Genesis 2:16–17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Because Adam and Eve did the one thing God told them not to do, sin entered this world and ruined God’s perfect creation. There were consequences. Not only would they die, but life in this world would be much harder than it had been before sin.

Genesis 3:17–19 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

A part of the curse mentioned by God here was thorns. In the area where I live there is a variation of greenbrier vines. It is an aggressive species that grows up and around trees and spreads like crazy. If there are no trees nearby, it forms huge clumps covered with thorns. I’ve heard folks call it “wait a minute vine.” If you get too close, it will grab your clothes or skin and it will take you a minute or two to get out of its grasp. No matter how much of it I cut and burn, it keeps coming back. It is part of the curse.

When God promised Adam and Eve a Savior, it was one who would take the curse we deserve on Himself.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Jesus took all of the curse so that we would not have to suffer the eternal consequences we deserve. He even took the thorns.

John 19:2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.

He took every bit of the curse to pay our penalty, and gives us His perfection so that we can be forgiven and have the certainty of eternal life.

The next time you get poked by a thorn, remember what Jesus did for you.