The two rebels

Alongside Jesus, two rebels were crucified. While Barabbas was fortunate to be released, these two were not. Three crosses stood, and in the middle, Jesus was nailed. This scene fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, where it says, “[…] Because He poured out His life unto death, and was counted with wrongdoers; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the wrongdoers.” The two rebels mocked Jesus, but according to the Gospel of Luke 23, one of the two later repented and confessed trust in Jesus. Like Simon of Cyrene, he must have heard Jesus’ prayers from the cross and witnessed His love, leading him to the conviction that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Bible promises. It is never too late to believe in Jesus and confess faith in Him. The time is now.

The people mocking Jesus

The mockery of Jesus was not limited to the two rebels. (1) Passersby, (2) chief priests, (3) scribes, and (4) Roman soldiers all mocked Jesus. There were two common elements in their mockery. (1) They ridiculed Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. (2) They challenged Him, saying that if He is the Messiah, He should come down from the cross and prove it. These two elements can be seen as Satan’s final desperate attempt. Satan feared Jesus dying on the cross during the Passover the most. In an effort to prevent it, Satan challenged Jesus to “Come down from the cross.” However, Jesus remained faithful to the will of God the Father until the end. While He could have come down, He chose to stay on the cross to accomplish the redemption of our sins. By Jesus’ wounds we were healed, and our sins were forgiven. The cross is indeed the answer to sin and death the heavenly Father has given us. If there is a thought in your heart challenging Jesus, telling Him to prove Himself so that you may believe, you must know that it came out of Satan. Let’s repent immediately and accept the Lord Jesus.