«Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him» (James 1:12).
THE CROWN IS a well-known object in biblical culture. When we take a glance at the Old and New Testaments, we see that several types of crowns existed. Among them, the following stand out: The royal crown, a symbol of the monarchy. We do not know what royal crowns were like physically in Bible times, even though we read some hints, like in Psalm 21:3: «You set a crown of pure gold upon his head» or in 2 Samuel 12:30: «Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head.» Quite a bit is known about what royal crowns were like in Egypt, Assyria, or Persia, but there is not as much information from the Jewish culture. What is clear is that, for the people of God, the crown of kings was the sign of their authority and power.
The high priest’s crown, emblem of the extremely high position he held. We do know that these had a plate of gold with the phrase «Holiness to the Lord» (see Exodus 28:36, 37; 29:6; Leviticus 8:9).
The crown of marriage that the bride, as well as the bridegroom, wore when they got married and possibly consisted of a garland of flowers (see Ezekiel 16:12).
The crown of victory received by soldiers who returned triumphantly from battle or by athletes who won their competitions. This crown consisted of a garland made from natural leaves.
The crown of thorns with which the Roman soldiers mistreated our Savior: «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!’ » (Matthew 27:29; see also Mark 15:17; John 19:2).
Friend, if we are approved in our passage through this life because we have loved God, we will receive the crown that He has promised to us. We will reign with Him in the new earth; we will be a royal priesthood, a holy people; He will take us as His bride; He will give us the victory in the hard battle we have fought here below, where we will have shared the great honor of suffering with Him and for Him. I do not think we can ask for anything more.
Thank You Jesus, for that crown that is waiting for me.