While Jesus is mocked, beaten, and struggling under the weight of the cross, the pope is being carried on a ceremonial litter, the sedia gestatoria, which was used in papal processions well into the twentieth century. The contrast is direct: Jesus carries the cross and bears the sins of others through his crucifixion, and the pope is carried by servants and carries nothing himself.

The text in the antichrist panel describes the Reformation critique about the way the papacy removed the cross from Christian life. Luther and his colleagues interpreted much of the penitential system as promises to remove suffering instead of encouraging Christians to bear their cross and follow Jesus. The 95 Theses expressed this critique in its conclusion, which says that it is better to enter the kingdom of heaven through crosses and tribulations rather than by escaping suffering and the cross.