He Knows My Insults
Scripture Reading: Mark 15:16-32
Meditation
Throughout the Passion of the Christ, insult upon insult is added to injury.
During it all, Jesus stands silent. He’s like a lamb about to be taken to the slaughter. There is no response to the accusations. No words spoken in self-defense. Only silence. It’s the mark of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant.
“He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what
was happening?”1
As Jesus stands before Pilate, justice miscarries. Hope for the Son of Man lies stillborn in the ceremonially washed hands of a politician who cares more about his position before Caesar than his responsibility to the Messiah-King. His decision concerning Jesus is to make no decision. Persuaded by his wife’s dream and pressured by the threats of the crowd, Pilate aborts the truth that has been conceived in his heart. He grabs the basin, and as the water flows, he symbolically rids himself of any guilt for the blood of the King of the Jews. From a posture of neutrality, he acquiesces to the will of the Jewish Ruling Council. He gives the murderous mob what they want—the King of the Jews, crucified on a cross.
A Jew claiming to be a King is an easy target for a company of Roman soldiers with plenty of time to kill and nothing to kill it with. Jesus is a welcomed whipping boy.
To the scourging, the soldiers add a little sport. They find a purple robe, fashion a crown of thorns from a nearby bush, and begin to ape worship, mimicking regard reserved only for Caesar.
“Bravo, King of the Jews!”2
As they repeatedly strike, spit, and mock Jesus, the King of the Jews remains silent.
After the soldiers have had their fun, they take off the purple robe and march Jesus out to Golgotha—‘Skull Hill’—to crucify him. Along the way, they offer him wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic to numb the pain. Jesus refuses to accept it. The Son of Man wants his senses fully intact during the crucifixion. As the sin substitute, he needs to feel the full anger of men and experience the full wrath of God.
There will be no deadening of the pain.
Every blow of the hammer must be felt. Every insult will be heard.
He will die fully aware, fully alert.
When they reach Golgotha, the soldiers strip Jesus of his clothes and crucify him between two criminals. Crucifixion is a Roman death penalty that nails the condemned on two beams—excruciating pain and humiliation. It’s a form of execution created to strip a man of his dignity, expose his sin, and leave him vulnerable to the derision of all who pass by.
As Jesus hangs, the prophetic words of David play out in real time,
“And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm,
something to step on, to squash.
Everyone pokes fun at me;
they make faces at me, they shake their heads:
‘Let’s see how God handles this one;
since God likes him so much, let him help him!’ “3
The only weapon that the crucified have are the two-edged swords of their tongues. Their pleas for mercy have long ceased. Only curses for those around the cross remain. If not curses, then at least rebuke. But while the criminals hanging next to him curse the crowd, Jesus remains silent.
As people walk the thoroughfare that leads in and out of Jerusalem, they shake their heads in disgust at those hanging on the cross. Remembering Jesus’ words about the Temple, some begin to taunt him, daring him to come down from the cross.
“You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”4
They are unaware that the Temple that they speak of is Jesus and it is being destroyed. The blow of the executioner’s hammer has shaken the foundation. Every insult from the crowd pushes over one of the remaining columns. Soon death will come and sweep the rubble that once housed the Holy of Holies away. But on the third day, Jesus said the Temple would be rebuilt. He would rise again and the Word made flesh would tabernacle with his people forever.
But for now, the Word is silent.
The high priests and religion scholars are also at the cross. They’re the ones in the middle of the crowd, mixing it up, laughing as they poke fun at Jesus.
“He saved others—but he can’t save himself! Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!”5
Even the two criminals that are crucified next to Christ pile on the insults.
“Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”6
Through it all, Jesus holds his tongue. He keeps the blade of his rebuke sheathed. As he hangs, there is no threat of retaliation. No revenge or reproof. In silence he takes the full punishment of sin and, in return, bestows grace speaking louder than words.
Reflection
How have you, out of ignorance or spite, insulted the Son of God?
In what way is the silence of Christ on the cross a gift of grace?
Why was it important for Jesus to refuse the painkiller and experience the full force of the crucifixion?
When the crowd taunted Jesus to save himself and come down from the cross, he clung to the nails. What are the redemptive consequences of that decision?
Prayer
Father,
I confess that I have insulted the Son of Man in many and various ways.
Like Pilate, I have chosen to do nothing instead of something. Like the soldiers, I have aped worship and mocked the kingship of the Messiah. Like those passing by the cross, I have challenged the Christ to prove himself to be the Son of God, taunting him to do the miraculous. Like those crucified with your Son, I have accused the Messiah of being too impotent to help and too callous to care.
During this day, help me rejoice in the silence of your Son.
Show me that heaven’s grace is spoken in the hush of the cross. No words spoken in retaliation. No revenge. Only redemption. As your Son held his tongue, not condemning those for the great offense of their mouths, may he also, this day, grab hold of my tongue. As I stand before the cross, may he replace my insults with words of praise and fill my mouth with shouts of joy.
In the name of Christ I pray. Amen.
1Isaiah 53:7-8 2Mark 15:18 3Psalm 22:6-8 4Mark 15:29-30
5Mark 15:31-32 6Luke 23:39
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day. Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted. All Scripture quoted in this post is taken from THE MESSAGE: Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001 & 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.