Every song that we sing in worship to our God that speaks of us wearing an eternal crown is in the future tense. Can we become worthy to wear that crown now? From where would it come, and more to the point, who would be adequately worthy to give it to us?
The only one who had the right to wear a crown while on earth, but never did, was the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave up the glory and honor that was due Him to come to this sin-cursed, fallen, broken world to be our Redeemer (Philippians 2:5-8). It pleased God to crush Him and put Him to grief (Isaiah 53:10). Does that single thought cut us to the core of our spiritual understanding? He left the indescribable glories and riches of Heaven and became the servant of all. Isaiah wrote, “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). Acknowledging God’s statement, referring to His Son as His righteous Servant, should bring us to our knees in remorseful submissiveness.
Jesus speaking of Himself in Mark 10:45 said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The only crown He got was the twisted crown of thorns! Three of the Gospel writers gave the accounts of this outrageous brutality. Matthew 27:29 records, “When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” Mark 15:17-18 says, “And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” John 19:1-3 reads, “So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands.” Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” Jesus was the personification of turning the other cheek and speaking no vile words.
There is a sense in which wives and children are biblically defined as crowns. Proverbs 12:4a declares, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband.” Proverbs 17:6 notes, “Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.”
Psalm 103:1-5 states forthrightly that God is the Benefactor of all our physical, material and spiritual blessings. Five of these priceless blessings are listed, one of which is designated as a crown. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” This is another one of those “it doesn’t get any better than that” passages of Scripture.
In the realm of nature, God’s reign is sovereign over all. Psalm 119:90-91 states directly, “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue to this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants.” As one preacher said it, “all” in the Greek and English means just that—all!
God has called us to be servants to Him and others for His glory, honor, distinction and adoration. Our crown is on the other side. Paul made that known to us in a way that we would need help to misunderstand. As he was nearing the end of his life, he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
It is noteworthy that Paul said his crown of righteousness had been laid up for him. Paul also said he was the chief among sinners, but he was a chief servant from the day of his conversion. While he was here, Paul was not wearing his crown; and neither shall we wear our respective crowns in this life.
