God Became One of Us!

Today's Battle Drill Devotional: God Became One of Us!

They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a sceptre. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29)

This week, as we journey through Holy Week, we focus again on what Jesus’ journey to the cross means for us, and how we can carry this good news into the world.

Read Matthew 27:27-31. Do you like roses? They are one of my favourite flowers. But I recently heard someone say they didn’t like roses, not because of the flowers, but because of the thorns. It’s true that you need to be careful when you’re handling a rose, otherwise you can quickly draw blood!

In the Bible, thorns are often used as a metaphor for the consequences of sin and wrongdoing. When Adam and Eve fell into sin, God told them one of the consequences of this would be that the land would forever be cursed with thorns and weeds (Genesis 3:17-18). Gardeners will testify this curse is still in force today! When God urged Moses and the people of Israel to purge the Promised Land of its godless people, he warned them that failure to do so would result in them becoming thorns in their sides (Numbers 33:55). Proverbs reminds us that living outside of God’s will and purpose for our lives results in a path of thorns and traps (Proverbs 22:5). Paul spoke about a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

When God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, he who was boundless chose to be bound by the same things we are as human beings. Suddenly, he was bound by time. He was bound by location. He was bound by human knowledge. But perhaps most amazing of all, God in Jesus chose to be bound by sin for us. Jesus surrendered his sinlessness for us.

Jesus chose to share in our shame, fear, disgrace, discouragement, and anxiety, for us. He became sin for us. He gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns. For you. And for me. Amazing love!

THINK IT OVER

Think about the following:

What “thorns” have you experienced in your life?