At Calvary outside Jerusalem the dying Jesus was publicly mocked by passersby, the crowd, rulers, priests, scribes and soldiers, who demanded that He escape the cross and treat coming down as proof of His power and claim to be the Son of God. Their abuse twisted His saying about destroying and rebuilding the temple, which meant the temple of His body to be raised in three days, into a joke meant to deride Him. He could have come down, but He made no answer to the challenge and chose to remain and die for humanity's sake. He stayed to bear the curse of the broken law as humanity's substitute and ransom His people with His blood to meet the just claims of God's law, for had He saved Himself they could not have been saved. Those taunts fulfilled what prophecy foretold, though the speakers did not recognize it, and the demand to prove His sonship echoed Satan's wilderness temptation, while indignant angels were not permitted to rescue Him because His mission was almost but not yet accomplished.
The Taunt at Calvary
The cry belongs to the crucifixion at Calvary outside Jerusalem, after condemnation and leading from the judgment hall with a great multitude following there. There He suffered as humanity's substitute bearing the curse of the broken law.
The demand to save Himself and come down was hurled by passersby and the crowd as He hung on the cross, joined by rulers, priests, scribes, soldiers and others in public reviling, suffering and mockery. They pressed Him to escape crucifixion rather than remain there, treating coming down as proof of power. In doing so they ridiculed His claim to be the Son of God and demanded He prove Himself, with the rulers declaring they would believe if He came down.
Their taunt twisted His earlier words about destroying and rebuilding the temple, which had meant the temple of His body to be destroyed and raised in three days. Bystanders turned those words into a joke and made them part of their abuse, though their derision helped fix an enduring impression on witnesses.
It was spoken while He hung lifted up dying as a malefactor in deep humiliation, in the hands of wicked men, with His own nation clamoring for His blood. Herod and his soldiers had plaited the crown of thorns for His brow, clothed Him in the purple robe, bowed before Him in mockery and struck Him with the reed placed in His hand, and He was scourged as the worst of criminals while the murderous Barabbas was chosen instead. This befell the beloved Teacher who had been looked to for David's throne and in whom the disciples' hopes of eternal life were centered. During terrifying darkness with flashes of lightning the crowd thought retribution had come and some tried to flee in fear, while the taunt was echoed in a whisper that He would now come down from the cross.
Why He Remained There
He had power to step down from the cross, yet he gave no answer to the demand and would not leave it, choosing instead to stay and die for the sake of humanity. Had he saved himself, no one else could have been saved. He stayed to bear sin's penalty as humanity's substitute under the curse of the broken law, ransoming his people with his blood and satisfying the just claims of God's law.
The insults hurled at Calvary, including the jeer about destroying and rebuilding the temple and the rest of the reviling, were the very words prophecy had foretold they would speak. Those who uttered them, though professing to expound prophecy, did not perceive that their own words and deeds were fulfilling what inspiration had predicted. The demand that he prove himself the Son of God by coming down repeated Satan's wilderness temptation to force a proof of sonship. The rulers took up the same challenge, declaring they would believe if he came down.
Angels looked on with indignation and longed to rescue him, but they were not allowed, because his mission was not yet finished though it was almost accomplished. His willingness to endure such suffering reveals what he surrendered for humanity, making the self-denial asked of his followers small by comparison. His being taken away on the cross in trial and temptation, as the Bridegroom taken away, tested the faith of the disciples, caused their hope and courage to fail, and gave them reason to mourn and fast. There he hung lifted up, dying as a malefactor in deepest humiliation, in the hands of wicked men, with his own nation clamoring for his blood, crowned with thorns, clothed in a purple robe, mocked and bowed to and struck with a reed, scourged as the worst of criminals while the murderous Barabbas was chosen in his place, though he had been expected to take David's throne and the disciples' hopes of eternal life had centered in him.
At Calvary outside Jerusalem the dying Jesus was publicly mocked by passersby, the crowd, rulers, priests, scribes and soldiers, who demanded that He escape the cross and treat coming down as proof of His power and claim to be the Son of God. Their abuse twisted His saying about destroying and rebuilding the temple, which meant the temple of His body to be raised in three days, into a joke meant to deride Him. He could have come down, but He made no answer to the challenge and chose to remain and die for humanity's sake. He stayed to bear the curse of the broken law as humanity's substitute and ransom His people with His blood to meet the just claims of God's law, for had He saved Himself they could not have been saved. Those taunts fulfilled what prophecy foretold, though the speakers did not recognize it, and the demand to prove His sonship echoed Satan's wilderness temptation, while indignant angels were not permitted to rescue Him because His mission was almost but not yet accomplished.
The Taunt at Calvary
The cry belongs to the crucifixion at Calvary outside Jerusalem, after condemnation and leading from the judgment hall with a great multitude following there. There He suffered as humanity's substitute bearing the curse of the broken law.
The demand to save Himself and come down was hurled by passersby and the crowd as He hung on the cross, joined by rulers, priests, scribes, soldiers and others in public reviling, suffering and mockery. They pressed Him to escape crucifixion rather than remain there, treating coming down as proof of power. In doing so they ridiculed His claim to be the Son of God and demanded He prove Himself, with the rulers declaring they would believe if He came down.
Their taunt twisted His earlier words about destroying and rebuilding the temple, which had meant the temple of His body to be destroyed and raised in three days. Bystanders turned those words into a joke and made them part of their abuse, though their derision helped fix an enduring impression on witnesses.
It was spoken while He hung lifted up dying as a malefactor in deep humiliation, in the hands of wicked men, with His own nation clamoring for His blood. Herod and his soldiers had plaited the crown of thorns for His brow, clothed Him in the purple robe, bowed before Him in mockery and struck Him with the reed placed in His hand, and He was scourged as the worst of criminals while the murderous Barabbas was chosen instead. This befell the beloved Teacher who had been looked to for David's throne and in whom the disciples' hopes of eternal life were centered. During terrifying darkness with flashes of lightning the crowd thought retribution had come and some tried to flee in fear, while the taunt was echoed in a whisper that He would now come down from the cross.
Why He Remained There
He had power to step down from the cross, yet he gave no answer to the demand and would not leave it, choosing instead to stay and die for the sake of humanity. Had he saved himself, no one else could have been saved. He stayed to bear sin's penalty as humanity's substitute under the curse of the broken law, ransoming his people with his blood and satisfying the just claims of God's law.
The insults hurled at Calvary, including the jeer about destroying and rebuilding the temple and the rest of the reviling, were the very words prophecy had foretold they would speak. Those who uttered them, though professing to expound prophecy, did not perceive that their own words and deeds were fulfilling what inspiration had predicted. The demand that he prove himself the Son of God by coming down repeated Satan's wilderness temptation to force a proof of sonship. The rulers took up the same challenge, declaring they would believe if he came down.
Angels looked on with indignation and longed to rescue him, but they were not allowed, because his mission was not yet finished though it was almost accomplished. His willingness to endure such suffering reveals what he surrendered for humanity, making the self-denial asked of his followers small by comparison. His being taken away on the cross in trial and temptation, as the Bridegroom taken away, tested the faith of the disciples, caused their hope and courage to fail, and gave them reason to mourn and fast. There he hung lifted up, dying as a malefactor in deepest humiliation, in the hands of wicked men, with his own nation clamoring for his blood, crowned with thorns, clothed in a purple robe, mocked and bowed to and struck with a reed, scourged as the worst of criminals while the murderous Barabbas was chosen in his place, though he had been expected to take David's throne and the disciples' hopes of eternal life had centered in him.