Then the soldiers led [Jesus] into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor\u2019s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, \u201cHail, King of the Jews!\u201d They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. (Mark 15:16-19)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Of course the problem with this crown is that is was an emblem of suffering and shame, not the sort of crown Bridges and Thring were celebrating in their hymn. Nevertheless, the fact that Jesus wore a crown of thorns, enduring the pain and dishonor it signified, is one of the reasons he rightly wears the more obviously royal crowns (see Philippians 2:5-11).
\n![](\"https:\/\/..\/..\/images\/jesus-crown-thorns-lesr-5.jpg\")
I\u2019m not suggesting that every time we sing about the crowns of Jesus, we must mention the crown of thorns. But I do think that at times, especially in Holy Week, it\u2019s appropriate to remember the only real crown that Jesus wore during his earthly life. (Picture: A portion of one of my wife’s paintings of the Stations of the Cross.)
\nSeveral years ago I wrote another verse for \u201cCrown Him With Many Crowns.\u201d It was sung in Holy Week services at Irvine Presbyterian Church. If you\u2019ve been reading my blog for a while, you may have seen this verse. Recently, I reworked it, so that it fits even more neatly the structure and feel of the classic hymn. Here is the verse I\u2019ve written:<\/p>\n
Crown Him the Lord of grace,
\nMessiah, chosen king,
\nCalled as God\u2019s servant to embrace
\nThe way of suffering.
\nA thorny wreath of pain,
\nPressed down upon his brow,
\nForetells the time when he shall reign,
\nAnd every knee shall bow.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nLet me make a few comments about these lyrics.
\nThe meter and rhyme scheme of this verse are the same as those employed by Bridges and Thring. I must say, it\u2019s not easy to follow such a tight ABABCDCD rhyming pattern and still make theological sense.
\nI chose \u201cLord of grace\u201d because it is the grace of God in Christ that sent him to the cross, thus accounting for the imposition of the crown of thorns. If it were not for God\u2019s grace, Jesus would never have worn this crown, and we would still be lost in our sins.
\nThe first part of this stanza expresses the mystery that the anointed one (\u201cMessiah, chosen king\u201d) was also the Suffering Servant of God, as revealed in Isaiah 52-53. This combination of messiahship and servanthood was unique to the vision of Jesus, and gets to the core of his messianic calling.
\nThe second part of this stanza explores the irony of the crown of thorns. It was pressed down on the \u201cbrow\u201d of Jesus as an implement of pain and mockery. Yet this crown, ironically, points to the future when, indeed, Christ will wear a truly royal crown. The soldiers who crowned Jesus and hailed him as king meant to insult him. But, in a sense, they were proclaiming the truth and ironically predicting the future. Consider the vision of Philippians 2:5-11:<\/p>\nLet the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
\nwho, though he was in the form of God,
\ndid not regard equality with God
\nas something to be exploited,
\nbut emptied himself,
\ntaking the form of a slave
\nbeing born in human likeness.
\nAnd being found in human form
\nhe humbled
\nand became obedient to the point of death
\neven death on a cross.
\nTherefore God also highly exalted
\nand gave him the
\nthat is above every name,
\nso that at the name of Jesus
\nevery knee should bend,
\nin heaven and on earth and under the earth,
\nand every tongue should
\nthat Jesus Christ is Lord
\nto the glory of God the Father.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nNotice the strong connection between the humility and sacrifice of Jesus and his ultimate exaltation as Lord, before whom every knee shall bow.
\nSo, there you have it. A thirteenth verse for \u201cCrown Him with Many Crowns.\u201d Who knows? Someday, maybe somebody will actually sing it (besides me).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In yesterday\u2019s post I explained the unusual origin and history of the hymn \u201cCrown Him with Many Crowns.\u201d Though most hymnals today include four verses of this hymn, its original author, Robert Bridges, wrote six. Then, a couple of decades later, another writer composed six additional stanzas, intending them to replace the original six. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\n
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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}