“‘Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.” Mark 15:32
April 3, 2026
The truth is told in jest. So goes the saying. Those who nailed Jesus to that cruel cross could not and would not understand God’s ways in this sinfully broken world. There He was, the Savior of the world, hanging in execution style between two criminals. And the human response was sarcasm and ridicule. Ridiculed for His weakness and His messianic claims. The verbal abuse was sharp, bitter, and mean. Jesus suffered brazen, cold, and calculated rejection. He was despised as a prophet, mocked as a priest, and humiliated as king. Disappointment in Jesus was boiling over with utter contempt. That’s the way of this world until now. “The King of Israel” does not measure up to the standards of the sin-blinded. “Maybe He was a martyr, a point of religious interest a few days before the ‘final four’ and the Augusta National. Come on, Jesus, give us a miracle. Knock one out of the park. Use your power and we will believe, maybe.” Jesus was dying for our sins. That’s what He was doing. The taunting of angry, vengeful crucifiers was endured by Jesus so that we might experience the forgiveness of sin and fellowship with God. Is He the one in whom you have placed your faith? Our eternal outcome hangs in the balances.
H
“Of all that shouting multitude I feel that I am one; And in that din of voices rude I recognize my own. Around the cross the throng I see, Mocking the Sufferer’s groan; Yet still my voice it seems to be, As if I mocked alone.”
Horatious Bonar (1808-1889), “The Crucified King”