The Crowned Christ
An interesting story appears in Zechariah chapter six. It is about a remnant from Judah that had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. In their return they sought a recovery of their former position as a city and a re-establishment of their former recognition as the people of God.
One day friends and brethren from Babylon arrived on a visit to see the progress being made in the work of recovery under Joshua the priest and Zechariah the prophet. These men, Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah brought with them a present of silver and gold. A divine command was given that they take this silver and gold and make crowns, and that they set these crowns upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest. They therefore made and placed the crowns upon the head of God’s anointed one.
Many centuries later other crowns were made and placed upon the head of the Lord’s anointed One, our blessed Lord Jesus. In derision man made a crown of thorns and placed it upon His brow; in His ascension God crowned Him with glory and honour. Eventually, in sovereignty and victory He will be crowned with many diadems. Thank God for the crowned Christ!
The Crowns of Christ
A few of these may be suggested; as for example:
The crown of thorns (Jno. 19:1-3): There are three symbols of the curse of God; two are mentioned in Genesis 3, the serpent (V. 14) and the thorns (V. 17-18). The third is mentioned in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, the tree. These remind us of the cause of the curse, Satan; the sorrow of the curse, thorns; and the penalty of the curse, the tree. All three are linked to Christ in His death. The Lord Himself said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (Jno. 3:14). “The soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on His head” (Jno. 19:1-3). “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).
The crowns of glory and of honour. The second chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews gives a fairly detailed statement of the doctrine of the incarnation of our Holy Lord. In it there are seven reasons for Christ’s being made flesh: first, Christ had to become incarnate to govern the earth (Vs. 6-8); second, to make atonement (V. 9); third, to become Captain, Prince, of our salvation (V. 10); fourth, to be like unto His brethren, so that they become all of one (nature, family), and He not ashamed to call them brethren (Vs. 11-13). In the fifth place, Christ became incarnate to defeat the devil (V. 14); in sixth place, in order that He save the spiritual seed of Abraham (V. 16); and in seventh place, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God (V. 17).
Yes, He who in His incarnation was made lower than the angels is now made higher than the heavens. “We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour.”
The many Crowns (Rev. 19:11-16): What a scene is here depicted by the pen of John! The identity of the rider on the white horse cannot be mistaken for four volumes have been written on His life. Anyone acquainted with those volumes readily recognizes the person.
One volume written by a man named John Mark pictures this rider as the Perfect Servant of Jehovah, and Mark pictures Him as loyal and diligent. In this scene described by John, He is called “faithful and true.” He, for this rider is no One less than our Lord Jesus, was faithful to God and true to the task given Him.
In another volume written by the scholarly Luke, the Lord Jesus is seen in His perfect manhood, intelligent and understanding to an extraordinary extent. This is possibly why John says He has a name that no man knows but He Himself.
The third volume of the four was written by a former fisherman; in fact, this fisherman, John by name, has written other articles as well. In the first he calls the Lord Jesus “the Word;” in the second, “the Word of Life;” and now here in the last of his writings, John calls Him “the Word of God.”
The last of these four volumes was written by a custom officer by name Matthew, and he presents the Lord Jesus as the King, the King in rejection. John here pictures Him as Sovereign, the mighty Victor, and calls Him the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
During His humiliation the people cried concerning the Lord Jesus, “This is that Prophet which should come into the world,” and they sought to make Him a king, but a prophet is not without honour save in his own country, so they crowned that Prophet with thorns.
Christ the merciful and faithful High Priest has passed through the heavens, and by faith we see Jesus like Joshua the priest in Zechariah’s day crowned in glory.
In a scene of the future Christ appears as the Marshall of the greatest army ever to be seen on earth, albeit mobilized in Heaven. In all His majesty and glory, He destroys all His enemies and reigns supreme as King of kings upon whose brow are many crowns.
S.O.M.