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READ: GENESIS 3:14-21; JOHN 19:1-22\n\n\n\nAs an author, I love being able to write full circle endings\u2014when all the loose ends are tied up and the reader is satisfied by the end. There are a lot of full circle moments in the Bible that are so easily skipped over because we don\u2019t always understand their significance.\n\n\n\nOne of those moments is when a crown of thorns is placed on Jesus\u2019s head. You may have read this before. It\u2019s part of the Easter story, just before Jesus is put onto the cross. It was a crown meant to make fun of Jesus, to mock Him for being the \u201cKing of the Jews.\u201d\n\n\n\nTo understand this full circle moment, we have to go back to Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve rejected God and disobeyed His good ways, the world was subjected to the curse of sin, death, and suffering. Part of that curse, mentioned in verse 18, is that the ground produced thorns and thistles. Here\u2019s the full circle part\u2014 thorns remind us of the curse of sin and death. They remind us of the pain and brokenness sin causes.\n\n\n\nWhen the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed it onto Jesus\u2019s head, it was like the curse of sin was being placed on Him. He took that curse away from us, along with all our sins, when He died on that cross. And then, He rose from the dead in victory, promising to one day return and put an end to sin and death, destroying the curse forever. How amazing is it that we have a God who loves us so much that He willingly wore the curse of sin as He died to save us? \u2022 Kimberly Brokish\n\n\n\n\u2022 Consider taking a moment to picture Jesus as the crown of thorns is pressed into His head\u2026the blood flowing down His temples, the soldiers beating and spitting on His torn flesh, the crowds shouting for His crucifixion. \u201cWhile we were still sinners,\u201d Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He freed us from the ugliness of our sin\u2014 because He loves us. Yes, we will struggle with sin until Jesus returns, but His forgiveness is sure. (If you want to dig deeper, read Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20.)\n\n\n\n\u2022 Throughout the entire Bible, God points us again and again to the promise of Jesus\u2019s return, when He will put an end to sin and make all things new. Then everyone who has put their trust in Jesus will live with Him in renewed creation, forever free of the curse (Revelation 21:1-5). As we live in a world that is still full of sin and its effects, how could we encourage each other with the hope of Jesus, that His sacrifice gives us freedom? (Romans 8:18-25)\n\n\n\nThe soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. \u201cHail! King of the Jews!\u201d they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. John 19:2-3 (NLT)