What Jesus Did : Matthew 27:41-44 - When Everyone Rejects You
by Phil Ware
When Everyone Rejects You - Matthew 27:41-44
The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. These men teased Jesus the same as the other people. They said, "He saved other people. But he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israel (the Jews). If he is the king, then he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And in the same way, the robbers that were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him. (ERV) Full Text
Key Thought
Where do you go when everyone ... mocks you? ... hates you? ... ridicules you?
There was no place Jesus could run. There was no place to hide. He bore our sins under a flood of mockery and insults with no place to hide. He hung there, exposed before a sadistic and mocking mob in agony while his enemies hurled insults at him.
Why? Why was this necessary? Why did he withhold his power? Why did God allow it to happen? Why have the precious birth stories of a Messiah from heaven end in such agony and disgrace? Why?
Three very clear reasons:
1--he loves us and wants to save us;
2--he is obedient to his Father's will; 3--his blood is the only thing that can cover our sins.
In other words, he did it for you and me!Today's Prayer
Father, I confess that I find it hard to believe that in the incredible expanse of the universe with all the billions of stars and people, that you know me and care about me enough to have Jesus die for my sins. I know that at times my love and dedication have been inconsistent and my faithfulness has been spotty and full of holes. But Father, I confess that every time I look closely at the Cross, at all Jesus had to face and all the grief he bore, I am drawn again to love you more and want to serve you more faithfully. Please forgive me for my sin and create in me a new and right heart made clean and pure by your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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Then Pilate's soldiers brought Jesus into the governor's palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. The soldiers took off Jesus' clothes and put a red robe on him. Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus' head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and teased him. They said, "Hello, king of the Jews!" The soldiers spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. After they finished teasing Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross. The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. The soldiers forced another man there to carry the cross for Jesus. This man's name was Simon from Cyrene. They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means "The Place of the Skull.") At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall. Jesus tasted the wine but refused to drink it. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then the soldiers gambled with dice to decide who would get Jesus' clothes. The soldiers sat there and continued watching Jesus. The soldiers put a sign above Jesus' head with the charge against him written on it. The sign said: "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus. One robber was put beside Jesus on the right and the other was put on the left. People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. People shook their heads and said, "You said you could destroy the temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!" The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. These men teased Jesus the same as the other people. They said, "He saved other people. But he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israel (the Jews). If he is the king, then he should come down now from thecross. Then we will believe in him. He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And in the same way, the robbers that were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.
-- Matthew 27:27-44 (ERV)
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