The World Still Ridicules Christ and His Cross
8/17 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 9; Romans 7; Jeremiah 46; Psalm 22
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8/17 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 9; Romans 7; Jeremiah 46; Psalm 22
Psalm 22:7-8
All who see Me mock Me; they make mouths at Me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!”
MOCKED
These verses are certainly prophetic of Jesus Messiah’s suffering when He hung upon Calvary’s cross. Matthew’s gospel account records:
And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying… “He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way. Matthew 27:39-40a, 43-44
The reprobate, unbelieving world still mocks Christ, still ridicules Christ’s cross, and therefore, cannot grasp God’s grace in Christ alone. In American society, the Lord Jesus Christ is mocked for a laugh. His cross, which exalts both the justice of God and the loving, gracious, and merciful sacrifice of God through the only sufficient Substitute, is ridiculed by cavilers and naysayers as something akin to spiritual child abuse (ironically declared by many of those who approve of altering the genitalia of children to make boys girls and girls boys). This, once again, marks the truth that salvation by God’s grace alone, by faith in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for God’s glory alone must be delivered to mankind by supernatural revelation from above, and not by the corrupt faculties endowed to mankind through Adam’s fall in the garden. Yes, mankind has plumbed the depths of his puny brain and has given us the Internet, Facebook, and Netfix. Nevertheless, the Spirit of God breaks through those distractions hindering us from Christ and His gospel, and by the Spirit, the Father reveals His Son to us (Matt 16:17). So much so, that this mighty miracle can turn a ridiculing robber into a humble believer who rebukes the other criminal mocking Christ, as it is written:
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
Hallelujah! What a Savior!