Being mocked is one of the most painful human experiences—animals don’t mock each other, only humans do. We mock people for their appearance, beliefs, failures, politics, even their favorite football team, and social media has turned mockery into a sport where one post can unleash a flood of strangers eager to tear someone down. Mockery wounds deeply, especially in childhood, but even as adults it can leave scars of shame, anger, and insecurity. Yet at the cross, Jesus experienced mockery in a way no one else ever has—and strangely, there is comfort in that. Because when we are mocked, we follow a Savior who has already walked that road and redeemed it. In this sermon from Mark’s account of the crucifixion, we look at the mockery Jesus endured and the unexpected impact it had on Simon of Cyrene, reminding us that even in humiliation, God is at work in ways we cannot see.
