Insults

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

INSULTS

Matt 27:32-44

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.   36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

NIV

So many insulted Jesus, taunting him to save himself, while all the time he was in the middle of saving them, only if they would but just believe. They had no clue of the great significance of his crucifixion. Although, they had the knowledge of offering sacrifices for sin. They were still all about bringing sacrifices to the temple. In fact we just were there with Jesus a little while ago when he drove out the animals and turn over the table of the money changers. There were still animals being slain and offered to God for sin. But here they could not see Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for their sin. They could only insult him, as well as seeing in the natural. They thought if he was who he said he was he could come down from the cross, after all he was the son of God. They had all the prophets telling them of this sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of the world but they are not about to acknowledge that truth. It is interesting we are told the both the robbers insulted him. At some point one of them saw the truth, but for now both insulted Jesus. Men who were about to die were insulting Jesus. What an irony that the same thing happens today. People are going to die, insulting Jesus with their disbelief. But then we also have people today who want proof that Jesus is God and that he does have the power to give eternal life to those who believe. Doubt is a very difficult thing to overcome. When people do not see any physical evidence of the reality of Jesus they are stunted in their faith. Even Christians struggle with doubt and faith because of the lack of what they consider evidence of his eternal being and answer to prayer. Doubt makes believers into crippled Christians.

Matt 14:31

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

NIV

James 1:4-8

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

NIV

Those people at the cross were looking for the physical evidence that he was the Son of God, which without seeing any they doubted he was the Son of God. They were certainly double-minded and unstable in their ways. They were religious Jews, practicing the law, offering sacrifices for sin, doing what they believed to be righteous acts, all the while they held hatred in their hearts toward Jesus. They even saw the physical evidence of his divine power but refused to acknowledge him. Jesus has told us that we are blessed because we believe without seeing. But we have seen. We have witnesses time and time again his divine intervention in our lives. We have been recipients of divine healing. We have had provisions from the hand of God, material things simply given to us, even by unbelievers. We have had divine direction, even hearing the voice of the Spirit. We have been freed from the bondage of this life. We have been lead to and given the truth of God. Over and over again God has performed miracles in our lives. There can be no reason for doubt. Yet some believer may not have had all the evidence in their lives as we have. We cannot dishonor them because of doubt. But we are admonished to build each other up by giving testimony of all that Jesus has done for us. The people at the cross saw all kinds of evidence. Jesus witnessed about himself. God witnessed about him. It might even be that some of those who hurled insults at him were at the river when Jesus was baptized by John and the Spirit descended upon him and a voice from heaven was heard declaring this is my Son in whom I am pleased. Some of them at the cross witnessed the calling forth of Lazarus from the dead. Some of them saw the blind healed, the lamb walking, and the demons yielding to his authority, yet they insulted him wanting a sign he was the Son of God. How can we want a sign? If we are looking for a sign then we might in some sense insulting Jesus. If we want proof, maybe our doubt is an insult. Faith is the exact opposite of doubt. Are we not told the righteous will live by faith?

Gal 3:11

11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."

NIV

Those at the cross had no faith, they were therefor not righteous for they were still living by the law. We cannot afford the law, we can only afford faith. Faith in Jesus is the only way we can truly live with peace in our hearts. Doubt disturbs that peace. How could we insult Jesus with doubt?