Crown of Thorns

There's a reason that the Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to take the form of a powerful and mighty King who would free them from the tyranny of Rome. In Psalm 2, it was prophesied that God would install His King upon Zion, His holy mountain (vs. 6). The prophet Isaiah foretold by inspiration that a descendant of David would restore and rebuild the kingdom (Is. 11:1). The Hebrew captive, Daniel, while serving the pagan king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, announced that following a succession of earthly kingdoms, "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left to another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan. 2:44). In Zechariah 14:9, it was prophesied that "the Lord will be king over all the earth" and that "Jerusalem will dwell in security."

However, not only did the prophecies describe a messianic king, the "buzz" surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ confirmed this concept of the Messiah. Yes, Mary was told to name her child Jesus for the reason that He would save His people from their sins (Mt. 1:21), but in Luke's account, we know that Gabriel also said, "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:33). Following His birth, the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews" (Mt. 2:2).

Thirty years later, after the buzz had dissipated, John came along to prepare the way for Christ's ministry. His message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt. 3:2). The first recorded words of Jesus' personal ministry were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt. 4:17). Jesus Himself told His apostles that He would give them "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 16:19). He was embraced as the triumphant King by the same Jews who would soon cry out "crucify Him, crucify Him" (Mt. 21:1-9). And as we noticed in the first chapter, Pontius Pilate, having heard the rumors that Jesus was the alleged King of the Jews, asked Him about His alleged kingdom and kingship. Jesus affirmed in that brief dialogue that He was a King (John 18:37).

What happened next?

I'm sure you know that even though Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, He gave the Jews what they wanted: Jesus on the cross. Ironically, they pressed into His scalp a "crown of thorns" and posted a sign on His cross that read "Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews" (Jn. 19:19).

Following such a gruesome and tortuous end, His followers (including the apostles) were no doubt disappointed and dejected. They had devoted three years of their lives to this man, with the belief that He was the promised Messiah...the glorious King prophesied of old. But their King had failed and their expectations had been dashed.

We know, of course, that Jesus conquered death and on the first day of the week was resurrected from the dead leaving behind an empty tomb. Many see the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the pivotal events in God's plan to save man, which is absolutely true, and yet, ironically, many of these same people believe that Jesus failed in His mission to set up the kingdom.

Even the apostles, despite their excitement following Jesus' resurrection, asked their risen Master, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). In their eyes, He had risen triumphantly from the grave, not to validate His former claims or to provide justifcation (Rom. 4:25) or to pave the way for our own future bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-23), but to finally accomplish what He had originally intended to accomplish: the destruction of Rome and the reestablishment of the physical kingdom of Israel!

Right? Wrong!

You see, Jesus didn't fail. His death on the cross wasn't "Plan B." As John the Baptist had said over three years earlier, Jesus had come, not to lead Israel against Rome in some physical war, but to be that sacrificial "Lamb of God" who would take away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

This is why the crown of thorns was so emblematic.

Jesus came to suffer and die for our sins. The same Isaiah who prophesied a messianic king (Isaiah 11) also revealed that this messianic king would be "pierced for our transgressions" (Isaiah 53). In other words, He came, not to conquer with a sword, but with the sword of His mouth (Rev. 19:15), not to destroy Rome and the other Gentile nations, but to be "destroyed" by them that He might save them (Gen. 12:3).

What's the point in all of this? And how does this relate to our current study of authority?

The majority of religious people today fail to recognize the power and authority that Jesus currently possesses. They worship a failed King who is currently fulfilling the role of our Savior until He can return to finally become our King. We hear folks talk about the future "millennial reign of Christ on earth." The implication is that He isn't reigning now. Again, He's our Savior - He provides us with so many spiritual benefits - but He isn't our King. At least not yet.

Did Jesus fail? At first, the apostles thought He had.

Notice, however, that these same apostles, once endowed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit just ten days later - these same men who, all along, had totally misunderstood the mission of Christ - now preached to thousands of Jews that the same Jesus they had crucified had been "exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:33).

Daniel confirmed the timing of Jesus' inauguration. In his "vision of the four beasts" in Daniel 7, He prophesied that during the days of the Roman empire, the "Son of Man" would be given dominion and a kingdom when "He came up to the Ancient of Days" (vs. 13-14). In other words, when Jesus ascended into heaven, it was then that His reign as King began.

Interestingly enough, on the same day that Peter introduced King Jesus to the world (in his Pentecost sermon), three thousand were baptized (Ac. 2:41) and the "Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (vs. 47). The kingdom - King Jesus ruling over His people - is equated with the church - those called out of the world into the kingdom. Jesus Himself equated the two in Matthew 16:18-19. In Colossians 1:13-14, saints are called citizens of the kingdom, but in verse 18, King Jesus is simultaneously called the "Head" of the church. In Revelation 1:9, John, in writing to the seven churches in Asia, said that he was their brother and "fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom."

And so we first of all learn that the same Jesus who died for your sins that you might be saved is also the heavenly King demanding your obeisance. He didn't fail. His kingdom isn't yet future. He is reigning now, and if you want the salvation He offers, you must submit to His rule. In the next chapter, we'll finally begin to define the royal law instituted by King Jesus.

But secondly (and this is crucial), we have to understand and embrace, not only the present rule of King Jesus, but also the medium through which He rules: the church. In other words, the kingdom is equated with the church, or body of Christ. Those who wish to separate the kingship of Jesus (over His kingdom) from the Headship of Jesus (over His church) are sorely mistaken.

In what sense is Jesus our King? How can we identify His "royal law?"

Many want to focus on the words written in red. Others want to distinguish between passages that pertain directly to the kingdom and passages that have to do with the church, as if the former are essential and the latter are incidental. But the undeniable point is this: every decree of Christ, whether to individuals or to churches, are decrees of the King and as such constitute royal law.

Beginning in the next chapter, I'll elaborate upon this point. Click here to access the next chapter.