Preached August 9, 2009
from
Matthew 27:38-44
Theme: The crucified Jesus is revealed through those who reviled Him at the cross.
We continue our study today of the the most pivotal event in all of all of redemptive history—the cross of our Savior—as presented to us in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew’s great task was to reveal Jesus to his Jewish brethren—and to us as well—as the promised King of the Jews. He began his Gospel account by declaring Jesus’ royal lineage as “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (1:1); and he declared that, immediately after His birth, the wise men from the east sought Him—asking, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (2:2). And from then on, everything in Matthew’s Gospel is intended—ultimately—to point Jesus out to us as the long-expected, God-given King of the Jews.
We find that this is the case even when we come to the story of the crucifixion. Even the details of Jesus’ betrayal, His arrest, His trial, and His condemnation, all point to His being the promised King of Israel. And so, naturally, we find that this is the case even with respect to His crucifixion. We even find His royal identity revealed in the things that the onlookers said as they mocked Him and reviled Him while He died.
Let’s read together what Matthew tells us was said concerning Jesus as He hung on the cross. It’s a sober passage of Scripture; but one in which every word of mockery thrown at Jesus is, nevertheless, a declaration of God’s amazing grace to us.
In Matthew 27:38-44, we read;
Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing (Matthew 27:38-44).
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It’s very hard to read the things being said in this passage of Scripture without being deeply pained in our hearts. They are said, after all, during the suffering of Someone who loves us to the death.
And yet, what’s amazing is that, in the providence of God, even as our Lord was being “reviled” by the wicked people who surrounded Him, He was being “revealed” by the things they said. The Father saw to it that even their reviling identified Him to us as the King of the Jews. This passage helps us to realize how true Jesus’ promise was in John 12:31-32—the promise He gave just before He went to the cross—where He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
To put it another way, Jesus was lifted up on the cross to the terrible sound of ‘reviling’; and yet, was thus ‘revealed’ to be the Savior of everyone who trusts in Him.
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Let’s take a close look at this passage; and begin with looking at the fact that . . .
1. JESUS WAS REVILED:
The first thing that the Holy Spirit points out to us in this passage is that our Lord was reviled by all classes of sinners. All of us are in need of His redeeming sacrifice; because all of us are sinners. And as we see in this passage, our Savior was reviled by every kind of sinner there is—from every strata of humanity.
First of all, we see that Jesus was reviled by those we would naturally call “wicked sinners”—people whose sinfulness and depravity was obvious to all. Matthew begins by telling us that, after Jesus was crucified, “Then, two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left” (v. 38).
The word that is used to describe them, in the original language, means much more than simply someone who is caught in the act of theft. The word is better understood as referring to someone who is an outlaw—or even an insurrectionist and a rebel. Luke even goes so far as to call them “criminals” (Luke 23:39)—or, more literally, “evil-doers”. And what’s interesting is that the word that is used by Matthew to describe these two men is the same word John used in his Gospel to describe one of the most notorious criminals in all of human history—Barabbas (John 18:40).
It’s very possible that these two “robbers” were criminals who were in association with Barabbas. And since Pilate acquiesced to the demands of the people to crucify Jesus and release Barabbas to them, it may be that Jesus was being crucified between these two robbers in the place of their former ‘boss’. What horrible company our Lord was made to keep at the time of His death! How degrading this was to One so holy! And as we see at the end of this passage, these two vile criminals—who would have been worthy of death by anyone’s assessment—were right then joining in with the crowds that were reviling our Lord. Matthew says that “Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing” that the others were throwing at Him. If I may put it in the sort of terms some might use today—even ‘the scum of the earth’ was reviling Him!
But then, we see that they weren’t alone. The next class of sinners that arrive to revile Him were what we might call the “common sinners”. These were average citizens from everyday walks of life—people who would probably admit that they were sinners; but who would be offended if you had called them “sinners” in the same breath as you would have called the two robbers on the cross “sinners”.
Matthew tells us, “And those who passed by blasphemed Him . . .” (v. 39). Crucifixions were performed in a very public way; so that folks just walking along the pathways would seen it. So, here are some everyday people like you and me—walking on the road that leads to the city, and catching a glimpse of Jesus on the cross. They would have known something about Him. They would have known about the things He taught, and the claims He had made concerning Himself. And they certainly would have read the sign above His head that said, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”. And so, they too reviled Him. They “wagged their heads” at Him in approval of His suffering. They “blasphemed” Him in the sense that they mocked the things He said about Himself, and of how He—who said He was the Son of God—now hung on a cursed cross.
And finally, we see that the highest class of sinners joined in on the mocking. Matthew tells us that He began to be reviled by what we might call the “religious sinners”—and there’s not a sinner more hard-hearted toward the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross than the “religious” kind.
Matthew says, “Likewise the chief priest also” (who represented the “religious” class) joined in with the common people and the criminals as they mocked the Lord, “with the scribes (who we might say represented the ‘educated’) and elders (who we might say represented the “respected”) . . .” And what a dreadful thing the fact of their mocking is! You would have thought that such people as this would have been “examples” to the people! You would have thought that they would have tried to bring a sense of soberness to the scene! You would have thought that they would ordered the common people to be silent—telling them that it’s not proper to revile a man on the cross, whoever that man may be. But no! They joined right in; and uttered the nastiest pieces of reviling of anyone! In fact, while the passers-by and the criminals at least spoke their insults directly to the Lord, the “religious sinners” wouldn’t even do that! They spoke their mocking words and reviling comments to no one in particular—as if Jesus weren’t even there!
And all this helps us to remember that Jesus died for all classes of sinners—the kind of sinners that the world scorns as wicked and contemptible, and the kind that are hardly noticed because they’re just common folk, and even the kind that sinners everyone admires as outwardly righteous and educated and respectable. As the Bible tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).
All kinds of sinners were represented at Jesus’ cross—mocking Him as He died for the sin of fallen mankind.
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Now; not only was Jesus mocked by all classes of sinners; but they also mocked Him in all aspects of His character.
First, notice that they mocked Him with respect to His words. His suffering was grievous enough; but they added to it by casting His words back in His face. They thought back to the thing that He said at the beginning of His earthly ministry—where He told the Jewish leaders, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The Scripture explains that He said this about His own body—which “temple” they were, even then, destroying. But they twisted the meaning of His words and mocked Him; saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!” (v. 40). Even the leaders of the people threw His words back at Him; “He said, ‘I am the Son of God'” (v. 43). (By the way; don’t listen to the critics of our faith who say that Jesus never said that He was the Son of God. Even His enemies, mocking Him at the foot of the cross, admitted that He said so!)
Notice how they also mocked Him with respect to His power. “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross”, they said (v. 40). “If He’s so powerful,” they thought, “surely nails aren’t strong enough to hold Him there. Let’s see Him prove that He is who He says He is!” Similarly, the leaders said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” And I’m glad that He didn’t come down; aren’t you? He surely could have. He said earlier that all He had to do was ask the Father; and the Father would have sent more than twelve legions of angels to His aid. But as He said, “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (Matthew 26:54). It wasn’t that the nails were stronger than Him. It was that His obedience to the Father’s will, and His great love for you and me, were stronger than the nails.
Finally, notice how they mocked Him with respect to His trust in God! Can you imagine the chief priests of the people doing such a thing? But they nevertheless did so. They showed their true nature, and their utter contempt for humble faith in God, when they did. “He trusted in God,” they dared to say; “let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him . . .” (v. 43).
When I read of their mockings, I can’t help thinking about how much they sounded like the words of the devil himself, as He tempted the Lord in the wilderness. “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down . . .” (4:6) It makes you shudder to think of who may have been behind their words of reviling, doesn’t it?
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These are dreadful things to read. They show us just how depraved the human heart can be. And let’s not flatter ourselves. We are as fallen in sin, and as naturally depraved, as they were. If it weren’t for God’s grace upon us, you and I would have done the same as they did.
But, through the providence of God, there’s something else that was happening in all of this. This Jesus, who was right then being lifted up, was also right then drawing all men to Himself as the Savior. As we look again at this passage, we can see that . . .
2. IN ALL THE REVILING, JESUS WAS BEING REVEALED:
First of all, He was being revealed as the Savior of mankind—even in the midst of their mockings—through the fulfillment of Scripture.
We can see this, for example, through.the fact that “two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left” (v. 38). It wasn’t that Jesus was crucified in a place by Himself; or even that He was crucified next to only one criminal. Rather, He was crucified along with two others—a plurality of criminals. And in addition, it wasn’t that Jesus was crucified to the extreme right of the other two, or to the extreme left; but between them both—visibly and literally in the midst of them. And here, we can see the literal fulfillment of what God promised would happen through the prophet Isaiah—in a passage that everyone at that scene would have known by heart:
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12).
We can see another way that He was revealed in the fulfillment of Scripture. And that was through the way that He was being mocked. We’re told that those who passed by blasphemed Him, “wagging their heads . . .” as they reviled Him (v. 39). And this is just as was promised in Psalm 22:7; where it says, “All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head . . .”
What’s more, the next verse—Psalm 22:8—prophecies that those who mock the Christ would say, “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” And aren’t those almost the exact words with which the chief priests and scribes and elders reviled Him?; “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him . . .” (v. 43).
It’s amazing that those who reviled the Lord could be so blind to what they were doing and saying—especially those who knew the Scriptures so well! And yet, the hardness of their hearts is revealed in the fact that they did and said just what the Scriptures promised. And in all of it, what was also being revealed was the identity of Jesus Himself. He Himself said, that “all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44).
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And the thing that I marvel at the most was the truths that they—in all their mockings—were admitting to about Jesus. Truly, He was revealed most remarkably through the testimony of His revilers!
Look at the things they testified of Him! First of all they bore witness—not just once, but twice—to the fact that He said He was the Son of God. “If You are the Son of God,” the passers-by said, “come down from the cross” (v. 40). “Let [God] deliver Him now if He will have Him,” the leaders said, “for He said, ‘I am the Son of God'” (v. 43). It was as if they were saying, “If You come down from the cross now, in demonstration of the power of the One You say is Your Father, then we will believe You’re the Son of God!” Of course, they never would have believed Him to be the Son of God if He had come down. And yet, we can believe in Him today because He didn’t come down! He stayed in obedience to the Father; and the Father kept Him there because of His great love for you and me.
They also witnessed that He was the King of Israel. “If He is the King of Israel,” the chief priests, scribes and elders said—men who should have known the Scriptures—”and we will believe Him”. The interesting thing is that I read in the Scriptures that they will believe in Him. As the apostle John promises in Revelation 1:7 concerning Jesus—when He will return as the ruler over the kings of the earth—”Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” He will come down and prove His identity as King; but as the One whom they pierced!
So; they testify of Jesus as the Son of God and as the King of Israel. But one more thing they testify of Him is that He is the Savior. It’s amazing to me that they mock Him by saying, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (v. 42). And here, they admit to the testimony of His own works! He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and even raised the dead! You would think that they would put their hands to their mouths before they would dare to taunt Him with the accusation that He saved others, but couldn’t save Himself; because they were admitting that they were crucifying One who saved others!
And it was precisely because He didn’t save Himself that He is now able to save others. As Isaiah 53:4-6 says;
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:4-6).
As Acts 16:31 puts it—in as simple a manner as it can be said—”Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved . . .”
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Now; before we leave this passage, I can’t help but point out one more thing. We’re told in it that two robbers—the lowest of the low—mocked Him as they hung crucified next to Him. But as we read elsewhere in the Scriptures, we find that one of the two repented.
Luke tells us, in his Gospel account,
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).
I love that story; don’t you? And I believe that the robber’s heart was transformed as he hung next to Jesus and saw for himself who Jesus was. I believe that the Lord Jesus was being revealed to him through the revilings of others; and that as a result, he placed his faith in the One who was the Son of God, the King of Israel, and the Savior of sinners.
May the reviling at the cross also reveal Jesus to us—and may we, like that repentant sinner—believe!