“When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on 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!" Matt. 27:29

 Annas had questioned  Caiaphas had examined  Sanhedrin had condemned  Pilate had shuffled his responsibility  Herod tried to satisfy his curiosity  Pilate let the mob make his decision

Soldiers pretended He was a king:  Purple robe on his shoulders  Reed in his hand - scepter  Crown of thorns on his head

 Not a Martyr “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:5 “wounded” = pierced

 Not a Martyr “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” 1 Pet. 2:24  bore our sins in His own body  by whose stripes you were healed

Gen. 3:17-18 “Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.”

Num. 33:55 “God told them how these nations would be if they did not drive them out, “Pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides.”

Prov. 22:5 “Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them.”

The most exact symbol of sin “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” Heb. 2:9

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Lk. 9:23  Christ had pain  When we take up our cross and follow Jesus then we will have pain

 Risk of loving  Being an example – Eph. 6:4, Prov. 22:6  Leading  Providing – Prov. 13:24  Training

 Study  Preparation  Time “Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment.” Jas. 3:1 ASV

 Soldiers did not believe He was a king  Established a kingdom  It is world-wide  Will last until the end of time

Napoleon “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I, myself, have founded great empires, but upon what did those creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love and to this day millions would die for Him.”

 Christ has love of millions - 1 Jn.4:19  Parents - children love them  Teachers - students will love them

 “that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves” Jn. 17:13  Inward peace and joy  Pleasure of parenthood  Thrill of teaching a soul

1.Christ - to be in heaven 2.Parents fulfill responsibility to children Ps. 127:3-5 “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”

1.Christ - to be in heaven 2.Parents fulfill responsibility to children 3.Teachers help save a soul “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 1 Cor. 3:6

“a crown of righteousness” 2 Tim. 4:8

HearJohn 12:48HearJohn 12:48 BelieveJohn 8:24BelieveJohn 8:24 RepentLuke 13:3RepentLuke 13:3 ConfessMatt. 10:32-33ConfessMatt. 10:32-33 BaptizedMark 16:16BaptizedMark 16:16 FaithfulMatt. 24:13FaithfulMatt. 24:13