Four Images from Easter Week

A crown of thorns.

Illustration of a crown of thorns by Dilleen Marsh

“My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

Crown of Thorns

See Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2.

The Roman soldiers placed a crown of thorns on the Savior. “Perhaps this cruel act was a perverse attempt to mimic the placing of an emperor’s laurel upon His head. … How poignant this was, considering that thorns signified God’s displeasure as He cursed the ground for Adam’s sake that henceforth it would bring forth thorns. But by wearing the crown, Jesus transformed thorns into a symbol of His glory” (President James E. Faust, Apr. 1991 general conference).

Oil on canvas painting of Christ standing with hands bound in front, and dressed in a purple robe. Pilate is seated and dressed in gold and white. Artist signed and dated painting in lower left hand corner.

Christ and Pilate, by Marcus Vincent, courtesy of Church History Museum

Purple Robe

See Matthew 27:28; Mark 15:17; John 19:2.

Purple was a kingly color, and the soldiers mockingly put this robe on Jesus Christ because He had claimed to be the king of the Jews. Of course, in reality He is much more than that—He is the “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16).

“Blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish” (Mosiah 3:7).

A stone olive press

Photograph of olive press from Getty Images

Olive Press

See Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32; Luke 22:39–40; John 18:1.

“It is poignantly symbolic that ‘blood [came] from every pore’ [Mosiah 3:7] as Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, the place of the olive press. To produce olive oil in the Savior’s time, olives were first crushed by rolling a large stone over them. The resulting ‘mash’ was placed in soft, loosely woven baskets, which were piled one upon another. Their weight expressed the first and finest oil. Then added stress was applied by placing a large beam or log on top of the stacked baskets, producing more oil. Finally, to draw out the very last drops, the beam was weighted with stones on one end to create the maximum, crushing pressure. And yes, the oil is bloodred as it first flows out” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Oct. 2016 general conference).

“He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:6).

Jesus Christ's empty tomb - set at Goshen, Utah

Empty Tomb

See Matthew 28:1–8; John 20:1–18.

“The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, ‘If a man die, shall he live again?’ [Job 14:14]. To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth” (President Thomas S. Monson, “He Is Risen!” Apr. 2010 general conference).