“Then the soldiers of the governor … 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.”
(Matthew 27:27a, 28-31 ESV)
A coronation is a ceremony to crown a new king. The planners will think about every detail, because people watching will look for meaning in it. They will look to see what the ceremony tells them about the new king and the way he will rule.
What does Jesus’ coronation show us, then? It takes place in front of a crowd of soldiers—every one of them an enemy to His life. Jesus is stripped naked and humiliated; they put a scarlet robe on Him, not to honor Him but to make fun of Him. His crown is made of thorns and His scepter is a reed. And for anointing oil He has spit.
What kind of king is this? A suffering King who is about to lay His life down for the good of His people. A rejected King, one who will die to save the very people who are mocking Him. A loving King—because He could escape this abuse at any time, but goes through with it to save us all.
What better king could we have?
We Pray: Lord Jesus, be my King and Savior forever. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Have you seen a coronation on TV or in a movie? If so, what struck you most?
* Would you trade that crown of thorns for any crown of gold in the world? Why or why not?
* Do you think any of those soldiers lived to realize their terrible mistake?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on March 30, 2023
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights