John Calvin Commentary Matthew 27:39

"And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads," — Matthew 27:39 (ASV)

And they that passed by. These circumstances carry great weight, for they place before us the extreme abasement of the Son of God, that we may see more clearly how much our salvation cost him, and that, reflecting that we justly deserved all the punishments which he endured, we may be more and more excited to repentance. For in this exhibition God has plainly shown to us how wretched our condition would have been if we had not had a Redeemer.

But all that Christ endured in himself ought to be applied for our consolation. This certainly was more cruel than all the other tortures, that they upbraided, reviled, and tormented him as one who had been cast off and forsaken by God, (Isaiah 53:4). And, therefore, David, as the representative of Christ, complains chiefly of this among the distresses which he suffered; (Psalms 22:7).

And, indeed, there is nothing that inflicts a more painful wound on pious minds than when ungodly men, in order to shake their faith, upbraid them with being deprived of the assistance and favor of God. This is the harsh persecution with which, Paul tells us, Isaac was tormented by Ishmael, (Galatians 4:29); not that he attacked him with the sword, and with outward violence, but that, by turning the grace of God into ridicule, he endeavored to overthrow his faith.

These temptations were endured, first by David, and afterwards by Christ himself, that they might not today strike us with excessive alarm, as if they had been unusual; for there will never be a lack of wicked men who are disposed to insult our distresses. And whenever God does not assist us according to our wish, but conceals his aid for a little time, it is a frequent stratagem of Satan to allege that our hope was to no purpose, as if his promise had failed.