Thank you for the biblical question, “According to Matthew 27:27-31 (NKJV), the soldiers gathered round to mock Christ. They draped Him in a red robe, and put a reed in His right hand. What did they put on His head?”
According to Matthew 27, the text says this, “7 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him” (NIV).
Thus the answer is the Roman Praetorium guard placed a crown of thorns and set it on Jesus’ head. Not only did they placed the crown of thorns on his head but they caused the thorns to penetrated his head by hitting it with a staff. It was very painful with blood flowing down his face.
When Jesus prayed on the cross asking the Father to forgive them, it was more than just his crucifixion, but it also included his treatment by the soldiers. If the Jews treated Jesus with contempt why wouldn’t the Roman soldiers!
I wonder one day at the resurrection what will the soldiers say and do before the one whom they mocked and crucified. Did any of them repented when they heard of Jesus’ resurrection and his forgiveness of their sins? I would like to think that some of them did.
We may think that Jesus is not much of a man or even a king. We may mocked the foolishness of Christians for believing in a fable contrived by some Christian leaders to control their followers. Is it a fable or is it a fact? The solution will be settled once and for all upon the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
SUMMARY: A crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’ head. What kind of crown would you place on Jesus’ head would reflect what you believe about him.