Difficult as it may be to imagine, there are recorded accounts where people chose to openly mock and laugh at Jesus. One story in the New Testament is about a young girl who had died. Jesus shows up to visit the family. The Jews who had also assembled to weep and wail at the death of a young girl had now turned their attention to ridicule the only One with the power to bring her back from the dead.
Upon his arrival and examination of the girl, Jesus simply told them that she was not dead, but merely sleeping. The reaction? It is recorded in Mark 5:39-40, “He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they laughed him to scorn….”
What? “They laughed Him to scorn.” That is a pretty intense reaction. It is nothing new. Jesus was often the subject of ridicule because of the things He said, and He made many enemies because He told the truth.
The Greek word for “scorn” implies derision, jeering, disdain, mocking, or disrespect. This is far beyond just a quick chuckle or a sneering giggle. In fact, this is not like our typical laughter because something was funny.
It is an over-the-top, hurtful, and cruel vomiting of words from the depths of one’s soul to bathe the recipient with feeling that they are a person beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving of such horrid treatment. It is meant to shame, crush, and belittle.
We see another account of this abuse hurled upon Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion in Luke 23:10-11, “Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking (scorning) and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.”
I wonder what went through the Lord’s mind while those people mocked Him. Righteous anger because of their ignorance and stubbornness (Mark 3:5). Pity for those who were so blinded by pride that they refused to see (John 9:41).
Maybe it was sincere grief because He knew that their rejection of Him was the rejection of hope itself (Mark 3:28-29). Whatever His reaction, it’s important to emphasize that Jesus never allowed the ridicule of ungodly people to turn Him away from His purpose.
Neither can we! We must withstand rejection of any kind when presenting the love, hope and redeeming message of the Good News. We must realize that there will be some who go far beyond just saying “no thank you.” There are those who will say everything they can to back you down in disgrace, fear, and silence. Sometimes they will use threats and intimidation to make you go away. Yes, in some cases, they may even kill you.
We were warned: 2 Timothy 3:12-13, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
Crude opposition, horrific threats, slander, and being a recipient of scornful behavior of others is painful to bear, but it is what Jesus encourages us to endure for Him. It is not the time to give up, shut our Bibles and go home.
Now, more than ever, we must accept the authority given to us by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel and to be faithful to the Great Commission to go and make disciples. We must remember that it is to be graciously addressed with gentleness, respect, mercy, patience, grace, and love.
Remember the words of Colossians 3:12-14, Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
The world needs to hear your voice and to be the recipient of your gifts, talents, abilities, and time to be Ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). The world is lost in darkness and yes, some prefer to stay in the darkness, but we must try and keep on trying to reach them. We will always receive some type of response. Stand firm. Endure. Keep pushing forward. Never stop.
Romans 10:14 “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”