Slices
Prepare
‘Jesus, lifted up to die, draw me to yourself. Amen.’
Bible passage
The soldiers mock Jesus
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers round 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 spat 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.
The crucifixion of Jesus
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’ 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 ‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, “I am the Son of God.”’ 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Explore
No one could resist poking fun at Jesus that day. Everyone was doing it. If you have ever been bullied (or in the past have bullied someone else), you may recognise the urge to belittle a victim who cannot defend themselves.
The first to mock Jesus was the highly respectable Sanhedrin Jewish Council the night before. They spat in his face, struck, slapped and taunted him (26:67,68). Then it was Pilate’s men, Gentile soldiers from different nations. They gave ‘king’ Jesus a mock crown, a fancy-dress imperial robe and a rod of authority which they beat him with. They spat on him and paid fake homage to him (vs 28–30). The Roman governor himself was perhaps amused to label Jesus as the nation’s king (v 37).
Casual passers-by joined in the mockery (vs 39,40), and even the chief priests and other leaders descended into gratuitous insult (vs 41–43). Did they realise that their clever ‘put-downs’ were predicted in Scripture, like so much else that day (eg Psalm 22:7,8,17,18)? Jesus’ fellow criminals, crucified on either side of him, also piled abuse on him (v 44).
I once spent Lent and Easter abroad and on my own. I was perfectly happy, but alone. What spoke to me most that year was the cruelty in the taunts directed at the Lord Jesus, which he endured on his own.
Respond
When you see people bullying or making fun of someone, do you find yourself tending to side with the victim or the mockers? Remember Jesus.
Deeper Bible study
Lord, as your Word takes me into the cruelty and evil of human structures, show me how I can rely upon you to empower me to stand against them.
Nothing humane exists in crucifixion. The flogging of Jesus would have left him bleeding, lashed and barely able to function. The soldiers epitomise the worst in human nature in their awful degrading humiliation and scorn. Nothing resembling respect or compassion was offered to Jesus, but instead mockery, violence, ugliness and hatred. Even forcing Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross was no concession. Jesus was so weak he could not have otherwise made it to execution. Yet carrying Christ’s cross may have been a life-changing experience for Simon, for Mark names his sons, suggesting they were known as Christian followers.1
We are horribly familiar with the details of the crucifixion – the impaling of Jesus’ body on the cross, the nails driven through his hands, his refusal of the drugged wine to deaden the pain, the stripping of his clothes and the soldiers casting lots. Since Jesus was crucified alongside two criminals, the caption signifying him as ‘King of the Jews’ (see v 37) spoke only of irony to passers-by.
Even now, the religious leaders could not leave him to die quietly. They joined in the mockery with the crowd and convicts. Unbelief is rampant in any age, ours included. People in our society are just as ready to ridicule faith in Christ. His powerlessness on the cross signifies defeat; cynicism proclaims the emptiness of Christian hope, as people still echo the sneering of that Good Friday crowd. Yet, unbelief always misses the point. It was Christ’s persistence in staying on the cross that saw his mission through. It’s his victory as Son of God that has drawn millions to him throughout the ages. It’s his death that brings life to us today.
We are challenged today to witness to Christ in an age of growing unbelief. Pray now for greater wisdom in knowing how.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 9,10; Mark 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks to God for Lesley, Becky and the hundreds of other Christians who have already become Faith Guides, committed to connecting with children and young people and helping them explore the message of Jesus, respond to him and grow in faith. (This week's prayers all relate to this story.)
