The Thorns of Love
Gen 3:17-19 “To Adam he said, ' because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘"you must not eat of it,’" Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…"
Thorns and thistles in the original Curse on sin are a symbolic reminder of the things that choke out fruit in our lives; the things that wound instead of nourish.
Wicked men are pictured as thorns; men whose fruit is pain.
Judges 2:3 “Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”
Easter week should be a time when Christians prepare to celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death by reflecting on our own sins which pierced Him. Our sins were the thorns in His crown. I don't say this so that we look at Easter with only remorse, regret and sadness. The message of Easter is that those cursed thorns aren’t allowed to choke out life any longer. Christ enlivens us to become “like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season…” Ps 1:3
I believe Easter should be a time of celebration, but also a time to take stock and weed that which may be trying to rise up and choke out our fruit.
Some believers fast during Easter week or give up certain favorites for a time. I don't believe these actions should be to beat ourselves up over our short comings, or to think about what sinners we are. I believe it should simply be a way for us to reflect on what Christ did for us, in modern terms, it's a reality check!. I believe examining ourselves and taking time to reflect back to the Cross will provide a power-surge that will allow us to root the thorns in our lives out altogether. Easter should be a time when we can collectively get serious about killing off the sins that hold us back. Fasting at this time or forgoing a few favorite isn't about YOUR sacrifice, it is about the discipline of pursuing with deadly intent the things that deprive us of deeper fellowship with God. Ultimately, it is the pursuit of a more abundant life.
It wasn't a coincidence that a crown of thorns was placed on Jesus head at the crucifixion. I believe it was another way of Jesus saying, no longer will these thorns choke out life, "for I have come to give you life and give it more abundantly." Let this Easter be a time of weeding your garden for the Lord, and lets rely on faith in Christ's finished work for assurance that we need never be choked by the thorns of sins again.
Credit: NIV-Kim Anderson-HS-TM
