Mockery

Mark 15:16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

What does it really mean to mock something? The dictionary says it means to ridicule, deride or imitate. From a broad perspective, mockery occurs when someone or something pretends to be something when it is not. Like a mockingbird. Mockingbirds earn their name as they steal songs from other birds and sing them as if they were that bird, yet they are not. When humans mock others, it is usually dripping with cynicism with an aim towards belittling other people. I am ashamed to say I have done this way too many times and hurt people.

When I look at the account of the soldiers mocking Jesus in Mark 15, my thoughts go immediately to the images of brutality burned in my brain of the physical mistreatment of Christ that I have seen in movies. The harsh reality is graphic and heavy. It often leaves me wondering, "How could people really do that to Jesus?". Two days ago God challenged me in my quiet time with a new perspective on these verses. The soldiers were unknowingly playing their role in God's plan of redemption by sinfully abusing him and mocking the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They dressed Him up in royal robes, as they made fun of Him and put a crown of thorns on His head as if to say, "yeah, you are a king alright", just before they spit on Him with disgust and abused him physically. They even cynically mocked Him by kneeling down and paid fake homage to Him having fun tearing Christ down. It is one of the most striking displays of gross sinfulness as rebels cut down the Messiah that came to redeem them from the sin that was driving their evil actions.

Now obviously I wasn't there, and neither were you physically when all of this went on, but before we sit back and throw stones at these soldiers we need to a heart check. Did Jesus pay for your sins on the Cross? If so, let's not miss the fact that even though God willed it, our need of a savior to redeem us from sinful rebellion had a part in Jesus death on the Cross as our sin was atoned for. None of us are innocent from this scene. If we were, the scene would have been unnecessary. The Cross is quite necessary.

We also need to stop and see how we interact with King Jesus. Do our lives deny His Kingship over them just like the actions of the soldiers? Do we know His commands and obey them as we aim to be satisfied by delighting the Father's heart? Do we obey the King as we walk out the Great commission while over 2 billion have never heard of Christ, or do we ignore Him? Does our heart break for what breaks His to the extent that we sacrifice for His sake as we serve others? Do we nourish the physically and spiritually impoverished? Do we care? Do we defend the 100 million + helpless orphans as he gracefully instructed? Do we care?
Do we love justice, seek mercy and walk Humbly? Do we love Him with all of our strength mind and soul? Do we obey him when he says don't fall in love with stuff- you don't need it, I am enough for you? or do we just keep on shopping and working ourselves to death in capitalistic pursuit?

Honestly there are times when I fail here. I know grace and mercy are extended to cover my faithlessness, but let's not miss the fact that Grace and Mercy are extended to those who walk with Him as Lord. So as you examine your hearts, does the testimony of your life mock or honor Christ the King and his commands? We are all too quick to measure our "goodness" against those around us and rationalize ourselves and actions so please don't do this. Ask yourself this question: Is Christ my King directing my life or am I my own King driving my own ship and simply dressing up Jesus as I like just like the Roman soldiers. There is a heaviness in my Heart friends. This is serious business. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells us "Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." This is a Holy, heavy word. Doing His will displays the Lordship over our lives and is evidence of His redemption of our souls. We can not work our way towards His will outside of His Grace. It just happens. When you fall passionately in love with someone you trust, you joyfully want to delight their heart.

Our words are cheap. Pray through the words of Christ and examine your soul openly.