‘He Saved Others’

‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save….’

Matthew 27:42a

Christ’s enemies were merciless, cruel, and overtly oppressive. As He hung in agony, they taunted Him. Crucifixion was a very personal, yet public affair. Those who died by crucifixion, died publicly and elevated only a little, so as to be an easy target for further calumny. The religious leaders drew near and the words of our text for today are the words of their ridicule. ‘He saved others, Himself He cannot save.’ Herein they spoke both truth and error in the same breath. Christ did save others. Moreover, at that very moment He was saving others, and in the course of human history, He would save others. The error lies in the statement, ‘Himself He cannot save.’ No…Himself He would not save. No one took Christ’s life from Him. He laid it down voluntarily. From long before His Incarnation, and right away through all the days of His earthly journey, Christ intended to arrive at this most horrific appointment. When, in human reasoning, it made the most sense to flee in the opposite direction, ‘He set His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem.’ Christ saved others because He would not save Himself. Here is true ministry in its’ purest form. Let us pause before the cross today, and adore the One Hanging there, Who would not save Himself, in order that He might save…us.

Our Great and Gracious Savior,
we rejoice in You, and in Your Saving Work.
We praise You that with Your Stripes we are healed.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning