From Thorns to the Cross
Friday’s Verse:
From Jeremiah 12:13 ESV
“They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.”
Jeremiah paints a sad picture. Man is planting wheat. They toil to the point of weariness. And what do they reap? “Thorns”
You should know those thorns.
After man sinned. God cursed the ground.
“Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” (Genesis 3:18)
Work was a good thing before man sinned. After sin entered the world, work was still good, but man would now face hardship, fatigue, failure, and death. Man would toil in the ground, and the ground would resist him.
This is what Jeremiah was trying to paint. Spiritually, the people of Judah were sowing wheat and reaping thorns. Man had turned from God and decided to rely on themselves. They toiled and labored. They worked and sowed. But they could never produce the harvest that they desired because they were in rebellion against God.
We are the same.
We toil to better ourselves. We work to be better. Do more. Act better. Gain more control. And we can never harvest what we desire. Because of our sinful nature. Thorns.
But in the gospel we see.
Jesus wore the thorns.
“A crown of thorns and place it upon his head.” Jesus wore the curse of man.
When man toiled, thorns came. When Jesus bled, we are forgiven. We are saved by the work of Jesus, not our own.
Man will toil and reap. As we learned in Genesis, sin will produce thorns. But those thorns were placed on our Savior's head.
Today’s Prayers
Gracious Father, forgive me for those times I trust in the work of my hands rather than the word of Jesus on the cross. Salvation is mine because of Your Son. In Your Son’s name, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Photo by Jaclyn Baxter on Unsplash