SAVIOR
TEXT: And those who passed by derided Him, … saying … “Save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.‘” And the robbers who were crucified with Him also reviled Him in the same way. (Matthew 27.39a, 40-44)
Notice the words that Jesus’ enemies use: “If You are the Son of God,” they say. These are the same words the devil used when he was tempting Jesus, back at the beginning of His ministry. And in both cases, the point is the same: to push Jesus into defending His identity by doing something He shouldn’t.
And what are they pushing Him to do? They are tempting Him to give up His mission — to stop doing the work God the Father has given Him to do — to stop saving us, the people who need Him so much, and save Himself instead. They even offer to believe in Him if He will do that!
But Jesus loves us too well to fall for that trap. In just a few hours, He will complete His suffering and give up His life to rescue us. His death will break the power of sin and death over us; and when He rises from the dead, He will become the Source of everlasting life for all of us forever-everyone who trusts in Him.
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen.
——————– Reflection Questions
• When do you have a hard time keeping silent?
• What would have happened to us if Jesus had listened?
• What will happen to us now?
Responses