A Crown for a King

based on “Jesus, We Crown You with Praise” by Lanny Wolfe

During the celebration of Easter, we saw the passion of Jesus Christ as told in the story of His journey to the cross.  We saw His trials, His torture, His crucifixion and His resurrection.  If you listen closely you can still hear Jesus being referred to as “the king”.  If Jesus really is king, I wonder what kind of crown He might have.

Born as a lowly baby to a poor, working-class mother and father, the King of Glory slipped into humanity like a hand slips into a glove- He became flesh and lived among us.  His life and work, His miracles and teachings are recorded for us in scripture, but His earthly life drew to a close amongst some of the most humiliating treatment humanity could invent.  You probably know the story well, how the soldiers who tortured Him, brought mockery to Jesus being called a king.

The soldiers prepared a crown of thorns for His head, and a purple robe for His shoulders, and mockingly bowed to His Majesty.  This was the best that humanity could do for the king of glory.  It was as though the people of Jesus time showed the true colors of all mankind as they praised Him at the triumphant entry, and brought Him to humiliation and crucifixion a few short days later.  What a crown for a king!

Lanny Wolfe wrote a song entitled, “Jesus, We Crown You With Praise”, and in it he makes reference to the first time Jesus came to this earth.  

The first time You came they crowned You with thorns

As on an old rugged cross You were laid

But the next time You come it won’t be as before, 

for this time we’ll crown You with praise!

The miracle of Jesus resurrection brought correction to the mockery of the soldiers who doubted and degraded Jesus’ majesty and glory.  He showed once and for all that His kingdom far surpassed their own, and that His authority outweighed that of any king or emperor of this earth.  If Jesus had stopped there, with that brilliant display of His power and authority over death, it would have been enough.  Jesus, however, was not nearly finished with His reign.

He continues to be the first and last over all creation, the mighty and eternally existing God.  He is King over all kings, and Lord over all lords.  And one of the most impressive of all His claims to His disciples was that He would one day return to bring His followers into His kingdom in heaven.  John 14:2-3 says, "In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”  Again, from Lanny Wolfe’s song, these lyrics:

Jesus we crown You with praise

Jesus we corwn You with praise

We love and adore You

Bow down before You

Jesus we crown You with praise!

It is time to see Jesus as king.  Whether on this earth, or when we stand before Him at the end of days, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!