“Save Yourself”: Jesus Mocked on the Cross, the Two Thieves, and the Kindness That Leads to Repentance (Luke 23:35–41)

When we think of the crucifixion, we usually picture the physical suffering—nails, blood, scourging, and agony. But the Gospels repeatedly draw our attention to something else, too: the cruelty of words. Jesus didn’t only endure pain in His body; He endured humiliation, rejection, and hatred poured out through mockery. Even the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” collapses under the weight of Scripture. The Bible says words can cut like blades and burn like fire: Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts…” Psalm 57:4 describes enemies whose “tongues [are] sharp swords.” Psalm 64:3 says they “aim bitter words like arrows.” James 3:5–6 warns that the tongue can be like a fire that sets an entire forest ablaze. That’s why the insults hurled at Christ on the cross matter so much. They reveal what people wanted from Jesus—and what Jesus refused to do in order to save us. https://youtu.be/IMc48egK2pk Table of contentsJesus Mocked: “Save Yourself”Lesson One: Jesus Didn’t Save Himself So He Could Save UsLesson Two: Jesus Is God’s King, Not Man’sTwo Criminals, Two ResponsesLesson Three: Saving Faith Shows ItselfDid both thieves mock Jesus—or did one believe?Lesson Four: God’s Kindness Leads Us to RepentanceWhy God’s Kindness Produces RepentanceConclusion: Don’t Only Focus on Your Sin—Focus on Christ Jesus Mocked: “Save Yourself” Luke records a chilling scene: people watching, leaders scoffing, soldiers ridiculing, and one criminal joining the chorus. In verse 35, the rulers said, “He saved others; let him save himself.” In verse 37, the soldiers said, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” And in verse 39, one of the criminals even said: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” The rulers said, “He saved others,” which is an unintended admission: they could not deny His miracles—healings, deliverance, even raising the dead. So they twisted the truth into a challenge: “If He has saving power, let Him use it on Himself.” The soldiers added their own mockery, offering sour wine not as mercy but as humiliation—dangling relief in front of a suffering Man they despised. And beneath all of it is a familiar temptation Jesus faced repeatedly: “Prove Yourself.” Matthew 12:38 — “Some of the scribes and Pharisees” (“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”) Matthew 16:1 — “The Pharisees and Sadducees” (asked Him “to show them a sign from heaven.”) John 2:18 — “The Jews” (after the temple cleansing: “What sign do you show us…?”) John 6:30 — The crowd (after the feeding of the 5,000: “What sign do you do, that we may see and believe you?”) From the wilderness to His public ministry to the cross, the demand remained: “Show us. Prove it. Save Yourself.” Lesson One: Jesus Didn’t Save Himself So He Could Save Us Here is the heart of the passage: Jesus refused to save Himself because He came to save sinners. If Christ had stepped down from the cross, our debt would remain unpaid. On that cross, He was bearing wrath, accomplishing redemption, fulfilling prophecy, and completing the sacrifice. His staying was not weakness—it was obedience and love. Jesus could have ended it instantly. He could have silenced every mouth. But He stayed: to obey the Father to save those the Father had given Him And even the mockery itself fulfilled Scripture: In Isaiah 53:3–6 God says about His Son that He would be “despised and rejected.” In Psalm 22:7–8 Jesus says through David, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads… ‘He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver him.’” They mocked Him because they didn’t believe He was the Messiah—yet their very mockery unwittingly testified that He is. Lesson Two: Jesus Is God’s King, Not Man’s Luke includes another irony: Luke 23:38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” In Roman crucifixion, the inscription announced the “crime” and warned the crowd: This is what happens when you defy Rome. It was meant to shame the victim and intimidate observers. But over Jesus, the sign that was meant as ridicule proclaimed the truth: “This is the King of the Jews.” Watch the flow: Leaders: “Save Yourself.” Soldiers: “If You are the King… save Yourself.” Then God’s providential declaration above His head: This is the King. All along, people staged a wicked parody of royalty—robe, crown, scepter, mock homage—yet none of it changed reality. The cross, in one sense, became His throne, because the King was accomplishing His victory through suffering. Two Criminals, Two Responses Luke shows two men suffering the same sentence, seeing the same Jesus, responding in opposite ways. Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40...