Scripture
The leading priests and teachers of the law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself.”

Observation
The soldiers take Jesus to the Praetorium, where the entire regiment beat and mock him. They put a crown of thorns on his head and a purple robe on his shoulders. They kneel in mock worship,

Jesus is taken to the place called Golgotha. A man named Simon from Cyrene was passing by and the soldiers force him to carry the cross.

They nail Jesus to the cross, then divide his clothes. A sign on the cross proclaims, “The King of the Jews.”

The people in the crowd, the religious leaders, and even the two men crucified with Jesus, all mock him.

It seems that the whole world is united in rejecting the Messiah,

Application
In all of the mocking of Jesus on that day, the teachers of the law and the prophets seem to be the most tragic.

The Jews had been waiting for their Messiah for centuries. The people most likely to recognise him would surely be those who studied the Law and the Prophets.

Yet, for whatever reasons, they missed it. It can’t have been ignorance because they knew what Jesus had said and done.

The world is full of people who not only deny God but are scornful and hostile towards him and his people.

Even amongst God’s people, we find division and disharmony. It has been said that the biggest opponents of any move of God are those who experienced the previous move of God.

Listen
Lord, I reflect on your crucifixion, the mockery and torture that you endured. What do you want to say to me about this?

Keith, I went willingly to the cross. Yes, there was terrible suffering, but I did this out of love for my people and for the Father. It was suffering that brought a purpose. So it was not wasted in the way that much suffering can be.

The cross was never Plan B. I was not surprised by sin and death in the world. We planned this from before the beginning of creation. It was my desire that people could choose freely to receive my love. That freedom, of course, allowed for my rejection.

So the cross opened the way, and to my joy, millions upon millions of people have chosen the path of life.

That is why I chose to suffer.