Guest post written by Jerald Rhodes i.e. my husband 😍
Have you ever pondered the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head on this day several thousand years ago? If you’re like me, you read it in the crucifixion story, make a mental note that it would’ve been painful, and then move on. Recently, I acquired a crown of thorns through the dispersal of my grandfather’s estate (the late Jonas N. Schrock) and decided to do a study into the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head at his trial. Following is a brief synopsis of what I discovered in that study (followed by the back story on the crown of thorns that was my grandpa’s).
The day of Christ’s trial could be summed up in one word- horrendous. I have read a book or two that go into detail on what actually took place that day and I always come away in awe of what Christ endured physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; all areas of life that we face! For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin- Hebrews 4:15. If you are interested in reading in depth on the subject, I recommend starting with Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ.
Thorns are mentioned various times in the Bible and are introduced very quickly. We find them already in the third chapter of Genesis and we learn that thorns are a consequence of sin. You will find this theme fairly consistent throughout the Bible (Paul’s thorn in the flesh is from a different Greek word used only once in the Bible and carries the thought of a bodily annoyance or disability).
Genesis 3:17-18 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Numbers 33:55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
Hebrews 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned
Thorns are an outworking of sin, the very thing that Christ came to earth to conquer! Did the soldiers who made the crown of thorns fully understand that? It is evident that this crown of thorns was to mock Jesus as being a king as well as the purple robe and the reed placed in His right hand. But this crown went way farther than just mocking Jesus for being a king. These thorns were a part of the very curse placed on the devil back in the garden, and he was using them with all his might. While the Roman soldiers were likely happy to see a Jewish king (earthly in their minds) being taken care of and humiliated, the old devil was using these thorns to take another swing at Christ in retaliation for that curse placed upon him.
Praise God those thorns did not prevail and Christ rose victorious from the grave- defeating sin, the devil, and the thorns! What a wonderful gift available to each of us- salvation! For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord- Romans 6:23
When I think of the humility it took for Christ to allow those thorns to be placed on His head, enduring the mockery of his Kingdom, and the curse of sin those thorns represented I am reminded that I have not attained and that I need the continual sanctification process in my life.
Grandpa’s Crown of Thorns
Now for the story on the crown of thorns from my grandpa! I well remember as a boy going to grandpa’s place on a regular basis. Grandpa was a bishop of Mt Joy Mennonite Church in Daviess County Indiana which is where I grew up and attended church until moving here to Nebraska. Grandpa loved to study and there was a room in their house that doubled as a work office and library/study. Above his desk was a library full of books mostly religious in nature that he would use in preparation for his sermons. They covered a wide range of subjects- Bible numerology, eschatology (he was an amillennial), cults, Anabaptist thought, and Bible history to name a few. I am honored to have some of those books in my possession- The Archko Volume (reprinted archeological writings of the Sanhedrin), a 3 volume set of Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, and a reprinted Handbook by Dietrich Phillips.
At the very top of this library hung this crown of thorns. I don’t ever remember it not being there. I don’t ever recall it being taken down and looked at by anyone. In fact I don’t ever recall any conversations around it other than the occasional reference to the fact that it may have been similar to the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. The memory of it hanging there is embedded my mind.
I never really knew the history of where they came from until I met my wife! This crown of thorns was put together by Homer Yoder of Sparta TN who is an uncle to Violet. Soon after we started dating, Homer approached me and asked if my grandpa still had them, which was the first I knew of where they had come from.
Recently, I decided to get some additional history on them, so I called up Homer. For those of you who don’t know him, he’s an unassuming older man residing in the hills of Tennessee. He spends his time making jam there and also has his “mule shed,” where he has an assortment of antiques collected. He answered the phone in his slow, usual drawl. I have only known him part of my life, but the few interactions I’ve had with him have proven him to be the perfect candidate to assemble a crown of thorns in memory of our Savior.
He shared with me that he assembled the crown of thorns in approximately 1965 or 66 while a youth living in Morrison, TN. After listening to a compelling Communion message one Sunday, he then went out into the woods and assembled the crown of thorns in memory of what his Savior had gone through! The crown of thorns then took a place on a shelf, and he went on with life.
There were only 3 families living in that small Mennonite community at that time- Denver Yoders (Homer’s dad/Violet’s grandpa), Henry Yoders, and Levi Millers.** Being a small community, they did not have a resident bishop, so my grandfather was filling the role of bishop for them at the time. Grandpa made numerous trips down to Tennessee, and on one such trip, he went to baptize a class of applicants, Homer being one of them (as well as Violet’s dad Millard). Homer then presented the crown of thorns as a gift of appreciation to Grandpa for baptizing him!
The crown of thorns is approaching 60 years of age. I plan to hang it above the desk in my office as a remembrance of Grandpa, Homer, and most of all, my Savior.
**The settlement in Morrison, TN only lasted 3-4 years before it disbanded with Denver Yoders and Henry Yoders moving to Altamont, TN and Levi Millers moving to Foxworth, MS
of windowsills and breezy hills 