Matthew 27:41-45

Mat 27:41 (KJB)
Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

Not only did Jesus receive mocking from the soldiers and the people, He now received them from the scribes, chief priests, and elders. You would think that them being the leaders would have stayed away and would not act like the rabble they led. Their hatred and contempt for Jesus was not satisfied by Him being crucified, so they had to continue the persecution by casting insults at Him. The two disciples of Jesus on the council, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were not among those who were summoned to the meeting where they condemned Jesus nor did they partake of any mockery as the others did.

Mat 27:42 (KJB)
He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

They did not even address Jesus by name, instead they thought it was below their dignity so they addressed Jesus in the third person as if they were speaking to each other knowing full well that Jesus was more than able to hear them. When they said that “He saved others,” they were not speaking of the ministry of salvation but His miracles. Since they attributed His miracle power to the power of Satan, they now believed that His death on the cross was full proof that He was not the Messiah or else He would have done something about it. Again they put another sign test to Jesus. They claimed that they would believe if He came down from the cross but if that would have happened, then they would have probably claimed that it was Satan who helped Him off the cross. They would not believe because they were dead in their sins of hatred and would not have given the least credence to any facet of Jesus’ ministry, whether spoken or through miracles. Jesus was the King of Israel but it was the Israel of God, the body of believers. (Gal 6:16 KJV) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. The King of political Israel was Satan as Jesus told the leaders plainly. (John 8:44 KJV) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Mat 27:43 (KJB)
He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

Then the leaders also ridiculed His trust in God. They claimed that if His trust in God was so great and that He was the Son of God, then God would have delivered Him. Now they will claim that since Jesus was not delivered by God, that not even God wanted Him. (Psa 22:8 KJV) He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. Their accusation was another fulfillment of prophecy. One of the greatest tools that Satan uses is to cast doubt and what was being said of Jesus would have cast doubts in the minds of the people as to who Jesus really was. Just as Satan asked Eve, “Yeah hath God said?” All during the public ministry of Jesus, He was verbally attacked by Satan’s emissaries with the word “if.” (Mat 4:3 KJV) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (John 7:4 KJV) For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to the world.  His enemies had dared Him to abort His mission by coming down from the cross.

Mat 27:44 (KJB)
The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

In the beginning of the crucifixion, even the two thieves had joined in with the others and mocked Him. Maybe they did that thinking they would get a reprieve if they did that. The idiom “cast in his teeth” means “to be reviled or reproached.” Ridicule and mockery had come from everyone who had walked by from the soldiers to the Sanhedrin and even the two thieves who were dying with Him had joined in the reviling. Then in a turn of events, one of the thieves had become saved right on the cross. (Luke 23:42 KJV) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. He did no works, he did not get baptized, he did not do anything which the modern church makes their people do to gain a false salvation. The man was saved by the grace of God because He was predestined before the foundation of the world to be saved at that moment. (Eph 1:4 KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Mat 27:45 (KJB)
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

The first hour of the day according to the Jewish day was 6 A.M. So the time frame here would have been from noon to 3 P.M. (Luke 23:45 KJV) And the sun was darkened,…This phrase in the Greek tells us that the sun was darkened from an outside source, that is, God the Father had darkened the sun which showed that the whole world was in darkness as Jesus was paying for the sins of the Elect. It also signified the beginning of the last days which was from the cross to the last day of history. (Amos 8:9 KJV) And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: It was also a fulfillment of the prophecy found in Amos 8:10. (Amos 8:10 KJV) And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

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