In his blog article, Dr. Timothy Tennent, the President of Asbury Theological Seminary, makes a fascinating connection between the Coronavrius and the season of Lent. The word 'Corona' has its origin in Latin and it means crown. So, the virus is called Corona because when viewed under a microscope it actually looks like a thorny crown.

When you read the Gospel accounts of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman soldiers mockingly placed a thorny crown on Jesus because of the accusation that he claimed to be the King of the Jews! The thorny 'corona' on Jesus’ head was symbolic of his self-denial and sacrifice. It offers a dramatic picture of Jesus the true King who embraces our brokenness. While our world today is obsessed with the thorny crown virus, as Christians let us be obsessed with our Savior who wore a crown of thorns to give us eternal life!

Source:

Adapted from Website - Dr. Timothy Tennent, “The ‘Crown’ in the Coronavirus: A Theological Reflection on the COVID-19 Pandemic,” TimothyTennent.Com (3-18-20)