him who knew no sin,» that’s the Lord Jesus, «God hath made to be sin for us». He took our sin, He was crowned with our sin, He, the Lord Jesus, carried that sin to the cross. Do you know where this happened? Do you know where Jesus Christ was crowned with thorns, do you know the spot where that happened? May I tell you the spot where that happened? That was Calvary, it was Golgotha, it was Mount Moriah. You say what? Yes, Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah, what was Mount Moriah? Mount Moriah, the temple mount, and Calvary are all the same lime stone ridge. All the same mountain.
Centuries before Jesus Christ was born, God said to Abraham in Genesis chapter 22 and verses 1 and 2, Abraham who was the brightest star in the Hebrew heaven, «Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son, the son that you love, the son of promise. And I want you to take your son to a place I will show you, not just any place, a certain place, and there you are to offer your son». Isaac by this time was a strapping, strong, young man. Abraham and Isaac go to the place of sacrifice.
Isaac knows they are going to make a sacrifice, he looks around and he says in Genesis chapter 22 verses 7 and 8 «Father, here’s the wood to burn the sacrifice. Here’s the fire to start the sacrifice. Father we have everything? We’ve got the rope. We’ve got the knife. Father, where’s the lamb»? Abraham chokes back the tears because Isaac does not yet know and he says, «My son, God will provide Himself a lamb». And up that mountain we go, the wood is put in place and Abraham now must say to his son, «Son, you must trust me, oh my son, you must understand. I don’t understand, I just believe God. I’ve got to do this, I don’t know why. God’ll just have to raise you from the dead. But son you’re the sacrifice, put out your hands. I must tie you».
And that son strong and strapping could have overcome this man, well over a hundred years of age, willingly submits and becomes a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stretched out there on that altar, Abraham lifts that gleaming knife into the sky to plunge it! And then in Genesis 22 verses 11 through 13, when he hears a voice, «Abraham, Abraham, don’t harm the lad. I have provided a substitute». And Abraham looked over here, and here was a ram, a ram caught in a thicket. The Hebrew word means a thicket of thorns. His head caught in the brambles, in the thorns. And God says «Abraham, take that and sacrifice him instead».
And that ram caught in a thicket, that ram crowned with thorns became the sacrifice that day in the place of the one who should have been and would have been sacrificed. No wonder Jesus said in John 8:56, «Abraham saw My day and was glad. Abraham saw My day and was glad». God preached the Gospel to Abraham so long ago, why? Here’s one sacrifice, he gets up, here’s another sacrifice crowned with thorns. And that’s the saving ministry of the crown. Listen to me, Abraham built many altars. You follow the life of Abraham and you’ll find the trail is dotted with altars. But he never built another altar after this episode. Why? This was the perfect altar, because it pictured the perfect sacrifice. And I’ll tell you something else friend, after Jesus Christ died upon that cross there’s no need for any other altar.
Read Hebrews 10:14, «For by one sacrifice He hath perfected forever those that are sanctified». And to build another altar is blasphemy. It is finished, it is done, it is paid in full. «Jesus paid it all and all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow». He was bearing our curse, He carried our sins to the cross, He was bearing a crown of thorns. The wickedness, the vileness, the filth of our sin, the same sin that He drank from that cup He now wore on His head as He went to Calvary.
The one last thing I want you to see, and that’s not only the saving ministry of that crown, but I want you to see the sovereign majesty of that crown. Oh, the sovereign majesty of that crown. Do you think that Jesus died as a helpless victim? Do you think that Jesus died because things got out of control? Do you think that perhaps Satan was on the throne and Satan was doing all of this? Oh, friend, let me give you a verse now, put this in your margin, Acts chapter 4 beginning in verse 27. The apostles are preaching, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and they’re seeing now with eyes washed with tears and with revelation faith and they’re saying this, speaking to those who crucified Jesus, «For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed. Both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together».
Now that’s from man’s side, but now look in verse 28, «To do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy council determined before to be done». Not incidental, not accidental, a drama fulfilled in the heart and mind of God. What am I saying? Friend, when Jesus wore this crown, He was the sovereign majesty, not a helpless victim. What God ordained ahead of time, should be done, He was in perfect control. Crowns have always been a symbol of authority. Charlemagne wore a crown. Historians call him Charlemagne the Great. He had an octagonal crown, on each side was a plaque of gold, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds were incrusted on the crown of Charlemagne the Great. It was worth a king’s ransom. Richard the Lionhearted, he had a crown, a crown that was so heavy, that when he wore his crown, there were two attendants on either side to hold his head up straight.
That’s how heavy the crown of Richard the Lionhearted was. The queen of England has a crown. If you’ve ever seen the crown jewels, you’ll understand how magnificent that crown is. Do you know the value of the crown that the queen of England wears? Suffice it to say, you could replicate this building and all that we have with the value of that crown and still have plenty left over. That crown, sitting upon the head of the queen of England. And Jesus, in the glory, wears a crown; a crown of peace, a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory. But as for me, he never wore a crown, just like this one. Oh, the sovereign majesty of that crown, the rubies I say, the drops of His blood. And it speaks by contrast of the crown that He will wear.
As we sang today, «Crown Him with many crowns, the lamb upon His throne». Jesus is the Rose of Sharon, and the Rose of Sharon blooms from this crown. Sharon’s sweetest Rose, a Rose of fragrance, a Rose of beauty, whose petals are kissed with the sunshine of Heaven, blooms from this crown. When a little bird wants to build its nest, a place of safety, security, many times a little bird will build in the brambles for protection. And that’s where I’m headed today. My security, my safety, my salvation, my all and all is found in a name. A name above all names, the name of One who wore my crown, who wore my crown. You have a choice today.
Do you know what your choice is? You can bow the knee and honor Jesus, or you can say, «Take that crown from off His head and put it on mine. And I will bear my own curse, I will pay for my own sin, I will suffer and burn in Hell because I refused to bow the knee to the one who loved me so». And that’s your choice. Jesus offers to you, amazing grace, wonderful love, and you can be saved. There’s the mystery of this crown, there’s the misery of this crown, there’s the mockery of this crown, there’s the ministry of this crown, and there’s the majesty of this crown. I for one want to bow my knee and say, «All hail King Jesus. Hallelujah, what a Savior». Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus, help us that we shall never be ashamed of You. Oh Lord, because You took our curse and carried it to Calvary we want to love You and serve You. And, oh Lord, we receive our joy and our strength from You. And Lord I pray today that many might come to Jesus and be saved.
Now while heads are bowed and eyes are closed, no one stirring, no one looking around. I wonder how many would say today, «Pastor Rogers, I know that I know that if I died today I would go to Heaven, because I have repented of my sin. I have trusted Jesus as my personal Savior. I’ve not been ashamed to confess Him openly and publically. And God’s Holy Spirit bears witness with my spirit that I’m a child of God, and by His grace I know, if I died today, I’d go to Heaven». Can you give me that testimony?
There’re some of you who could not say that, and thank you for being honest about it. I know that you’re interested in our Lord or you would not be here today. And maybe you’re saying, «Pastor Rogers, if a person could know that they’re saved I want to know. If a person can be saved, I want to be saved. Tell me pastor Rogers how to be, how can I have that assurance»? Well the Bible puts it plainly, sweetly, simply, sublimely, «Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved». That doesn’t mean just mere intellectual belief, the word believe means trust. Trust Him. Pray a prayer like this in your heart:
Oh God, I’m a sinner and I am lost and I can’t save myself. Jesus, You’re the Son of God, You were crowned with my sins and carried my sins to the cross. You died for me, God raised You from the dead, I now believe that and I receive You now into my heart. Come into my heart. I bow the knee, I make You Lord. Forgive my sin and save me. Save me, Lord Jesus.
Would you say that from your heart? «Save me, Lord Jesus». Pray it, say it, mean it, «Save me, Lord Jesus, save me». Did you ask Him? Did you? Then thank Him for doing it. Pray like this:
Thank You for saving me, Jesus. Thank You for saving me, Jesus. You’re now my Lord, my Savior, my God and my friend. And Lord Jesus, I will not be ashamed of You. I will not be ashamed of You. I will not be ashamed of You, Jesus, I will not, because You died for me. In You’re name I pray, Amen.