There was a little instrument used in war called a caltrop, named from a kind of thistle. It consisted of a small bar of iron, with several sharp points projecting from it one or two inches each way. If these instruments were thrown upon the ground at random, one of the points must necessarily be upward, and the horses that trod upon them were lamed and disabled at once. History tells that Darius caused caltrops to be scattered in the grass and along the roads, wherever the armies of Alexander would be likely to have approached his troops on the field of battle.
   It is no accident that our Lord and Saviour wears a crown of thorns similar to caltrops. This crown represents the relationship He is destined to have with mankind as his subjects. He is our King no matter what. He endures our evil, our cruelty, our pride, our ridicule. He does all of this to grow us up and give hope to a world that if left alone, would only breed death and destruction. He voluntarily takes our pain and punishment in order to save us from the same fate.