Blackberry Devotions

Yesterday I was cutting back some blackberry bushes and was getting "all tore up" by the thorns.... even tho I had gloves on, my hands were a bit of a bloody mess. It got me thinking about the crown of thorns that was jammed on Jesus head. It was a bit of a paradox wasn't it?  They acknowledged Him as King ….mockingly but acknowledged nonetheless… then they jammed on a very painful rugged crown made of thorns on his head, so hard that he bled.   I needed to find out why and if it means anything… (some of you know I am the queen of interweb research) and guess what …. I learned something new…..  hold on to your hat this might blow you away!

Way back in Genesis, Eve ate the forbidden fruit and convinced Adam to indulge as well. As you know, God was not happy with their disobedience and cursed the land with thistle and thorns among other things.  I don’t remember that part, do you?  So the soldiers , unknowingly, made a crown made of the very curse God put upon the world thru Adam and Eve’s sin.  That just makes it even more poignant doesn’t it? (I know, big weird word) He was wearing the curse, a consequence of sin, on his head. He took it all upon himself…. being a King and yet adorned with our sin.  That makes me even more grateful.  Wait! …..  but there’s more….

So in digesting this, I am thinking about the whole day of Good Friday…. I don’t like calling it that but for mankind it ended up being good since we now have the hope of having our sins washed away.  Jesus had to walk thru town carrying/dragging His own cross while wearing this horrible crown of thorns to the place of crucifixion… with each step he took, he took on sin…. my sin, your sin, the sin of the whole world. That is a heavy, heavy load but guess what? He did it because he loves ME… He loves you too and he was thinking of you & me while walking on the way to his earthly death. But you know that light at the end of the tunnel we speak of occasionally?  His light at the end of this sinful earthly tunnel was the lights of Heaven! The lights of saving the world should they choose to accept it. My face was in the light at the end of the tunnel… he was selflessly bearing that cursed crown of thorns, carrying his cross and going thru torture and death for this wretched silly girl.  How amazing is that!  I certainly don’t deserve even one little thorn let alone torture and death. But he did it anyway……….  sigh…… thank you Jesus for taking my sin upon your head and saving me.

Thinning out my blackberry bushes will mean waaaaay more to me now and I won’t complain about the thorn pricks…. it will be me & Jesus time…. my blackberry devotions!