The Mocked

The Mocked

Hannah

Read: 1 Samuel 1:7

As she fumbled with the buttons on her dress, Nancy asked herself for the hundredth time, Do I really want to go to this? The reunion meant a chance to see friends who had moved away after high school graduation, but it also brought the risk of meeting people she would rather avoid. Several kids had teased Nancy about her left hand, which was always tightly balled up because of a lack of oxygen to her brain during birth. None of them had been as cruel as Liz, the senior-class president. What if she came back to town for the reunion?

Besides dealing with her deep disappointment at not having children, Hannah had to endure Peninnah’s cruel taunts. Living in the same house and sharing the same husband made it impossible to escape her tormentor. Peninnah’s sarcasm about Hannah’s barrenness cut her as sharply as any knife. Couldn’t Peninnah see how hurt she already was? Why did she have to rub it in that she had given Elkanah several children? The taunts must have increased on holidays when the family celebrated together. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no desire to eat. How could she stand the pain any longer?

Many of us have memories of being mocked, and for some, the wounds have never healed. Maybe others made fun of our looks, our poverty, our lack of ability in academics or sports, or because we just didn’t fit in. Many people still have differences that make them feel self-conscious. The only way to deal with such pain is to follow Hannah’s example—to pour it out before God, who knows very well how it feels to be mocked. Jesus’ own people jeered at him, many religious leaders treated him with sarcasm, and the Roman soldiers cruelly taunted him. When someone makes fun of us, we can talk to the One who endured much worse for our sake.

He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon.

Luke 18:32