“Truth hurts”. We often think of that statement in the sense of speaking truth to someone for their own good, to confront them with something wrong. Yet, in this passage of Scripture, we see truth spoken to the Truth, Jesus, in the form of hurtful mockery.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” (Luke 23:35)
They mocked Jesus with His very deeds, His titles, His true character. The enemy mocks us with truth but twists it to “prove” truth in a way or time that is not God’s will.
Jesus did save others. He did not save Himself at the time because He was saving the world at that moment. By dying, Jesus was actually proving that He was God’s Messiah, the Chosen One. His first mission on earth was to die for our sins. However, at His second coming, He will rule and reign the world from Jerusalem. If He had shortcut His initial purpose, all of us would be eternally lost. But because He is the Messiah, He stayed on the cross to extend salvation to the world.
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” (Luke 23:36-37)
Jesus is the King of the Jews. He is the King of kings. Yet, He knew that His rule would manifest later in history. By saving Himself, He would not have been crowned king.
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19b-23)
It was because of His death and resurrection that God put Jesus above all. Everything is under His feet because He was willing to die for our sins. The people mocked Him as a king and told him to save Himself, but it was His death that heralded His divine coronation.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
The criminals wanted to be saved from their crossed and mocked Jesus with the truth of His Messiahship. The truth is that Jesus was saving them at that moment, if they so chose to receive it. The salvation was not a temporal escape from a cross but eternal salvation.
Often the enemy attacks us with truth. However, the enemy desires us to usurp God’s timing to have the truth manifest now. Jesus is Messiah, King, the Chosen One and much more. But if He had forced the truth instead of trusting God’s timetable, His purpose of saving the world would be thwarted. Instead, He chose to endure the pain, endure the mockery, suffer unto death so that we might be saved. In our own lives, we must trust God’s timetable so that more lives can be transformed to the glory of our Risen King!