John 19:2-3
And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.
The soldiers that did these things to Jesus had obviously been aware that Jesus was an accused pretender to the throne. He was, in their eyes, another rebel yearning to throw off the power of Rome – the power of the state they were in uniform to defend. This was their job. They would have treated anyone thus, whether he was Jesus from Nazareth or Joey from Boston. Hence, it’s an error to read a greater condemnation into the text for these men. Their job was to follow orders and Pilate ordered them to flog Jesus.
The crown of thorns and the robe, however, weren’t part of the deal. The mocking and evident buffoonery by these soldiers is hardly within their job description. Had the flogging taken place with a cold, dispassionate and detached professionalism one could even hold these men harmless. But this they couldn’t do because wherever goes Jesus goes the ultimate question before mankind. The question is: is Jesus Lord? A decision must be made by everyone, everywhere. God sees to it that there are no bystanders and no valid excuses. All men everywhere are confronted with the truth of God and ordered to repent. The Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Yes, indeed, the glory of God is declared, not suggested or hinted at. Beware, atheist! You have no rational excuses. And the glory of God, being revealed so obviously and powerfully, gives mankind the central question of life. Will we worship Him or set up false gods? It’s this simple.
Jesus has previously spoken about the last judgement and said of those fortunate ones, “When I was hungry you gave me food…” His listeners were astonished. “When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or low and downtrodden?” There is a principle at work here that relates to these soldiers and to us today.
Since all men know God, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made, but have refused to honor him as God or give thanks to Him (Romans 1:19), they have done – and continue to do – something far more sinister than simply ignore a fact. That Jesus is Lord is the central fact of existence. There is no way to benignly ignore it without calling God a liar. There is no way to turn away from the gospel without making a mockery of God and His gifts to us. To use His creation – the arts, nature, love, family, friendships, material things – without giving God thanks is to twist a crown of thorns on His head. To live our life our way, without submission to God’s Word, is to jeer at Him and say, “Hail, King of the universe. Ha! I’m in charge. You aren’t. I’ll make my way in life based upon what I feel. Here’s your pretentious robe!”
Sinful man doesn’t like to see himself as the self-righteous judge that he is. He condemns Christians for being so bold as to say that God is ultimate. He hates it when Christians say that God’s Word alone is authoritative over the souls and conduct of men and women. But he makes these same claims on his own authority and is blind to the pathetic contradiction. Either God is the judge or I am. And if I’m the one – if I and every individual are the ultimate standard as to what is right and wrong – then naturally we’ll have to do something about Jesus. We will mock Him because His very existence challenges our deepest, most erroneous conviction. Every sin – sexual deviancy, adultery, pride, theft, etc. – proceeds from the heart that refuses to acknowledge God as God and give thanks to Him. Thus, Christianity isn’t ever about being more moral than your neighbor. It’s about knowing that you aren’t God, aren’t the judge of good and evil, that God is, and only through Christ can righteousness and heaven be attained.
This peasant brought before them was no King. Caesar was king. The soldiers knew that. That was the motive power behind their behavior.
The powers today – whether they’re called science or society or some other authority – tell us that Jesus is a pretender. Secularism is king in this world. It tells us to glorify sin and ridicule righteousness. It calls what is true, false and what is good, evil. It heaps scorn on the messengers of God and calls them stupid, hateful, intolerant, and mocks them. Indubitably, they have thrown their lot in with these soldiers. They will say someday, with the rest of the damned, “Lord, when did we twist a crown upon your head, and when did we mock and strike you?”
“Assuredly,” He will reply on that great and final day, “as you did it to the least of these, my followers, you did it to me.”
So, Christian, bear up well when you are reviled or worse. We shouldn’t expect better treatment from the world than our Lord received. Even still, it’s a small matter because He has overcome the world. If the world’s arrogance causes you indignation, don’t despair. Our Lord waits. He’s patient just as He was on that day. And He was patient for our sake. It’s the same right now. But that great day is coming. It’s coming. And we, who love Christ and endure the persecutions of this world, great and small, will all rejoice in the righteousness and justice of God!
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