And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. Genesis 3:17-18
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!” Matthew 27:28-29
Why do we listen to other voices instead of God? These voices have always led to disobedience. Because Adam did, and we do, the ground around us is cursed. In pain we eat of it all the days of our lives. The ground of our life brings forth thorns and thistles. Thorns that cut, puncture, and tear. Thorns we encounter every day. Thistles that choke and overtake the good plants, trees, and fruit.
Because Jesus listened and obeyed the Father we to can now listen and obey. The Good Friday crucifixion changes everything. Jesus was rejected by men, sentenced to death for us when He was not guilty. He bore our griefs. He carried our sorrows. He was crushed for our iniquities (Isa 53 1-6).
As you think on these things, remember that He also redeemed the thorns. The soldiers mocked Jesus by pressing a pain-filled, bloody crown of thorns onto His head. Little did they know that crown would one day be replaced with a crown of glory. For Him and for us. This is the miracle of Good Friday. This is the power of the Resurrection.
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 1 Peter 5:4