Sometimes the loudest voices in a room tell us what the world thinks of Jesus: useless, defeated, a joke. When the crowd laughs at the cross they are naming a deep human longing—to be vindicated, safe, honored—and the rage that comes when those longings go unfulfilled. This scene forces us to ask: when you or I are embarrassed, rejected, or shamed, whose verdict do we believe? Whose rescue do we want—our own or God’s?
In these Gospel accounts (Matthew 27:39–44, Mark 15:29–32, Luke 23:35–39) passersby, religious leaders, and even some of the criminals on the crosses taunt Jesus, telling him to save himself if he is the Messiah. Matthew and Mark emphasize the unified mocking of the crowd, elders, and the two robbers who join in the derision. Luke records the crowd and rulers’ scorn but gives a fuller portrait of the two criminals: one joins the mockery, the other rebukes him and turns to Jesus, who promises him paradise. (John’s Gospel gives other crucifixion details but does not narrate this particular two-criminal exchange.)
This moment exposes two truths about Jesus and about us. First, it shows the radical vulnerability of the Son of God—he refuses a partisan, spectacular rescue that would flatter human pride. In his silence and suffering he reveals the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom: victory through apparent defeat. Second, it lays bare our tendency to demand immediate vindication; we too often prefer glory for ourselves over the cost of grace. Yet the cross also cracks open hope—the second criminal, in his last breath, finds mercy. Even at the edge of the world’s ridicule, Jesus offers forgiveness and presence.
Don’t miss the weight here: Jesus’ refusal to save himself is not powerlessness but deliberate love. It’s an invitation to trust a rescue that redeems rather than simply proves us right.
Today, when you face mockery or a bruised reputation, practice one small thing: before reacting, breathe and pray a one-sentence blessing for the person who insulted you (“Lord, show them mercy”). If pride tempts you to demand vindication, confess it quietly and remember the thief—receive and live from grace, not from the need to be proven right.
In these Gospel accounts (Matthew 27:39–44, Mark 15:29–32, Luke 23:35–39) passersby, religious leaders, and even some of the criminals on the crosses taunt Jesus, telling him to save himself if he is the Messiah. Matthew and Mark emphasize the unified mocking of the crowd, elders, and the two robbers who join in the derision. Luke records the crowd and rulers’ scorn but gives a fuller portrait of the two criminals: one joins the mockery, the other rebukes him and turns to Jesus, who promises him paradise. (John’s Gospel gives other crucifixion details but does not narrate this particular two-criminal exchange.)
This moment exposes two truths about Jesus and about us. First, it shows the radical vulnerability of the Son of God—he refuses a partisan, spectacular rescue that would flatter human pride. In his silence and suffering he reveals the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom: victory through apparent defeat. Second, it lays bare our tendency to demand immediate vindication; we too often prefer glory for ourselves over the cost of grace. Yet the cross also cracks open hope—the second criminal, in his last breath, finds mercy. Even at the edge of the world’s ridicule, Jesus offers forgiveness and presence.
Don’t miss the weight here: Jesus’ refusal to save himself is not powerlessness but deliberate love. It’s an invitation to trust a rescue that redeems rather than simply proves us right.
Today, when you face mockery or a bruised reputation, practice one small thing: before reacting, breathe and pray a one-sentence blessing for the person who insulted you (“Lord, show them mercy”). If pride tempts you to demand vindication, confess it quietly and remember the thief—receive and live from grace, not from the need to be proven right.
Matthew: 27:39-44
As Jesus hangs on the cross, passersby, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mock and challenge him—saying he saved others but cannot save himself, taunting him to come down if he is the Messiah or the Son of God, and reviling him.
Open VerseMark: 15:29-32
As Jesus hangs on the cross, passersby, the chief priests and scribes, and even the other criminals mock and taunt him, daring him to save himself or come down to prove he is the Messiah.
Open VerseLuke: 23:35-39
As Jesus hangs on the cross, the crowd, the religious leaders and the soldiers jeer at him, daring him to save himself if he is the Messiah; one of the criminals crucified beside him also joins in mocking him.
Open Verse