Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:32 (NIV)
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." Luke 23:35-39 (NIV)
As Jesus innocently hung on the cross in great agony and tremendous pain for your sins and for mine, with people sneering at Him, taunting Him, daring Him to come down from the cross, how tempting it must have been to do so and proof once and for all that He was exactly who He said He was – “the Christ of God, the Chosen One,” the Savior. He had every right to come down and it certainly was in His power to come down, but if He had come down He would no longer have been the Christ, the Savior.
Jesus’ nature and character is love. In Jesus’ God became love incarnate—love in the flesh. Jesus’ nature and character required Jesus to take the insults and endure the pain. Being love in the flesh He could do nothing less. Jesus would not and did not compromise Himself to save Himself. Jesus would not betray Himself and in not betraying Himself He did not betray us—instead He saved us!
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NIV)
…God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10 (NIV)
Jesus, thank You being love in the flesh. Thank You for not betraying Yourself and in the process not betraying me. Thank You for proving Yourself to be the Savior, our Savior, my Savior by staying on cross rather than coming down from it.
No comments:
Post a Comment