“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Matthew 27:42
This is not the way a king would be treated. Especially someone who claimed to be the Son of God. If He were the king of the Jews, He could prove it right then and there. I mean, come on, this Man did all these miracles and even raised another man from the dead. Surely, He could save Himself so those present would believe. But, would they believe? After all they had already seen, they still needed more proof? Yes, they did. And so did His disciples and many generations to come.
Jesus didn’t come down off that cross because He needed to demonstrate the fullness of God‘s love and power. Coming down right then would not have accomplished this. He had to endure their mocking and snarky remarks for something mightier than what they were asking. Maybe they would have believed if He would have come down off the cross, but what about the promise — the temple of His body that would be destroyed and raised in 3 days. The promise that was the ultimate manifestation of His life’s purpose — to save others.
It was not for Jesus to save Himself from crucifixion. It was for Him to die just as a despised criminal so that we could experience the whole essence of the cost of our sins and the distance God would go to save us. King Jesus would prove this certain by remaining on that cross, patiently waiting for God’s power to save Him in the most perfect way.
Prayer:
What love You have for Your creation, my God! What love Jesus has! He could have saved Himself; You could have saved Him, but You wanted to show us a love that we couldn’t deny. What father would give up their son for the sake of wretched sinners? Only a father whose love stretches beyond their transgressions. Merciful Father, I am so sorry — just so sorry I have disobeyed You and forsook Jesus, my King. I believe in the magnitude of Your love because Jesus demonstrated Your love by remaining on that cross. Through Jesus’ death I experience the fullness of Your devotion to my deliverance from eternal death. Amen!
Truth in love,
Heather
Truth in Love 