Mockery was a deep part of our Lord's suffering. Judas mocked Him in the garden, the chief priests and scribes laughed at Him, Herod dismissed Him, and the soldiers jeered and insulted Him. Pilate and his guards ridiculed His royalty, and at the cross, He faced cruel taunts and jests. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but in intense pain, it becomes heartless and cruel, cutting deeply. Imagine the Savior crucified in agony beyond our comprehension, surrounded by a crowd showing only contempt for one suffering man.

There must have been something more in Jesus than they realized, or else why would such a mixed group come together in scorn? Was it not evil admitting, in what seemed to be its victory, that it could do no more than mock the goodness reigning on that cross? Jesus, "despised and rejected of men," how could You die for those who treated You so terribly? This is love beyond understanding, love divine.

We, too, have scorned You in the days before we believed, and even as believers, we've often put the world above You in our hearts. Yet, You bled to heal us and died to give us life. If only we could enthrone You in every heart! We should proclaim Your praises everywhere until You are adored as broadly as You were once rejected. "Your creation wrongs You, O sovereign Good! You're not loved because You're not understood. This grieves me most: that vain pursuits distract ungrateful men from Your smile."