“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,” (Psalms 22:7)
This psalm that David wrote of his lament prophetically reveals to us some details of what Jesus went through. In some of the verses, David writes how his bones are out of joint (verse 14), how his hands and feet were pierced (verse 16) and how they parted his garments and cast lots for his vesture (verse 18) which actually didn’t happen to him but did happen to Jesus. In writing how he felt, he prophetically wrote about Jesus.
David writes “all they that see me.” We know for a fact that not all that gazed upon the suffering Jesus laughed at Him. We know that there were women crying. “And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” (Luke 23:27) But all those at His arrest and trial, all the Jewish leaders and their crowd, Pilate and his soldiers did ridicule, insult and taunt Him.
Only once was it recorded that David was ridiculed. This was when he was a youngster and went to take his brothers who were in battle some food. His eldest brother chided David for his interest in killing Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:17-28) And only once was David scorned and taunted. This was when David was fleeing from Jerusalem because of his son Absolom. He came to the town of Bahurim and Shimei, the son of Gera came against him cursing him and throwing stones at him. (2 Samuel 16:5-14) So through the torment David felt, the Lord was able to use prophetically to reveal the details of the suffering that Jesus went through.
In a former lesson titled “The Passion of Christ,” more details of Christ’s sufferings are detailed along with a medical report of what happened to His body. So, I won’t repeat here. What this verse does detail are the feelings, actions and reactions of the people that opposed Jesus and His teachings. The Jewish leaders and priests were very zealous of their own teachings and their exclusiveness. And there were people who regardless of the wrongs of their leaders, followed and obeyed them.
We have the same thing happening today. There are leaders in government who regardless of their evil deeds are supported by many. We ask why are people swayed to follow and support evil people? The truth is that if we accept others’ sins, our sins are also acceptable. But in the time of Jesus, the Jewish leaders lorded over the people. The Romans were content with this as this kept the people in line. The Jewish leaders enjoyed their positions of superiority and honor. They didn’t want anything or anyone changing that. I believe that they actually did have an inkling that Jesus was the Messiah but were determined to stick with their pre-conceived ideas of how the Messiah would come, look and act. Because the Messiah is often called the Son of David, many expected Jesus to be a conquering Messiah who would free them from Roman rule. (Ezekiel 37:24,25) There are many Scriptures in the Old Testament that describe a conquering king. Jesus is a conquering King Who will come in glory and put down every form of government when He returns to rule on the earth.
It's human nature, especially when a people are a conquered people to want a conquering king and not to pay attention to the Scriptures which tell of a suffering Savior as described by Isaiah in chapter 53. This was the heart of the Jewish leadership and the people who scorned Him, who ridiculed Him and taunted Him.
Are we Christians any different? We love the blessings and promises but fail to recognize Him as the ruler of our lives. Do we live our lives in tune with the world? Do we accept the things the world loves, their treasures, idols and manner of living? Do we seek their acceptance and approval? Do we speak and act like the world with the excuse that it makes us acceptable in order to share Jesus? The world needs something different from what they live because what the world has given them is misery. Are we offering merely a belief and not a new life? Are we ridiculing, insulting and taunting Jesus by loving the world? “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” (1John 2:15-17)
The opposite of ridicule, insult and taunt is honor. We can honor the Lord in our thoughts. They should line up with the Word of God. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
When we speak the Word of God, our words honor God. “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:7-13)
And when we act in love, this honors God also. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) And Paul adds this in his letter to the Ephesians: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:2)
We can choose to ridicule, insult and taunt Jesus by living as the world or choose to honor Him by shunning the world and conquering our thoughts, speaking God’s Word and walking in love.
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