Mockery and Majesty: Christ's Love Revealed

 

Summary

In reflecting on the mockery of Jesus by the Roman soldiers, we are confronted with the profound depths of human cruelty and the immeasurable love of Christ. The soldiers, uncivilized and accustomed to brutality, took pleasure in ridiculing Jesus, a man who appeared weak and defeated in their eyes. They crowned Him with thorns, mocked His claim to kingship, and subjected Him to scorn and derision. This scene is a stark reminder of the shamefulness of sin, which deserves to be despised and condemned. Sin, in its essence, is rebellion against God, a futile and absurd attempt to defy the Almighty. It is a wanton attack on the goodness and truth of God, deserving of ridicule for its folly and shame for its audacity.

Yet, in this moment of profound humiliation, we see the incredible condescension of our Lord. Jesus, who was without sin, took upon Himself the sins of the world and became the object of contempt. His willingness to endure such scorn is a testament to His boundless love for us. Despite being the Creator of all things, He humbled Himself to the point of being mocked and spat upon, demonstrating a love that surpasses all understanding.

This scene also reveals the hidden glory behind the shame. Even as the soldiers mocked Him, Jesus saw beyond the visible circumstances to the divine reality. He was, and is, the true King, and the mockery only served to foreshadow His ultimate victory and reign. The scorn of the soldiers was, in a sense, an unintentional homage to His true sovereignty.

As we reflect on these truths, we are called to examine our own hearts and actions. Do we, in any way, mock Christ through our words, actions, or neglect? Are there areas in our lives where we have chosen the world over Him? Let us be mindful of how we live, ensuring that our lives honor and glorify Him. In response to His great love, let us offer our hearts, our obedience, and our worship to Him, proclaiming Him as King in every aspect of our lives.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Shamefulness of Sin: Sin is not just a moral failing; it is a rebellion against the omnipotent God. It is folly to think that we can stand against God and succeed. Sin deserves to be scorned for its audacity and fruitlessness, as it ultimately leads to defeat and destruction. [05:20]

2. The Condescension of Christ: Jesus, though sinless, took upon Himself the sins of the world and endured scorn and ridicule. His willingness to be mocked and humiliated is a profound demonstration of His love and humility. This act of condescension is a miracle that surpasses all others. [09:25]

3. The Immeasurable Love of Christ: The love of Christ is beyond all measure and comprehension. Despite being mocked and scorned, He willingly endured it all for our sake. This love calls us to respond with our own love and devotion to Him. [12:16]

4. The Hidden Glory Behind the Scorn: Even in the midst of mockery, Jesus saw the divine reality of His kingship. The scorn of the soldiers was an unintentional homage to His true sovereignty, foreshadowing His ultimate victory and reign. [13:22]

5. Our Response to Christ's Love: We are called to examine our lives and ensure that we do not mock Christ through our actions or neglect. Let us honor Him with our obedience, worship, and proclamation of His kingship, living lives that reflect His love and glory. [30:54]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:09] - The Mockery of Jesus
- [00:29] - The Cruelty of the Soldiers
- [01:06] - The Ridicule of a King
- [02:08] - The Spirit of Cruelty
- [03:24] - Lessons for the Heart
- [04:21] - The Shamefulness of Sin
- [08:08] - The Condescension of Christ
- [11:15] - The Love of Christ
- [12:49] - The Hidden Glory
- [16:43] - Lessons for the Conscience
- [19:12] - Mocking Christ Today
- [21:23] - Resolutions and Obedience
- [24:53] - Professing Without Meaning
- [30:40] - Glorifying Christ

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Matthew 27:29: "And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews."

#### Observation Questions
1. What actions did the Roman soldiers take to mock Jesus, and what was the significance of each action? [00:09]
2. How does the sermon describe the nature and character of the Roman soldiers? [00:47]
3. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between sin and the mockery of Jesus? [04:21]
4. How does the sermon portray the soldiers' mockery as an unintentional homage to Jesus' true kingship? [13:22]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does the sermon imply about the nature of sin and its consequences, and how does this relate to the mockery of Jesus? [05:20]
2. How does the sermon describe the condescension of Christ, and what does this reveal about His character and mission? [09:25]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the love of Christ is immeasurable, and how should this impact a believer's response? [12:16]
4. How does the sermon interpret the hidden glory behind the scorn Jesus faced, and what does this mean for understanding His sovereignty? [13:22]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there ways in which your actions or words might unintentionally mock Christ? How can you address these areas? [19:12]
2. The sermon calls us to examine our lives for areas where we might choose the world over Christ. Identify one such area in your life and discuss how you can prioritize Christ instead. [23:12]
3. How can you demonstrate your love and devotion to Christ in response to His immeasurable love for you? Consider specific actions or changes you can make. [12:16]
4. The sermon highlights the hidden glory behind Jesus' suffering. How can this perspective help you endure challenges or mockery in your own life? [14:28]
5. In what ways can you actively proclaim Christ as King in your daily life, both in words and actions? [32:03]
6. Consider a time when you have been tempted to prioritize something over Christ. How can you prepare to make a different choice in the future? [23:26]
7. The sermon encourages us to glorify Christ in all aspects of our lives. What is one specific way you can honor Him this week, and how will you hold yourself accountable? [30:54]

Devotional

Day 1: The Audacity of Sin
Sin is not merely a moral lapse; it is a bold rebellion against the omnipotent God. It is an act of defiance that seeks to challenge the Creator, despite its inevitable failure. Sin is deserving of scorn because it is both audacious and fruitless, leading only to defeat and destruction. This understanding calls us to recognize the gravity of sin in our lives and the need to despise it for what it truly is. By acknowledging the shamefulness of sin, we can begin to turn away from it and seek the righteousness that God desires for us. [05:20]

Jeremiah 2:19 (ESV): "Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts."

Reflection: What is one sin in your life that you have been treating lightly? How can you begin to confront it with the seriousness it deserves today?


Day 2: The Humility of Christ
Jesus, though sinless, took upon Himself the sins of the world and endured scorn and ridicule. His willingness to be mocked and humiliated is a profound demonstration of His love and humility. This act of condescension is a miracle that surpasses all others, as it reveals the depth of His love for humanity. Despite being the Creator of all things, He humbled Himself to the point of being mocked and spat upon, demonstrating a love that surpasses all understanding. This humility calls us to respond with our own humility and devotion to Him. [09:25]

Philippians 2:7-8 (ESV): "But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Reflection: In what ways can you emulate Christ's humility in your interactions with others today?


Day 3: The Boundless Love of Christ
The love of Christ is beyond all measure and comprehension. Despite being mocked and scorned, He willingly endured it all for our sake. This love calls us to respond with our own love and devotion to Him. It is a love that surpasses all understanding and invites us to live in a way that reflects His love to the world. By embracing this love, we can find the strength to love others as He has loved us, even in the face of adversity and scorn. [12:16]

Ephesians 3:18-19 (ESV): "May have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Reflection: How can you demonstrate Christ's immeasurable love to someone in your life who may not deserve it?


Day 4: The Sovereignty of Christ
Even in the midst of mockery, Jesus saw the divine reality of His kingship. The scorn of the soldiers was an unintentional homage to His true sovereignty, foreshadowing His ultimate victory and reign. This hidden glory behind the scorn reminds us that God's purposes are often fulfilled in ways that are not immediately visible to us. It calls us to trust in His sovereignty, even when circumstances seem bleak, and to recognize His reign in every aspect of our lives. [13:22]

Colossians 1:16-17 (ESV): "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to see Christ's sovereignty? How can you begin to trust Him more in that area today?


Day 5: Our Response to Christ's Love
We are called to examine our lives and ensure that we do not mock Christ through our actions or neglect. Let us honor Him with our obedience, worship, and proclamation of His kingship, living lives that reflect His love and glory. This response to His great love requires intentionality and commitment, as we seek to align our lives with His will and purpose. By doing so, we can become true ambassadors of His love and grace in the world. [30:54]

James 1:22-24 (ESV): "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like."

Reflection: What is one specific action you can take today to ensure that your life honors and glorifies Christ?

Quotes

Where I see the great substitute for Sinners put to such shame scorn and ridicule my heart says to itself, see what sin deserves there is nothing in the world that more richly deserves to be despised abhorred condemned than sin, if we look at it right we shall see that it is it is the most abominable thing, the most shameful thing in the whole universe. [00:04:08]

Think for a minute what sin is and you will see that it deserves ridicule for its folly, what is sin it is rebellion against the omnipotent a revolt against the Almighty what utter Folly that is who shall hurl himself against the bosses of Jehovah's Buckler and not be dashed in pieces who shall Rush upon the point of his Spear and hope to Vanquish him. [00:05:00]

Learn next my dear brothers and sisters how low our glorious substitute stooped for our sake, in him was no sin either of nature or of act, he was pure, entirely without spot before God himself yet as our representative he took our sin upon himself, he was made sin for us says the scripture most emphatically and in as much as he was regarded as being The Sinner. [00:08:17]

He who created All Things by the word of his power and by whom all things consist, he who counted it not robbery not a thing to be grasped to be equal with God sits in an old chair to be made a mimic King and to be mocked and spat upon, all other Miracles put together are not equal to this miracle this one rises above them all and out Miracles all miracles. [00:08:59]

See how your Redeemer loved you, you know that when Christ stood by the grave of Lazarus and wept the Jews said behold how he loved him, ah but look at him there among those Roman soldiers despised rejected insulted ridiculed and then let me say to you behold how he loved us you and me and all his people. [00:11:01]

But this love of Jesus is beyond all manner and measure of which we can have any conception, if I were to take all our love to him and Heap it up like a vast Mountain, if I were to gather all the members of the one Church of Christ on Earth and bid them empty their hearts and then fetched Out of Heaven the myriads of redeemed and perfected Spirits Before the Throne of God. [00:11:37]

I do believe I cannot help believing that our blessed Master when he was in the hands of those cruel soldiers and they crowned him with thorns bowed before him in mock reverence and insulted him in every possible way all the while he looked behind the curtain of the visible circumstances and saw that the heartless pantom I know tragedy only partially hid the Divine reality. [00:12:49]

For he was a king even then and he had a throne and that Crown of Thorns was the emblem of the diadem of universal sovereignty that shall induce season Adorn his blessed brow, that read was to him a type of the scepter which he shall yet wield as king of kings and Lord of lords and when they said hail King of the Jews he heard behind that mocking cry the triumphant note of his future Glory. [00:13:18]

Mockery is the unintentional homage which falsehood pays to truth, scorn is the unconscious praise which sin gives to holiness, what higher tribute could these soldiers give to Christ than to spit upon him, if Christ had received honor from such men there would have been no honoring it to him, you know how even a heathen moralist when they said to him so and so spoke well of you yesterday in the market. [00:14:31]

I shall come closely home to some of you who attend here regularly when I say that Christ can still be mocked by resolves which never lead to obedience, let me speak very softly upon this solemn truth of God give me your hand my friend, let me look into your eyes, I would gladly look into your soul if I could, well I put this matter very personally to you. [00:21:20]

There are some professors members of Christian churches members of this church who call Christ master and Lord and yet they do not the things which he says, they profess to believe the truth of God yet it is not like the truth of God to them, for they never yield to its power and they act as if what they call truth were fiction and human invention. [00:24:53]

Come dear brothers and sisters let us now glorify him, this very hour let us crown him with our hearts love and Trust bring forth that Royal Crown the crown of your love of your trust of your complete consecration to him and put it upon his head now saying my Lord my God my king, now put the scepter into his hand by yielding absolute obedience to his will. [00:30:40]

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Transcript
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