Mocking Jesus

There are times when I forget that I am going to have to give an account for every action and word I take and speak. Thankfully, God gives me reminders of this eternal truth and one such reminder came yesterday at church.

Our pastor is preaching on Christ’s seven sayings from the cross. Yesterday he was reading from Matthew 27 when the reminder came to my mind:

“Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with 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.’’” (Matthew 27:41-42)

The chief priests, scribes, and elders were the Jewish religious elite during Christ’s time on earth. These men should have and mostly did know the scriptures. They knew the prophecies of the Messiah. They should have recognized Jesus’ fulfillment of those prophecies. During His crucifixion, they should have at least recognized that Jesus was fulfilling Psalm 22.

Instead they mocked Him.

Imagine these supposed holy men standing before King Jesus at the Great White Throne Judgment and having to answer for these actions:

“Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?’” (Matthew 26:67-68)

Resurrection Sunday is twenty days away. It is known as Easter. This used to be the second most popular holiday in America, second only to Christmas. America used to wonderfully and freely celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now, even Christmas is attacked and Halloween, the celebration of the dead and satanic, is more popular than Easter.

Mock something long enough and it will soon be reviled. Jesus was mocked by the very leaders who should have recognized Him as the Messiah. We never make the devil prouder than when we mock that which is holy. It is through unbelief that such evil comes:

“Because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.” (Psalm 78:22)

These mockers, motivated by their unbelief, do not realize that they are already under the judgment of God. Some will scoff at such a notion because they do not believe in a righteous and holy God. Some may say they believe in God and yet reject the idea of eternal punishment, imagining God as a doting grandfather instead of Almighty God.

It is from this unbelief that judgment comes:

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)

I admit that there are numerous passages and verses in the Bible that are hard to interpret or understand, but the above verse is about as clear as it gets.

If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, then you are already condemned. That may seem as not really having a choice. You do have a choice, of which the consequences are eternal. Having only two choices clears up confusion and doubt; either you believe or you do not believe. Jesus explained why there is condemnation for unbelief and the root of unbelief:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:19-20)

There is no greater clarity in the Bible than John 3:18-20. Those who practice evil hate the light. Jesus Christ is the light of men (John 1:4). Christ was and is mocked by evil people because He exposes their evil deeds.

Even if we do not openly mock Jesus, if we make light of Him, use Him as the subject of our jokes, we in fact mock Him.

Let us be mindful as we enter into the Easter season to be careful never to mock our Risen Savior.

We will give answer to the One we mock.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2017 David Jeffers

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