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“The fruit of sin is thorns— spiny, prickly, cutting thorns.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2012-01-02) from his book, He Chose the Nails (p. 25). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

And that is what they put on Jesus’ head.  They put a Crown of Thorns on the One who knew no sin.  Why did He let them do that?  Why?

Max says, “I emphasize the ‘point’ of the thorns to suggest a point you may have never considered: if the fruit of sin is thorns, isn’t the thorny crown on Christ’s brow a picture of the fruit of our sin that pierced his heart?”

He goes on, “What is the fruit of sin? Step into the briar patch of humanity and feel a few thistles. Shame. Fear. Disgrace. Discouragement. Anxiety. Haven’t our hearts been caught in these brambles?

“The heart of Jesus, however, had not. He had never been cut by the thorns of sin. What you and I face daily, he never knew. Anxiety? He never worried! Guilt? He was never guilty! Fear? He never left the presence of God! Jesus never knew the fruits of sin . . . until he became sin for us.

“And when he did, all the emotions of sin tumbled in on him like shadows in a forest. He felt anxious, guilty, and alone. Can’t you hear the emotion in his prayer? ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’ (Matt. 27: 46). These are not the words of a saint. This is the cry of a sinner.

“And this prayer is one of the most remarkable parts of his coming. But I can think of something even greater. Want to know what it is? Want to know the coolest thing about the coming?”

Max answers, “He did it for you. Just for you.”

He did it all for you and me. 


Have you ever really thought about that?
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