A crown of thorns

A victor's crown - how many long to wear one! Formerly, in sport, the winner was rewarded with a crown of laurel. Today there are other prizes: medals, trophies, cash, wonderful gifts.

One of the great champions in the history of the Olympics was AL OERTER, discuss champion in Melbourne (1956), Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964) and Mexico (1968). No-one else has ever achieved such success in the event.

A crown was put on the head of the creator of the world, Jesus Christ. Remember the scene? Moments before the crucifixion, the soldiers decided to mock the King of kings and they placed a crown of thorns on his head.

The Devil had the happiest moment of his existence. The thorns were his "badge." When, in the garden of Eden, man sinned for the first time, the immediate consequence of his sin was that the earth produced thorns.

Where evil exists, there you have thorns. When the Devil saw the crown of thorns on the head of the Son of God, he believed that the future was his.

Jesus had been defeated and he had been able to place his own badge, the crown of thorns, on the head of the one God made man. Evil had conquered forever, or so he believed. But history turned out differently. Although the Lord Jesus carried all those scorns and jeers for love of us, he was not defeated.

In spite of the crown of thorns and all the suffering, in spite of the spit in his face, in spite of the cross, in spite of the fact that he gave his life, in spite of everything, Jesus conquered.

Because he did it all for love to us. For you and for me: everything for us. He suffered in our place, because that was what we deserved, including the crown of thorns.

Three days after his death, Jesus rose. He returned to life. He showed men that he was the one true God and that death had no power over him. That is the reason why we can be certain that one day we, too, are going to live again.

Our God is a victorious God and all nature witnessed that the Devil trembled knowing that Jesus was alive, and he continues trembling today.

In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God says that one day victory will be total. The proof? Instead of the thorn, the cypress will grow.

The symbol of evil will be banished. Jesus is the Victor for ever and never again will evil reign in the earth.