April 7: Mocker's Crown, Victor's Wreath, Kingly Diadem
♫ Music:
Day 38 - Friday, April 7
The Scourging and Crowning with Thorns
Scripture: Matthew 27:27-31
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Poetry:
"The Crown of Thorns"
by Ada Cambridge
“And unto Adam He said . . . .
cursed is the ground for thy sake.
Thorns . .. . shall it bring forth.”
“And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns,
and put it on His head.”
How was our path to heaven o'ergrown with sin—
Bramble, and thistle, and the poisonous weed!
Though hearts should break, and patient feet should bleed,
And strive and struggle, none could walk therein.
Still do the wild thorns hedge us round about;
Still grow the thistles from the ancient stock;
Still trails the bramble on the blasted rock—
But we can dig, and Thou wilt pull them out.
O weary Head! we see Thee drooping now
Beneath that diadem of mortal pain:
We see Thee sprinkled with the scarlet stain;—
Drop down the chrism on our polluted brow!
O sacred Head!—pale, beautiful, benign—
On our heads be Thy precious blood, we cry!
Lo, the destroying angel, passing by,
Shall spare to smite us—reverencing the sign.
MOCKER’S CROWN – VICTOR’S WREATH - KINGLY DIADEM
HANDS:
Intricate Inventions created in love - now waylaid by crowd confusion, envy and deceit.
These hands are now weaving, plaiting, creating a crown. But that crown is made of thorns.
As we gaze on the artwork by Francisco Zafra, we see the pain which was inflicted. Yet we see compassion in our Lord's eyes. Those mislead hands which created the crown might as well have been ours. Re-direct those hands, O Lord.
THORNS:
Poking, piercing protrusions from tough branches. Broken away from their duty of guarding the rare moisture inside plants of arid lands. These now scratch and cut the hands of malicious men and the forehead of their Maker. These signs of curse exact the price of the blood of Life Himself.
SOLDIERS:
Willing to kill to gain their pay. Sent to a land of multiple allegiances. Homesick, confused, proud. Bringing the "peace" of Rome. But that was a mockery of real peace. The harmony of God and man is the real "Shalom" which we seek.
A HEAD:
The head of the “Head of the Called-out-ones.” The center of righteous thought. Disregarded. Despised. Beaten with sticks. We ask that the Mind of Christ, thinking of others first, fill our heads and hearts during the worst of times and the best.
A CROWN:
As a laurel wreath, a "Stefanus" crowns the well-trained athlete. The fragrant Bay Leaves of that wreath announce victory over weakness. He who was “All Powerful” became victorious in a way which does not fit human logic.
THE BLOOD:
The poem by Ada Cambridge brings us close into the awful scene. It lets the blood drip from Jesus' brow to ours. His pain becomes our gain. It is the blood of the Passover, dripping upon us. By it we are spared punishment.
THE VICTOR:
My Jesus! My Savior! You wore a weak body like my own. You faced any dilemma I have ever known. Yet you have surrendered to your Father's will. You have won the hearts of humans. You have made us into your own children. We live as victors too!
THE KING:
Now we know while the battles still rage, that you are the King for the end of this age. A "diadem" will be your crown. No longer will you be merely the strongest of humans, the Olympian. But you will wear the eternal crown as King. Our hearts will be back to one focal point. “Crown Him” by Michael Card clearly shows us both types of crowns.
PRAYER
Our Father, in Heaven, You who called us from every language and land, we hand back to you everything we think is ours. Take all of it. Take us. We are your willing living sacrifices. Move us, O Holy Spirit, beyond the sting of mockery. Strengthen us as the world weaves crowns of thorns for us. Let us weep for them. Draw them into your wide embrace - O Son of the Living God. This is truly our desire!
Amen!
Lloyd Peckham
Special Programs Professor of Linguistics
Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Member of Wycliffe
About the Artwork:
The Passion of Christ (2009)
Francisco Zafra
Polychromed wood
About the Artist:
Francisco Zafra (b.1956) is a Spanish artist from Seville, Spain. He has been creating polychromed wooden sculptures of Christ’s passion since 1990. He works in a style reminiscent of Medieval European sculptors, whose images were brightly colored, highly realistic, and exhibited dramatic emotional states. Zafra’s works have been purchased by churches and displayed extensively throughout Spain and Europe.
http://franciscoromerozafra.com/
About the Music:
“Crown Him”
Lyrics:
[Chorus:]
“Crown Him, crown Him,” the angry people cried,
“Crown Him, crown Him, let Him be crucified.
Crown Him, crown Him, let Him not remain alive.
Crown Him, crown Him, He must be crucified.”
[Verse 1:]
So a circle of pain and love
Came down upon His head.
It was not for anything He'd done,
Nor for anything He'd said.
For all His life He'd sought to show
They were only living a lie.
But they didn't care to hear or know,
They just wanted Him to die.
Crown Him, crown Him.
Crown Him, crown Him.
[Chorus lines 1, 4]
[Verse 2:]
Soon a circle of glory
Will be placed upon His brow;
And He'll come to reign forever,
Though it may not seem so now.
And our time of tears and trouble
Will seem only like a dream,
As we stand before the glory
Of our Savior and our King.
[Finale:]
“Crown Him, crown Him,”
Holy angels sing,
“All glory, honor, power and praise,
We’ll crown the King of Kings!”
“Crown Him, crown Him,”
Holy angels sing,
“All glory, honor, power and praise
We’ll crown our King of Kings.”
Crown Him, crown Him,
Those redeemed and damned,
Will bow the knee and humbly sing,
“Worthy is the lamb.”
About the Composer/Performer:
In a career that spans over 30 years, Michael Card (b. 1957) has recorded over 31 albums, authored or co-authored over 24 books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. He has penned such favorites as “El Shaddai,” “Love Crucified Arose,” and “Immanuel.” He has sold over 4 million albums and has written over nineteen #1 hits on the Christian music charts. Michael Card’s goal in life has been to simply and quietly teach the Bible and proclaim Christ through his highly successful musical career.
www.michaelcard.com
About the Poet:
Ada Cambridge (1844-1926) was an English-born Australian author who wrote more than twenty-five works of fiction, three volumes of poetry and two autobiographical works. Some of her novels were serialised in Australian newspapers, and were never published in book form. Her early works contain the seeds of her lifelong pursuit of physical, spiritual and moral integrity, as well as the interweaving of poetry and prose which was to typify her writing career.