Thank You For The Thorns: Devotion for Aug 10
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Few paintings capture the brutality of Christ's suffering like Caravaggio's The Crowning with Thorns. Every time I return to it, I notice something I had missed before.
Caravaggio, like many Renaissance artists, studied classical sculpture to master anatomy. For this painting he drew upon the famous Belvedere Torso, displayed in the Vatican since the sixteenth century. But anatomy was only part of his genius. He was also a master of contrast. In this painting we see light and darkness, strength and vulnerability, power and weakness, royalty and mockery.
Christ’s exposed, outstretched neck, which has been forced into a horizontal position, is a clear indication of the brutality of the action. Rather than presenting a triumphant Christ, Caravaggio creates a quiet, intimate moment of suffering in which nearly every visual element is set against its opposite. The irony is impossible to miss. The One being mocked as king truly is the King. The men who appear to hold all the power are, in reality, powerless before the One who willingly submits to the cross.
I can’t imagine the pain a crown of thorns would inflict, especially if they were placed with such force. Any “thorn” I may have in my life seems inconsequential compared to what Christ bore. And I don’t usually think of being thankful for my thorns, but a writing I ran across by George Matheson speaks of just that.
Matheson (1842-1906) was known as the Blind Preacher though he could see shadows. His limitations, however, caused him to be dependent upon others to accomplish almost anything. Yet, even in light of poor sight, he had a reputation of being joyful, with a great spirit about him that was not easily discouraged. This is what he writes about his “thorn.”
“My God, I have never thanked you for my 'thorn!' I have thanked you a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my 'thorn.' … Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my 'thorn.' Show me that I have climbed to you by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.”
Perhaps we never thank God for the thorn itself. But we can thank him for what he grows through it. May your thorns become the place where you discover his grace, and may they create a rainbow that leads you to him.
Pr. Laurie Neill
Featured art: Caravaggio, The Crowning with Thorns, 1601, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
The Belvedere Torso:
