Well, you could turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27, working our way through the passion narrative in Matthew's gospel for our Lord's Supper services. We find ourselves in verses 39 to 44 this evening, but I'll begin reading in verse 27. So Matthew chapter 27 at verse 27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! Then they spat on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, place of a skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.
But when he had tasted it, he would not drink. Then they crucified him and divided his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
And they put up over his head the accusation written against him, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Likewise, the chief priests also, mocking what the scribes and elders said, he saved others himself he cannot save. If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him. For he said, I am the son of God.
Even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing. Now from the 6th hour until the 9th hour, there was darkness over all the land. And about the 9th hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, "'Eli, Eli, Lama Sabat Thani,' that is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "'This man is calling for Elijah.' Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and offered it to him to drink. The rest said, let him alone.
Let us see if Elijah will come to save him. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly saying, truly, this was the Son of God. And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, were looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Father in heaven, we come to a very very holy ground in terms of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray now for the Spirit to guide us, guide our thoughts, our meditation, cause us to reflect upon the great love of our Lord Jesus Christ. First to the Father in terms of obedience with reference to the covenant of redemption, and then with reference to us in the covenant of grace. What blessed recipients we are of all of the redemptive benefit, brought out by our blessed Savior.
Give us grace to freshly appreciate these things. May we worship and glorify Father, Son, and Spirit. And again, forgive us for all sin and everything that darkens our understanding. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, as we look at this particular section in Matthew 27, we have the crucifixion of Jesus. It's given in verses 32 to 54. We have the crucifixion proper, which we looked at last time in verses 32 to 38. And then this afternoon, we're gonna look at the mockery of Jesus while he is on the cross.
That's in verses 39 to 44. And then ultimately you have the death of Jesus in verses 45 to 56. I think last time I reminded us of Hebrews 12 too, where the apostle says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame. Well, as we survey the crucifixion of our Lord, there was no shortage of shame with reference to the Savior.
He was mocked after the trial before the Sanhedrin in chapter 26, 67 and 68. He went or underwent a mock enthronement by the soldiers as we saw a couple of times ago in chapter 27 at verses 27 to 31. And then he is enthroned, not on a throne, but rather he's enthroned upon a cross. Now, with reference to the background to the mockery in verses 39 to 44, it is the trial before the Sanhedrin.
Essentially, what we have is the Sanhedrin accused him of blasphemy in chapter 26 at verse 65. Well, here he is blasphemed. As well before the Sanhedrin, witnesses testified about his destruction of the temple, and here the passers-by repeat that same thing. Also, he is questioned concerning his identity as the son of God before the Sanhedrin in chapter 26 at verse 63, and here he is taunted for that in verses 40 and 43.
So essentially the Sanhedrin, that council, that religious and political council of Israel, was engaged in not only a mock trial, but here they're engaged in mockery of the one that they falsely condemned to death at the hands of Pontius Pilate. So looking at the mockery of the crucified one in verses 39 to 44, there are three groups. In the first place, the blasphemy of the passers-by in verses 39 to 40, the basic rabble, the hoi polloi, the people that are standing around watching this situation. Secondly, you have the mockery of the religious leaders in verses 41 and 43, and then the reproach of the robbers in verse 44.
So with reference to these several parties, they had animus toward the Son of God, and while he's in deep distress, not only in terms of the physical suffering, but in terms of the judicial punishment inflicted by the Father upon the Son, he is receiving the insult and the blasphemy and the mockery of man. Again, may our hearts be drawn out in fresh appreciation to what the Son of God went through on behalf of saving us from our sins. It wasn't a walk in the park. It wasn't a simple task.
As the apostle says, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.
Blasphemy of the Passers-By
So let's look first at the blasphemy of the passers-by in verses 39 and 40. Essentially, as I said, the parties were people that were just in the vicinity. Remember back at verse 37, it says, they put up over his head the accusation written against him. This is Jesus, king of the Jews.
In a parallel passage, we learn that it was written in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek. In other words, they didn't do this in some esoteric place. They didn't leave the beaten path to do this under the cover of darkness. It was open.
It was publicized. It was an open setting for maximum deterrent effect. In other words, they would crucify him publicly so that anybody who might contend for the kingship of Israel would see what their fate would be. And then when we look at the particular language in verse 39, those who passed by blasphemed him.
That's a good translation. Some of the other translations have derided him. The ESV, the NIV has hurled insults at him. The NASB has hurling abuse at him.
As I said earlier, he is accused of blasphemy before the Sanhedrin, but now he is actually the target of blasphemy. This word means to speak in a disrespectful way that demeans, denigrates, or maligns, but then as well in relation to transcendent or associate entities. In other words, gods or deities, it means to slander, revile, defame, or to speak irreverently, impiously, or disrespectfully of or about a particular deity. So these passers-by, armed with just a little bit of information, misinformation, have the gall to actually mock the Lord of Glory while He is suffering on the cross.
As well, they wag the head as they pass by. And this was a sign of scorn, derision, and insult, and also fulfills the 22nd Psalm. Psalm 22, 7. All those who see me ridicule me.
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head. It is very important for us to understand that everything that we find in the Passion narrative is scripted. In other words, it was, in fact, the predetermined plan of God. This was not accidental.
This was not haphazard. This was not a plan B. The Savior willingly undertakes, knowing full well what He is getting into, and thus, again, expresses His love for us and for the Father in terms of His obedience to the Father with reference to that covenant of redemption. Now, notice what these parties engage in, in terms of the mockery or the blasphemies.
In the first place,
The Temple Builder Taunted
they highlight the inability of the temple builder. Notice in verse 40, and saying, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself. Go back to chapter 26, where Jesus is before the Sanhedrin. Chapter 26 at verse 59.
Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the councils sought false testimony against Jesus to put him to death. I think we probably considered that clause when we were there. They sought false testimony? Is that the task of the highest political and religious council in Israel?
To seek out false testimony? to utterly disregard the rules of evidence, to disregard due process, to disregard an emphasis on the truth. They sought out false testimony against Jesus, notice in verse 59, to put him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.
So these passers-by knew enough about the trial before the Sanhedrin to understand that Jesus claimed to be the temple builder. Now again, you need to understand this in the larger and broader context of redemptive history. Zechariah 6, 12, and 13 indicated that the Messiah, the King to come, would build the temple. And so for Jesus to claim The power to build the temple, he does that in John chapter 2.
We read that this morning. Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. They said it's taken 46 years to build this temple. Will you raise it up in three days?
And then John, the theologian, tells us he was talking about the temple of his body. It was a reference to the resurrection. But as well, in terms of Zechariah's prophecy, he would be the temple builder. So the people had heard of the Sanhedrin trial, or they understood that statement from John 2.19.
And in their minds, think about it, the one who had divine prerogative, the one who had the sanction from Ani to build the temple, ought to be able to evade a few Roman guards. He ought to be able to get out of this pretty nasty predicament he finds himself in, and yet he's nailed to the cross. So they mock him or blaspheme him in light of what they perceive to be the inability of the temple builder. But notice they don't stop there.
Sonship Challenged by Bystanders
They then engage in blasphemy concerning the illegitimacy of his sonship. Look at verse 40 toward the end. If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. Now, when they say this, if you are the Son of God, it's the same formulation that the devil uses in Matthew chapter 4.
In Matthew chapter 4 at verse 3 and at verse 6, the devil tempts Jesus in the same way, if you are the Son of God. Gil says, as Satan before them, they put an if upon the Sonship of Christ. Now this command, this present command, again it's mockery, it's blasphemy, but it is a command. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
That, like what the devil did, was an attempt to derail or to disengage Christ from going forward with the plan to save His people from their sin. That's what these fools don't understand. In the blasphemy, and in the mockery, and in the reproach, the very thing they level against Jesus, what appears to them to be his inability to save himself, is actually his obedience to the Father in order to save us from our sins. If he capitulates and he comes down from the cross.
Just like if he capitulates in the wilderness in Matthew 4 and follows what the devil suggests, then he derails the messianic mission that the Lord God Most High had given to him. And that's the irony of the situation. His unwillingness to save himself, in their minds, proved that he was, in fact, a deceiver. But his unwillingness to save himself to the faithful among us is great cause for rejoicing, and great cause for celebration, and great cause for praise.
Because we know the prophet Isaiah said, it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He put him to grief. Why does he do that? Because he punishes Christ in our stead, so that he can take the righteousness of Christ and impute it to us, which we receive by faith alone.
So Christ's blessedness is seen in the fact that he doesn't capitulate, that he doesn't kowtow, that he doesn't listen to the rabble. Spurgeon says it was because he was the Son of God that he did not come down from the cross, but hung there until he had completed the sacrifice for his people's sin. Christ's cross is the Jacob's ladder by which we mount up to heaven. If he does this, then he will abandon the mission that the Father had given to him.
So in their blasphemy, and then in the mockery of the religious leaders, what they taunt him with, what they challenge him unto, is precisely the means by which he fulfills the will of the Father and he grants redemption to the likes of you and I. Now
Mockery of the Religious Leaders
notice, secondly, the mockery of the religious leaders in verses 41 to 43, the parties. Go back to 16 and verse 21. Jesus prophesied this, Jesus predicted this, Jesus knew this, and he told his disciples as much. Matthew 16, 21, from that time Jesus began to show to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day.
That's the messianic agenda. That's what he taught to his disciples. But it's not just that he taught that to his disciples. The emphasis, for instance, in Isaiah, and as well in Zechariah, showed the nature of the king that would come in fulfillment of God's particular plan.
So going back to this mockery, it is those parties, the same men who made up the Sanhedrin, the leaders who had plotted his destruction, now gather before the cross to continue their mockery of him. Again, brethren, let it sink in. This isn't just something that happens, you know, in the space of a few minutes. This was a long and prolonged instance of shame.
And while indeed Christ despised the shame, he nevertheless went through it. We see a little shame in our lives, and we want to fix it immediately. We think that somebody's unhappy with us, and we get all upset. Christ is hung on that cross, bearing the wrath and fury of God Almighty, and he hears the passers-by, and now he hears the Sanhedrin, and they mock him.
And again, remember that this is the highest religious and political council in all of Israel. Matthew Poole makes this observation. He says, nothing is more inhuman than to mock such as are in the most extreme and utmost misery. That's just part of human nature, isn't it?
We say it this way, don't add insult to injury. Don't heap up things on a person that is suffering. And a person may be suffering for good cause, a person perhaps that's executed in a proper sense, or perhaps somebody that is going through something that they have brought upon them through justice. But it's still wrong to heap upon them abuse.
It's still wrong to come to one of our fellows in the degradation of suffering and to heap upon them even more. So Poole says, nothing is more inhuman than to mock such as are in the most extreme and utmost misery. And it is what we seldom hear from the worst of men. But for the chief priests and elders, not the hot-headed young men amongst them, the magistrates and rulers of the Jews, to be guilty of such a barbarous behavior is amazing.
That these dignified leaders in Israel, first of all, seek out false testimony in order to put him to death. ultimately find false testimony upon which to put him to death, and then go and frame the charges in such a way that Pilate is pushed into a corner and he must respond with the death penalty. They orchestrated all this. This was a cunning plot on behalf of these wretches, and now at the foot of the cross, they continue to hurl abuse upon the Son of God. I think Poole is absolutely right.
Nothing is more inhuman. We ought to respect the confines of of humanity when it comes to such things. I think I've shared before in Deuteronomy 25, the giving out of corporal punishment to a criminal offender in Israel was to be carried out with dignity, with respect for the man as an image bearer of the living and true God. All that's gone out the door.
They see Christ as their enemy. They see Christ as their target of abuse. They see Christ as that one who is not altogether lovely in their mindset, but he's altogether detestable, and they are acting consistently with that. Now, in terms of the specifics of their mockery, it's threefold.
Unable to Save Himself
Notice first the inability of Christ as a savior. Look at verse 41. himself he cannot save. Now in Matthew chapter 8 and chapter 9 we have several accounts where Jesus went out and saved people. Not necessarily spiritually, though that was included, but he saved people in terms of miracle.
Remember in Matthew 5 to 7 he taught as one having authority, not like the scribes. Well, in Matthew chapter 8 and 9, he acted as one who had authority. And he went out and he healed people. He saved people.
He engaged in mighty miracles and wondrous signs and deeds. And yet here they're mocking him. They say, oh, he saved others, but he can't save himself." Now notice, they up the ante. If you go back to the passersby, they say, you who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself.
If you are the son of God, come down from the cross. That's a challenge. They present a challenge to the Son of God. That's not what the chief priests and the scribes and the religious leaders do.
They make the declaration that He can't save Himself. Notice, He saved others Himself He cannot save. Davies and Allison say the leader's words go even further than those of the passers-by. The latter challenge Jesus to save Himself.
The authorities are sure that He cannot. Again, brethren, the irony of the situation is that if he saves himself from that cross, he doesn't save us from our sins. It was a failure to appreciate on their part, not just the declarations and predictions of Jesus, but it was the prophetic testimony. Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, the suffering servant.
How would the King of Israel? enter into Jerusalem. He wouldn't come in a tank. He wouldn't come strapped with armament. He would come on the back of a donkey.
And so they missed reading the prophets very clearly. But as well, in terms of the mission of the Son of God, turn back to Matthew 1. They had no consciousness whatsoever of the purpose for which Jesus came. Matthew 1.
Verse 18, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Now notice, and she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. So they mock Jesus and say, oh, he saved others, but he can't save himself. The mission was not for him to save himself. The mission was declared. it was to save us from our sins.
Look over in Matthew 20 at verse 28. All of these purpose clauses or purpose statements concerning the coming of the Son of Man in that first coming. Matthew chapter 20, verse 28. just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many." Again, you might say, well, these religious leaders didn't hear him. The disciples heard him, they understood, but even they really didn't understand.
They were kind of fumbling along in fog much of the time of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. But again, the prophetic testimony, the prophetic witness, the sacrificial system, the reality, as we've seen, that Israel must come to God. A sinful Israel must come to a holy God through a bloody knife and a smoking altar. All of those were typological with reference to the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world, and He would do that by the sacrifice of Himself.
Same emphasis in chapter 26. Chapter 26, specifically at verse 28. We'll read this in a few minutes later. For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sin.
So when it comes to this mockery, he saved others himself he cannot save. In order for him to save us, he must stay on the cross. Calvin says, it is too customary with all wicked men to estimate the power of God by present appearances, so that whatever he does not accomplish, they think that he cannot accomplish, and so they accuse him of weakness whenever he does not comply with their wicked desire. Now that could definitely be extrapolated in a whole host of ways.
Think about it. It's too customary with all wicked men to estimate the power of God by present appearances. We might suggest that that happens with the people of God as well. Judging God's power based on present circumstances.
Judging God's power based on the certain situation that we find ourselves in. But you see, we walk by faith and not by sight. So these men in their mockery say he saved others, himself he cannot save.
Illegitimacy of His Kingship
The second aspect of their mockery is to highlight the illegitimacy of his kingship. Notice in verse 42, he is, or if he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He, again, this is a mocking declaration. He is the King of Israel.
Some of the translations have if, others do not have if. It doesn't fundamentally change the message, but there are three statements that they make. They say, He saved others, He is the King of Israel, and He trusted in God. And again, they do it in a mocking sense.
They are taking what Christ claimed in His earthly ministry and what the disciples predicated of Him, and they use it as fodder at the base of the cross to mock the Son of God and to present these challenges to Him. So they mock Him in terms of the Declaration. And then notice this demand for a sign. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
We will look to Him if He does what we say. This is not the way of faith. This is not the way to proceed. This is not the way that grace demands, or grace, rather, calls us to follow.
We don't demand of Christ that He perform, and then we will believe. It is a challenge to him based on their own faulty understanding of the mission of the Messiah, and it underscores once again the wretchedness of unbelief. Because when Jesus goes into the grave, he will arise again after three days. Do these men then believe?
Do these men then bow down? Do these men then say, oh, we were wrong during the course of his earthly ministry. We were wrong at the base of the cross. We should have never uttered those mock, those mockeries.
No, they never say that. They are simply engaged in mockery of the son of God in his greatest time of distress. And if you go back, Jesus spoke to this as well in Matthew 12, Matthew chapter 12. He indicts the nation, he indicts the religious leadership.
In Matthew 12 at verse 38, then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, teacher, we want to see a sign from you. Remember Paul deals with this in 1 Corinthians 1. The Jews seek after a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ and Him crucified. Same sort of thing here.
He answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah, which, interestingly, on the cross begins to find fulfillment. It is this typology of Jonah going into the whale, which many believe he was dead in the belly of the whale, and that he was resurrected by God most high. And so that was a great and glorious type of what would happen to the Lord Jesus. He would be crucified, he'd go into the belly of the earth, and he'd be raised again from the dead.
Verse 40, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. Jesus knew what kind of people he was dealing with. Jesus understood that all too well before the Sanhedrin and now on the cross he is the object, the target of their continued mockery in terms of who he was and this lie and we will believe in him.
It is absolute deception on their part and fits the bill in terms of their inhumanity relative to the suffering of the Son of God. And then
Impossibility of His Sonship
the third thing they mock him with is the impossibility of his sonship. It's the same sort of thing that the passers-by dealt with. Notice what they say. Verse 43, he trusted in God, let him deliver him now if he will have him.
For he said, I am the Son of God. So they're saying, it's impossible that he's the son of God. Again, brethren, they're so foolish. They don't understand that in this moment, they are fulfilling the 22nd Psalm.
Listen to Psalm 22 at verse eight. He trusted in the Lord, let him rescue him. Let him deliver him since he delights in him. These men are in the process of fulfilling David's Psalm many hundreds of years prior to the actual crucifixion of our Lord.
They were fools that had read Psalm 22 on many occasions, but never for a moment had they reflected upon the reality that they were fulfilling it in being the ones that were antagonizing the object in Psalm 22. That's the deal with foolish men. They don't see things clearly. They don't see things rightly.
The mockery is probably designed to shake his confidence in the Father. Again, like the devil in Matthew chapter 4. David experienced this too from his contemporaries. Psalm 3, Psalm 71.
You may experience this in your life too. I don't want to moralize the passage and bring us into where it doesn't belong, but this idea of trying to shake our confidence in the living and true God. If they're able to do this, and Jesus capitulates again, He doesn't fulfill the mission to save His people from their sins. He doesn't give Himself up as a ransom for many.
He doesn't give His blood of the new covenant for the remission of sins. So they are trying to bring a wedge between him and his father in terms of his faith with reference to the father. And in fact, this mockery is a challenge of God himself. He trusted in God, let him deliver him.
They're not only challenging Christ, seeking to introduce a breach there, but they're challenging the Father. Let Him deliver Him. If this relationship obtains the way that Christ says, if He is in fact the embodiment of the prophetic testimony, then let the Father reach down right now and vindicate His Son. They do not understand the messianic mission.
They don't understand Isaiah 53. Brethren, we take it for granted. We read Isaiah 53 a lot at the introduction to worship when we come for the Lord's Supper. We read Psalm 22 a lot.
Praise God Almighty, we have eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to receive that that's speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's a whole lot of people that missed that. These people that were fulfilling it missed that. And they challenged the Father in this particular escapade.
And the mockery demonstrates their utter failure to understand not only the prophets, but the Psalms and the words of Christ. Davies and Allison again say sonship does not mean leaving the cross, but staying on it. So everything that Jesus is doing highlights that he is in fact the divine son of God. Highlights that he is in fact the king of Israel.
Highlights that he is in fact the temple builder. everything they've said that he's not, by way of mockery and blasphemy, his conduct on the cross confirms and affirms that he is most certainly those things, all in accordance with the written word of the living and true God.
Reproach of the Robbers
And then notice thirdly, we'll pick up on this in a few moments, but just to read, even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing. So the further indignity is seen in that the ones suffering the same fate mock him. Think about that. You're on the cross.
You've taken the place of Barabbas. Barabbas was the ringleader of these two men. When we read that they were robbers or that they were criminals, we should also understand that the word in the Greek not only means robber or criminal or highwayman, but it means revolutionary. It means insurrectionist.
It means terrorist. Barabbas was the ringleader. These two guys were his cronies, his stooges, his toadies. And so now Jesus comes at the behest of Pilate, or rather, at the behest of the nation of Israel, when Pilate says, who do you want, Barabbas or Jesus?
Give us Barabbas. And then Pilate says, what do I do with your king? Or what do I do with Jesus, the king? They cry out, away with him, away with him, crucify him.
So Jesus takes the place of Barabbas. Again, not suggesting that Barabbas is going to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. We don't know. Maybe he did repent.
Maybe he did believe. But there is an emblem. There is a symbol. There is a token of what substitutionary atonement looks like.
Barabbas was scheduled to die and Jesus takes his place. Now again, adding insult to injury, you have two men that are on the cross, and that justly, and they hurl reproaches at Jesus. They hurl insults at Jesus. And again, the fulfillment of Scripture.
Psalm 22, 6. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. I think that you've probably heard that there are some in the church today that don't like singing that song that speaks of us as being worms. And so they change the word to sinner, as if sinner is somehow better than worm.
Brethren, worm is much better than sinner because worms do what worms do. They don't rebel against God, they don't transgress the law of God, they certainly don't lack conformity unto it. They wiggle around in the dirt, they copulate, they make more worms, and they do great things for the soil. So, I mean, the whole idea that, well, we can't refer to ourselves as worms, is in a front to how the Lord Jesus refers to himself in the prophetic testimony in Psalm 22.
I am a worm and no man. He is speaking to how he is being treated. And then in Psalm 69, 20, reproach has broken my heart and I am full of heaviness. I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none.
And for comforters, but I found none. Remember his disciples, we've already seen that in chapter 26. They all forsake him. They all flee from him.
Again, the symbolism there is that he must go it alone. He's not helped along by anyone in the messianic agenda. He's not lifted up and supported by Mary. He's not lifted up and supported by James or John or Peter.
He goes it alone in terms of the task that is set beforehand. But nevertheless, remember, Christ is true humanity. He has all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin. I mean, if it's the case with us as being real men and women, when we're being contemned, or we're being insulted, or when we're being mocked or reproached, that doesn't feel good.
And brethren, typically we deserve at least a little bit of it. We deserve at least a little bit of it, because we are sinners. And if everybody actually knew what we were, the reproach would be a whole lot more. But he was wholly harmless and undefiled, and none of this was legit.
And yet on the cross he bears it. He endures or despise the shame, he endures the cross for the joy that was set before him. So the robbers blaspheme and mock him. So I said we'll revisit the robbers in just a few minutes in light of Luke 23, 39 to 43.
Remember, a change comes over one of the robbers. Remember that he begins the day by blaspheming the Lord Jesus and he ends the day by being in the presence of the Lord Jesus in paradise. Spurgeon refers to this particular man. The conversion of the penitent thief was all the more remarkable because he had, but a little while before, been amongst the mockers of the Savior.
What a trophy of divine grace he became. Isn't that beautiful? Think about that. And again, contemplate the great love of the Savior.
I gotta tell you, man, if people were mocking me or reproaching me, I certainly wouldn't conduct myself like that. I doubt any of us would. We would want to vent, we would want to lash out. Think about it, brothers and sisters, when your husband or your wife comes to you with a bit of constructive criticism, do you openly receive it?
Do you openly say, oh yeah, faithful of the wounds of a friend, give me five more. No, we're not like that. We don't like to be talked to any way that is negative because it damages our delicate psyche. We get defensive.
We say, well, what about you? We like to throw it right back at them. Christ went through this like a lamb before its shearers, and he was silent. He bore the wrath and fury of God Almighty.
And all the while, here's the passersby, the religious leaders, and these robbers continue to blaspheme and to mock him.
Application
Well, in conclusion, a couple of lessons, and then we'll move to the supper. In the first place, the unparalleled wickedness of the mockers. Brethren, total depravity is a reality. Every single one of us is affected by sin.
In Adam, all die. Romans chapter 5. But with reference to the sons of Adam, I'm not trying to suggest that there are sort of levels or gradations of how bad people are, but some people take that total depravity and they really run with it. Look back in the history of the world, Mao Zedong.
Look back at Joseph Stalin. Look back at Adolf Hitler. Look at Pol Pot. Look at the various specimens of human history that have really, really ran with this whole moniker of total depravity.
Well, these men are wretched. This was the religious leadership in Israel in the first century. It was decadent. Just to give you a bit of a heads up, when we return to John's gospel next Sunday morning, Jesus cleanses the temple.
He does that at the end in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in the synoptics. It has caused some frustration or consternation among Bible commentators. Well, how do we navigate? How do we fit it in terms of the chronology?
Simple. He cleansed the temple at the beginning of his ministry and he cleansed the temple at the end of his ministry. It was symbolic. Again, the wine, the celebratory wine of new covenant blessing had arrived.
And why? Because of the decadence and the vileness and the wretchedness of first century Israel. These men were wicked. Their lack of anything remotely appropriate to humanity.
Again, brethren, we need to even respect image bearers in their suffering and death. Secondly, their solidarity with the devil in challenging the Lord, both in Matthew 4, verse 3 and 6, attempting to break Christ's confidence in the Father and attempting to derail Him from the mission. As well, their folly of demanding a sign. And look at the way they frame it.
It's almost as if he's to blame. Well, if he comes down from the cross, then we will believe. We had no business putting him there. We're not sure how he got there.
But if he happens to come down, well, then we'll believe in him. They are perverse in their mindset. Matthew Henry said, to promise ourselves that we would believe if we had such and such means and motives of faith as we prescribe, when we do not improve what God has appointed, is not only a gross instance of the deceitfulness of our hearts, but the sorry refuge, or subterfuge, rather, of an obstinate, destroying infidelity. In other words, they had an abundance of data that they should have believed in in terms of the prophets, in terms of the Psalter, and in terms of the ministry of the Lord Jesus.
For them to say, well, if he comes down from the cross, well then, then we'll believe. Remember another context where Jesus upbraids a man, not like he's an apostate, but certainly like a man who should have known better. Thomas says, unless I see, unless I touch, I will certainly not believe. What does Jesus do?
He pronounces a beatitude upon those who believe, even though they have not seen. And then as well, their contrast with the faithful. Very intriguing. Who's the faithful in terms of the foot of the cross?
Look down at verse 54. So when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly saying, truly this was the Son of God. So the centurion and his fellow soldiers confessed what John says in the prologue. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
As well, notice the contrast with the women. Verse 55, and many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. And then Joseph of Arimathea in verses 57 to 61. So there is this contrast between the passersby, the religious leaders, and at least one of the robbers, with reference to the centurion and soldiers, the women, and Joseph of Arimathea.
The Unsurpassed Glory of the Savior
Secondly, let us observe the unsurpassed glory of the Savior. The unsurpassed glory of the Savior. He is everything they mocked Him about. He is, in fact, the one spoken of in the Old Testament.
He is the temple builder. He is the King of Israel. He is, in fact, the Son of God. As well, the mockery that he saved others, but he cannot save himself.
While he's engaged as the recipient of that bit of mockery, he is actually saving sinners. He's saving the man next to him. He's saving you and I. He's engaged in the work that the Father had given him.
And then with reference to the robber, the robber sees the glory of Christ when others see the object of blasphemy and mockery. Remember the parallel account in Luke's gospel. The robber sees the glory.
The Penitent Thief's Faith
In fact, you can turn there, Luke 23, and on a positive note here, Luke chapter 23. At verse 39, then one of the criminals who were hanged, blasphemed him saying, if you are the Christ, save yourself and us. But the other answering, rebuked him saying, do you not even fear God seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the reward of our deeds or the due reward of our deeds.
But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. That is a great expression of faith. The robber sees the glory of Christ when everybody else around him sees the target of mockery and blasphemy.
This led Calvin to say, I know not that since the creation of the world, there ever was a more remarkable and striking example of faith. And so much the greater admiration is due to the grace of the Holy Spirit of which it affords so magnificent a display. Brethren, just sort of transport yourself back. Don't envision Jesus.
That's a second commandment violation. But envision the reality that Jesus on the cross is not walking on the water. Jesus on the cross is not stilling the storm. Jesus on the cross is not multiplying the loaves.
Jesus on the cross isn't raising Lazarus from the dead. That's what his disciples all witnessed. Jesus on the cross is bloody. Jesus on the cross is beaten.
Jesus on the cross is battered and bruised. This led Ryle to make this observation. He only saw our Lord in agony and in weakness, in suffering and in pain. He saw him undergoing dishonorable punishment, deserted, mocked, despised, blasphemed.
He saw no scepter, no royal crown, no outward dominion, no glory, no power, no signs of might. And yet the dying thief believed and looked forward to Christ's kingdom. Isn't that blessed? Isn't that wonderful?
As well, the robber sees Jesus as Lord who possesses a kingdom and is able to save sinners. We saw that with the Pharisee and the publican. Remember the publican couldn't even look up into heaven, he beats his breast and he says, God be merciful to me the sinner. He not only sees God as merciful, but he sees God as one he can cast himself upon for the benefit of mercy.
This man sees Christ likewise. Lord, Remember me, have mercy on me when you come into your kingdom. He's justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The robber is in fact a trophy of divine grace and a blessed argument to each and every one here that perhaps haven't believed on him to believe on him.
If in the midst of mockery, blasphemy, suffering, and receiving in himself the due penalty for our sin from the wrath of a holy God, he nevertheless is saving a sinner next to him, there is mercy to be had for us. So let us, by grace, look to Him in faith and let us know the joy of being found in Him, not having a righteousness of our own which is from the law, but that righteousness which is from God that is received through faith in Jesus. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our God and our Father, we thank you so very much for our Savior. What a wonderful Savior, the temple builder, the King of Israel, the Son of God, the one who saves to the uttermost, all who draw nigh unto God through Him. May you increase our faith in Him. May you increase our love and our devotion and our appreciation for such a great and glorious Savior, as we consider what He went through on our behalf.
May it melt our hard hearts. And may it cause us, may it be an argument for us to worship and to praise in a manner that is consistent with what we find in Holy Scripture. Help us to imbibe that guilt and grace and gratitude mindset and to respond with worship to our great God who has saved us from our sins. And for any and all here who have not believed, may they look at this trophy of divine grace.
May they look at this robber and may they see that there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared. And may they see that Jesus is a willing savior for needy sinners. And we ask in his most blessed name, amen. We can turn back in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27.