All but Luke of the Gospel writers mention the mock crowning of Jesus before his crucifixion. The symbolic significance of this detail is sometimes overlooked in favor of the symbology of the cross itself, but it is also rife with theological meaning. But before considering how those with a biblical understanding might have interpreted this action, it is necessary to get into the mindset of the Romans soldiers as they carried out this form of mocking.
Pagan Viewpoint
“The crown of thorns suggests the laurel wreath crowning the emperor's head, the hailing suggests the acclamation of the emperor, and kneeling in homage suggests the prostration to the emperor.” (Horsley)
R.E. Brown explains: “In mocking Jesus as a king the soldiers seem to follow an established ritual, and some customary actions are involved. We find similar details in Philo's report of the mob's mocking of [the lunatic] Karabas in Alexandria...Philo points out that this was in imitation of familiar pantomimes. Similarly, in mocking Jesus the soldiers were probably copying practices frequently seen on stage and in the Roman circuses.”
Short attributes the soldiers' actions to a common pastime of playing 'the game of the king' in which someone was dressed up as a king, mocked, and finally killed.
Hemer: “stephanos is used of the 'crown of thorns...To the soldiers it meant mock royalty...The view that stephanos could never be used thus of kingship is overstated.”
Albright and Mann: “It is possible that the circlet of thorns was meant as a cheap (and painful) imitation of the radiant circlet depicted on the coins of Tiberius Caesar.”
Nixon says, “The crown of thorns was probably a 'radiate' crown, a symbol of divinity.”
France: “The term stephanos does not in itself necessarily mean a royal crown. It is a wreath such as was worn by successful athletes, or as a mark of honor. But the context requires that we think here of a parody of a royal crown.”
The preceding comment is a good introduction to another symbolic meaning attached to such a “crown.” Morris states that “stephanos strictly denotes a wreath of victory rather than a royal crown (diadema). It was awarded, for example to the winners of the Games...Hart argues that it was a caricature of the 'radiate' crown, a crown in which spikes radiate outwards. He suggests that such a crown might well be made from the palm tree. It was a form of crown which pointed to the ruler as divine...This is, of course, not proven, and the traditional idea that the crown was an instrument of torture may be correct. But we do not know for sure, and Mr. Hart's suggestion is an interesting one. Tasker is inclined to accept it.”
Morris' comments provide a good summary for the Roman soldiers' motives in crowning Jesus. As well as alluding to the victor's wreath, they help to resolve the question as to whether this “coronation” is meant to parody Jesus's pretentions as a king or a divine being since, in fact, the emperors at the time did not hesitate to claim both titles. Also, Morris mentions in passing the obvious fact, overlooked or taken for granted by other commentators, that physical and mental torture of their victim was the main motivation behind their actions.
Biblical Viewpoint
More important than what the Romans thought they were accomplishing at the time is what subsequent light it might shed on the theological meaning behind their actions. And commentators differ on this point, in part dependent on what they do with the soldiers' thoughts at the time and which, if any, Old Testament scriptures they feel might be behind this detail during the Passion.
The first thing to note has been expressed well as follows: “From Genesis to Jesus, from the prophets to Paul, Bible writers sprinkle thorn imagery throughout Scripture to emphasize their messages of punishment, worthlessness and nonproductivity.” (DBI)
In fact, there are over twenty different Hebrew words and approximately six Greek words found in the Bible which describe various types of thorn bushes, thistles, nettles and brambles. Such a concentration on these plant forms is not at all surprising considering the mainly agrarian societies being addressed.
Christ as Victor and King
Hendricksen asks, “Did the molesters realize that they were doing this to him who is 'King of kings, and Lord of Lords?'”
Nixon: “...Christians have seen the life of Jesus as a royal road from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary, and the very incidents in which He least seemed to be a king have won their allegiance more than anything else. For John especially the moment of Christ's humiliation is the moment of His glory (xii. 31-33; cf. Heb. 11.9).”
Hemer states that “stephanos to the evangelists...constituted testimony to the true kingship of Christ over a spiritual kingdom, while perhaps also implying his forthcoming victory over death. stephenoo in the New Testament is often the prize of athletic victory as a metaphor for the eternal reward of the faithful.” See passages such as I Corinthians 9:25; II Timothy 2:5, 4:8; James 1:12; I Peter 5:4; Revelation 3:11; 4:4,10, etc. “stephanoo is used in Heb. 2:7,9 in a messianic application of Ps. 8:5. Some have seen here reference to the Transfiguration or to the crown of thorns as preceding Christ's death and prefiguring his heavenly glory. Probably the words are not to be pressed in this way, and the reference is to Christ's future glory, as in Phil. 2:9 and elsewhere in Heb.”
“Christ, the sinless one, became sin for us; he laid aside his crown of honor and put on a crown of thorns (...cf. Phil 2:6-8; Lam 5:16). As the exalted Christ, however, he is adorned with a new crown fitting his authority and universal dominion (Rev 6:2; 14:14).” (DBI)
Christ as the Suffering Servant
“The mocking actions of the soldiers ”were all part of Jesus' deep humiliation as He was identified with human sin as the Servant of the Lord (cf. Isa. 50:6; 52:14-53:6).” (Blum)
“Unbeknown to them [the soldiers], their actions fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy concerning the Savior's marring (Isa. 52:14).” (Barbieri)
“The shameful tearing of his flesh is the outward display of inner suffering. Whether physical or metaphorical, briers and misery go hand in hand.” (DBI)
Christ as Sin-Bearer
This is a rather popular way in which to view the crown of thorns, and for very good reason. Grassmick, for example, states, “With this 'crown' the soldiers unwittingly pictured God's curse on sinful humanity being thrust on Jesus (cf. Gen. 3:17-18).
Hendricksen adds: “Here in Matt. 27:29a and its parallels Jesus is pictured as bearing the curse that lies upon nature, in order to deliver nature and us from it.”
“Christians have seen the thorns as symbolic of the effects of sin (Gn. Iii.18; Nu. xxxiii.55; Pr. xxi.5; Mt. vii.16, xiii.7; Heb. vi.8).” (Nixon)
In my own mind, the most powerful confirmation of this concept is found by consideration of the whole context of Adam and Eve's original sin in comparison with a harmony of the events surrounding Christ's Passion. Below are the many parallels, all listed in chronological appearance.
A. creation is finished (Genesis 2:1)
B. they sin (3:6)
C. they clothe themselves (3:7)
D. God questions them (3:9-13)
E. thorns and thistles are their lot (3:18)
F. condemned to death (3:19)
G. they are driven out of the garden (3:23-24a)
D'. Jesus is questioned by Roman authorities
E'. crown of thorns put on Jesus
F'. condemned to death
G'. taken outside the city
C'. his clothes are taken away
B'. Jesus takes on sin
A'. “It is finished”
And even in the events immediately following Jesus' death, there are some parallels to Genesis 2-3, although they do not appear in any significant order such as those above. These include:
access to the Holy of Holies made – a reversal of the first couple's expulsion from the Garden, resurrection of dead bodies illustrating the revoking of the curse of death brought about by Adam and Eve's sin,
a Roman soldier with a spear in an analogy to the angelic guard blocking access to Eden with a sword, and
blood and water flowing from Jesus' pierced side, just as water flowed out of Eden to water the world.
Rejection of Jesus as a Prophecy of Coming Destruction
To the above well-attested opinions I will now append my own rather off-the-wall possibility. In considering the number of OT passages which contain references to thorns, I came across the story in Judges 9 in which the only remaining heir to the throne, Jotham, is rejected in favor of a worthless candidate named Abimelech. Before escaping with his life, Jotham addresses the people of Shechem from a safe distance with words of judgment which may be taken in a prophetic manner.
D.R. Davis summarizes that “Jotham's theme is the foolishness and peril of accepting clearly unqualified leadership...”
Webb adds, “The rulers of Shechem are...'city fathers' or 'chief citizens' – those who had control of the town's affairs.” He notes one feature of Shechem, “ a notable tree; the oak ('elon) [no obvious relationship to Elon Musk] which had been set up.”
With the above in mind, the story can be briefly summarized as follows: The worthless Abimelech is portrayed by Jotham as a pretentious bramble bush who has been chosen by the leaders of Shechem over a more qualified candidate. The fable continues with the bramble bush telling the trees who wish him to rule over them, “If you are truly about to anoint me king over you, come and take shelter in my shadow [clearly ironic in the case of this puny bush]; but if not, fire will go out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon (v.15).” The curse proves true some time later, as narrated in vv. 50-57.
I can see some definite parallels with the rejection of Jesus as their king by the Jewish leaders and their Roman partners in favor of the Emperor, both countries of whom will eventually be destroyed. Remember that it was the Jewish leaders who influenced the people to demand that the robber-insurrectionist Barabbas (a perfect parallel for Abimelech) be chosen to save from death rather than Jesus. And the Roman soldiers, of course, would not even consider Jesus' claim to be the king of the Jews as anything but obvious rebellion against the Emperor. The Romans would soon destroy Israel just as the hordes from the north would later conquer Rome.
There are additional details which go towards relating these two stories:
The betrayal and killing of the legitimate heirs to the throne of Shechem were bought at the cost of 70 pieces of silver coming from the temple of Baal just as Jesus was betrayed by a payment of 30 silver coins no doubt originating from the treasury of the Jerusalem temple.
Some of the main action in Judges 9 took place in the vicinity of a tree which was set up just as the incidents in Jerusalem played out near the area where the crosses of wood were set up.
An evil spirit was sent by God to bring emnity between the populace of Shechem and Abimelech (Judges 9:23) just as it was Satan entering into Judas which brought about the crucifixion and thereby inadvertently furthered God's original plan for mankind's salvation and the defeat of Satan.
I will certainly not vouch for the fact that such parallels were intended, but they are at least worth consideration.
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