There was an intent to insult, ridicule, and curse Jesus, 

who was nailed to the cross!

"Those who passed by shook their heads and insulted Jesus, saying, 'Aha, you who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!' In the same way, the chief priests, along with the scribes, mocked Him among themselves, saying, 'He saved others; He cannot save Himself! Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe.' Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him." (Mark 15:29-32)

Reflecting on this passage, I want to learn the lesson it offers:

1. Three groups of people mocked and insulted Jesus, who was crucified:

   (a) The first group consists of "those who passed by" (Mark 15:29):

   (i) These passersby mocked Jesus both non-verbally by "shaking their heads" and verbally by saying, "Aha, you who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!" (29-30).

   • Matthew records this as: "Those who passed by shook their heads and mocked Jesus, 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.'" (Matt 27:39-40).

   • The non-verbal mockery (shaking their heads) reflects the scorn mentioned in Psalm 22:7: "All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads."

   • The verbal mockery, which involved insulting Jesus, reflected their belief that (1) Jesus had blasphemed by claiming to destroy the temple, (2) they considered Him guilty of blasphemy and deserving of death, and (3) by mocking Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God, they were denying His divine authority and mocking His mission.

   (b) The second group consists of the "chief priests" and the "scribes" (Mark 15:31):

   (i) Mark writes that "in the same way, the chief priests, along with the scribes," mocked Jesus, while Matthew adds "elders" to the group (Matt 27:41). These were the key figures of the Sanhedrin, and they, seeing Jesus on the cross, believed they had achieved complete victory.

   • The mocking words included: "He saved others; He cannot save Himself" (Mark 15:31). Matthew elaborates further: "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in Him" (Matt 27:42-43).

   • Their mocking clearly expressed their disbelief in Jesus as the Savior, King of Israel, or the Son of God. They were taunting Him, saying that if He truly trusted in God, He should be saved by God, showing their lack of faith in the prophecy of the suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53:10).

   (c) The third group consists of the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus (Mark 15:32):

   (i) Both criminals initially mocked Jesus. Mark and Matthew record that "those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him" (Mark 15:32; Matt 27:44). However, Luke gives a more detailed account. One criminal said, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39).

   • This criminal mocked Jesus, questioning His identity as the Christ, and demanded that Jesus save them. He wanted a physical rescue, but did not believe in Jesus as the Savior.

   • The other criminal rebuked him, acknowledging Jesus' innocence and asking to be remembered when Jesus entered His kingdom (Luke 23:41-42). Jesus assured him, "Today, you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

2. Reflections from the passage (Mark 15:29-32):

   (a) The temptation of Jesus at the cross echoes the temptations He faced in the wilderness, where Satan tried to get Him to act outside God's will (Matt 4:1-11). The mocking insults—"Save Yourself"—were a temptation to avoid the cross, to save Himself instead of fulfilling God's will.

   (b) The Apostle Peter also faced a similar temptation when he rebuked Jesus for talking about His impending death (Matt 16:21-23). Peter's desire to protect Jesus from suffering reflected human compassion, but Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

   • This teaches us that we must focus on God's will, even when it involves hardship, and not be swayed by human emotion or sympathy. The temptation to avoid suffering or to take the easier path must be resisted if we are to follow God's purpose.