The Humility of the King

And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him Matthew 27:28-31.

The soldiers mocked Jesus because they thought He was delusional. They couldn’t imagine that the humble man in front of them could be a king in any shape or form. They couldn’t imagine that He was the Saviour of mankind. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So they mocked Him by adorning Him with crude elements - a scarlet robe, a crown of thorns and a reed sceptre. These crude elements were nothing in comparison to the glory and splendour of His majesty. They were nothing in comparison to the glory and splendour of our conquering King.

The public mocking and the scorn that led up to His crucifixion were what Jesus expected would happen to Him when He came to earth, and yet He willingly gave up His divine privileges and took up the humble position of a slave (Philippians 2:5-11). Jesus knew who He was and did not come to present Himself as king with pomp and splendour. He knew what would happen to Him. Yet He selflessly came for the sake of humanity. This is something that goes beyond our human comprehension - The King of Glory coming down to earth to be humiliated. To be mocked and scorned. To be crucified. He didn’t have to do it. But He did so that you and I can be rescued from this dark world.

We Will Face Mockery and Insults

The soldiers who mocked Jesus were those He came to rescue, but their eyes were blinded, and they could not see their Saviour. As followers of Jesus, we will also face antagonism and hostility from those who have been blinded to the reality of who Jesus is. We will find them in every sphere of life. They will mock and hurl insults at us. They will exclude us and cancel us. They will treat us unjustly. Just as Jesus expected to be mocked and reviled, so should we. Just as Jesus knew who He was when they scourged Him, so should we.

Jesus says in John 16:33 (NLT),

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

In Jesus, the victory has been won. In Jesus, we are more than overcomers - more than conquerors through Him who loves us (Romans 8:31-39).

Subtle persecution may happen to you in your office, school, or social gathering. You may not be “with it” or be “one of the crowd.” No suffering that the Christian endures for Christ is ever in vain. Billy Graham 

Reflection

Have there been times when those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ have mocked you? What was your response? Did you lash out at them, or did you respond with humility as Jesus did?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are my King of Kings and Lord of Lords who rules and reigns in majesty. Thank you for coming into our world as a humble servant to save me from darkness. Thank You for bringing me into Your glorious light. I pray for Your wisdom to know how to respond to those who are hostile to You with humility. Help me to have an answer for those who mock and insult me. Help me to pray for them so that their blind eyes may be opened in Jesus’ name, amen.