Todays readings are Matthew 25:1-28:20.

In just 5 days, we have made our way from the birth of Jesus to the death and resurrection of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. In today’s reading we see the crucifixion and resurrection and all the events surrounding them. Despite the vivid description of the crucifixion and all the supernatural events surrounding it, I found myself keying in on Matthew 27:27-31.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

I believe my attraction to this passage was influenced by the children’s skit in worship yesterday. I know that the snow made it impossible for many of you to get out of your driveways yesterday, but we did have a few people who were able to get plowed out, and those who came had their worship enriched by a skit that the children did about the Gospel lesson for the day. The Gospel was the Temptation of Jesus from Luke 4. In the skit Satan tried to tempt Jesus by giving Him a wordly crown and promising Him wealth and power. Jesus, in the skit, refused the worldly crown, took it off His head and replaced it with a crown of thorns. It was a powerful image.

We see that crwon of thorns again in our reading for today. The soldiers put it on Jesus. They did it to mock Him. After hailing Him King of the Jews in mockery, they then spit on Him and began to beat Him.

Why? I suppose there were a lot of factors at work, but one thing is certain–they didn’t recognize Him for the King that He was.

Now, stop and think about that sentence for a moment.

And ask yourself, “Do I? Do I recognize Him for the King that He is?”

For most of us the answer is “no” or “not always” or “not nearly enough.” And so for us, Jesus refused to refuse the crown of thorns. He let it be placed on His head, He let the humiliation take place and He let Himself be led to the Cross so He could die for us and be our King. And we could be His people–His forgiven, accepted and accepting people.

What Biblical truths does God show me in theses verses?
Jesus is my King. He became my King when He was crowned with thorns and went to the cross to die for me.

Since God tells us in the book of James to be doers of the Word and not merely hearers, how can I apply these Biblical truths to my life?
Today I will let Jesus be King in My life by accepting what He accepts and refusing what He refuses.