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Could the crown of thorns described in Mark 15:17 be an attempt by the writer to strengthen the relationship between Christ as the second Adam and the first Adam who is cursed in Genesis 3:18 with an earth growing thorns?
Mark 15:17 (NRSV)
And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.
Genesis 3:18 (NRSV)
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Look at other thematic parallels:
- Adam was the first born of the living (Gen 2:7-20) made in the image of God, and given dominion over creatures and the earth (Gen 1:26);
- Yeshua was the first born of the dead (meaning resurrected) and the very likeness of the invisible God (Col 1:15), given dominion over 'kings of the earth' (Rev 1:4-5) indeed authority over all creation (Matt 28:18)
Also:
- Adam was without bride but given one (Gen 2:18-21)
- Yeshua was without bride but given one (John 3:29)
And:
- Adam whose heart was earth (Gen 2:7) was put into a deep sleep, or from (Gen 2:18,21) coma - H8639: תַּרְדֵּמָה (rumoured by some ancient traditions to be for 3 days).
- Yeshua was put into the heart of the earth for 3 days (Matt 12:40)
And:
Adam's bride came from Adam (Gen 2:23) requiring his side be pierced (Gen 2:21), and the two became one (Gen 2:24)(Matt 19:6)
Yeshua's bride came from Yeshua (Matt 16:19; 18:18; John 14:20) requiring his side be pierced (John 19:34), and the two became one (John 17:21)
There are other parallels:
- Before Adam the Spirit of Elohiym came over the waters (of creation) (Gen 1:2)
- Before Yeshua the Holy Spirit came over the waters (of Mary's womb)
{since in Luke 1:35 the Greek word ἐπέρχομαι (G1904: eperchomai) manifests the same vision to a Greek speaker as the Hebrew word רָחַף (H7363:rachaph) does to a Hebrew speaker}
These parallels and more are why Paul held 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 to be true!
ANSWER: So - the question shouldn't be "Could the crown of thorns described in Mark 15:17 be an attempt by the writer to strengthen the relationship between Christ as the second Adam and the first Adam who is cursed in Genesis 3:18?"
Rather, the question should be "Given all of the other parallels, and Paul's endorsement of this idea of Yeshua (Jesus) as a better Adam, how could the crown of thorns described in Mark 15:17 NOT be an attempt by the writer to strengthen the relationship between Christ as the second Adam and the first Adam who is cursed in Genesis 3:18"?
I don't know if my understanding is correct. Man's punishment is to work all his life until he dies so that he can eat. Maybe the thorns and thistles meant the sufferings in the midst of his labor.
Before the fall of man, everything was good even work. Whatever man do, it was all good because there's no evil in him, and because he does not know what sin is. After the fall, he realized his own nakedness, start sinning again and again, blaming God for all his disobedience... Remember God personally gave the instructions and warning to Adam about the consequences of eating the tree. Eve wasn't even born yet.
Before the fall, man was given everything except for one, he can enjoy all the fruits in the garden.
Jesus took the crown of thorns as part of our punishment. Does not all of God's creation moan because of the sin of man?
I see the crown of thorns as Jesus taking the curse of the ground that He spoke because of our disobedience.
God took responsibility for our sin by His provision of His only Son Jesus, who is the only propitiation that satisfies all of His creation and heaven.
