In the beginning, roses had no thorns. But sin caused them to appear. The originator is the “piercing serpent” (Isaiah 27:1), Satan, the fallen cherub, Lucifer.
When Adam sinned, God had to draw the consequences. Man had to see and feel what it meant to take lightly the expressed commandment of his Creator. Though not left without hope, man was driven from God’s presence into a cursed environment so that: “Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee.” Genesis 3:18
Beyond Eden
Thus expelled from beautiful Eden, Adam and Eve, when wondering with great sorrow about their immense losses, began to realize what dreadful evil they had committed. Nature was not the same; the curse God pronounced on it and their separation from Him saddened the exiled couple with such grief which mankind of today with 6000 years of degradation could not imagine in the least.
In gaining a deeper insight into the great dilemma, let us imagine for a moment this possible scenario. One day Eve discovered to her joy some familiar looking flowering shrubs she had attended to in Eden. Hastily she came close and saw with delight that these were the roses of pure white she had loved so much.
Overcome with happiness she bent down to soak in the wonderful perfume arising from the beautiful flower heads, enthralling her senses. Eve was so enchanted about her discovery that she let out a most grateful “Thank you Lord!” and with great enthusiasm embraced the lovely shrub.
Suddenly she screamed and at once let go. There was a strange, sharp feeling on her hands and arms; and as she looked, red drops begun to ooze on some places from the broken skin.
Horror gripped her; she shrank back in terrible astonishment and sadly realized that she made a first experience with pain. As she examined the cause of this awful encounter, Eve saw that thorns grew upon the stems—how could she now pluck some of those lovely roses to take with her and show them to her husband?
Bewildered she looked around, and it seemed to her as if all nature had a darker hue on it, as though the colours of verdure, trees and flowers, suddenly dimmed down.
The reality of the result of sin crushed her heart. With most sobering, solemn thoughts she left the scene, longing for the loving arms of her husband.
In urgent need she pleaded with him for renewed surrender and obedience to their Creator. They kneeled before the Lord with a keen sense of their helplessness and total dependence upon divine aid for their lives on this earth. They asked that He guide and help them through the uncertain future ahead, through unknown dangers that may lurk somewhere, through pains and sorrows they may encounter.
The Sting of Thorns
Martin Luther once said: “If you are a rose of Christ, you must know that thorns will meet you on the way.”
This is a solemn saying. Not only that, it is also very true. It was given by one who certainly knew this only too well, yet did not shrink away from the thorns, but was among them and went through them.
When the onslaughts of Satan, in persons of priests, the clergy and the papacy, threw with hellish vehemence and devilish hatred and contempt his thorns and pricks in his face, Luther passed through unscathed. The word of God was his solid rock of truth and righteousness; his ardent zeal and passionate dedication to Jesus Christ his Saviour made him invincible.
Luther was very much a big thorn in the eyes of the ecclesiastical establishment that wished nothing more as to silence this “wild boar” (as the pope called him), but Providence had other things in mind.
Luther’s momentous protest against the lies, heresies, superstitions and human traditions, burst open the seams of a corrupt religious system delivering multitudes from the deadly poison of “righteousness by works” (penance, confession, absolution, etc.). It brought light and healing through the pure word of God, to the correct belief of “righteousness by faith”. The faith once delivered to the saints, was again established through the divinely appointed Reformation—Protestantism.
Nevertheless, Martin Luther went through periods of melancholia, sometimes lasting weeks. Satan afflicted him with severe depression to discourage this earnest Reformer who seriously felt the sting of thorns upon his mind. Once, during the time he was translating the Bible into the German language at Wartburg, a terrible gloominess befell him. It seemed to Luther that the devil was right there present in the room. In rebuking Satan, he threw a bottle of ink at him. The marks of the dark liquid on the wall can still be seen today.
A great servant of God, a man of hour-long, agonizing prayer for the welfare of the Protestant faith, Luther was not spared suffering. Anyone so devoted like him (and many others) have had to go through thickets of thorns. Yet they overcame the enemy by their faith and testimony.
The great apostle Paul also speaks about a “thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7. This thorn was something severe, so that he implored the Lord three times to remove it. But no, he got the answer: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” verse 9
Paul then realized that this thorn proved to be a blessing in disguise. He learned that it was for the best for him, as it kept him from the evil of becoming proud and self-exalting due to the great revelations he had received from Jesus. His eyes certainly were damaged from the bright light of seeing the glory of Jesus. This was a reminder of how Christ had selected him for His service and where he had come from.
But the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, was altogether different—a real satanic attack on his body that caused severe pain. It was definitely a revenge of the enemy that he lost him from his territory!
Paul took the words of Jesus to heart rather than dwelling on the release from the pain. We hear him saying with gladness: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Now he really shouts it out: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
Here we see a triumphant faith, regardless of what hell invented to discourage him. The foe was defeated whole scale. Paul, who experienced a full quiver of demonic darts against himself only grew in strength and trust in Jesus Christ. He learned the truth of passing through thorns. When one becomes a child, a servant of God, one becomes the target of Satan. In Acts 14:22, we are told that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
This is not given to us to scare or frighten us, but as an assurance that we are not left to ourselves. In tribulation, affliction, sickness, pain, troubles of any kind, we have Jesus beside us. He went through every assault hell could invent against Him. False accusations and open hostility from the religious leaders did not daunt nor dishearten Jesus. He set His “face like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7) to finish His mission, trusting alone in the love and power of His heavenly Father. His has given comforting promises like, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16). He also promised to be with us “unto the end of the world.” There are many others like sweet fragrant rose petals that we may pluck one by one from the holy, healing word of God.
The Contrast to Thorns
During the global Sunday-law, everyone on earth will be forced to obey the mark of the beast.
There are some who will not comply because their love and obedience to Jesus will not allow them to yield to any threats or penalties; they will resist the false day of worship. This will bring forth all the thorns of hell, the full-blown hatred of demonic forces revealed in human beings who are their servants, whose only wish is to eradicate these, irritating, intolerable and loathsome people.
God’s people will be seen in sharp contrast to the heinous outrage of the beast and all the world. For they have lost their thorns, they overcame every evil stinging trait of character, for they have washed “their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:14
Their former thorns were being rubbed off one by one by pleading with Jesus to give them strength to overcome their worldly habits, coldness of heart, unchristlike temper, indifference, negligence, envy, criticism, etc.
It is a tough and hard warfare against one’s ingrained traits of character. There is no earthly cure against this cruel reign of self. There is only a true dying to it, by serious, intense and heartfelt imploring to Heaven for help; to boldly enter the Most Holy, that sacred place where deliverance and victory can be found. It is here that we find our blessed High Priest, the one and only Remedy, Jesus Christ, who welcomes every penitent sinner crying out for divine help in the horrendous war against one’s nature.
Our stubborn self, this antagonistic entity—so opposite to the loveliness of Jesus—must perish. We must put forth a constant effort, never giving up, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again” (Proverbs 24:16). Also, we must go forward with courage; with a childlike trust, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), and also humbly submit to His will and power. Then we shall conquer.
The Bible teaches that God will have a people, a church “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” Ephesians 5:27. Believing this is our privilege and hope, for God’s word does not fail.
Jesus and You
Dear reader, be bold and strong, take your salvation seriously in your hands; you cannot save yourself, but Jesus does and will, if you give your life and heart to Him and all this wretched self. He will help you throw off your thorns with which you have hurt the Saviour so much. Yes, we all have, with our sins, crowned Him with cruel thorns!
Faith in the redeeming, transforming power of Christ will produce works of love, obedience to His commandments, good deeds to others. Then the thorns of our earthly nature, selfish habits, will fall off to be transformed into a pure, pleasing, Christ-like character that diffuses a delightful fragrance, like the perfume of beautiful roses.
The end result will be roses of a new creation, like those at the beginning—pure, exceedingly beautiful, without thorns.
Do you wish to become such a rose? A rose that is endearing, with a pleasant perfume, and reflecting the righteousness of Christ in the hands of your Creator, Redeemer and King, who will present you before His Father with joy and gladness to the glory of God.
“Whatsoever things are. . . just, . . . pure, . . . lovely, . . . be any virtue, . . . any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8. Amen.
Edda Tedford, Canada