He Can't Save Himself....

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!" Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. --Mark 15:29-32


Oh the irony!  Here are the people as well as the chief priests and the Scribes mocking the One who did only good...  Here are the chief priests finally speaking truth  in regard to Jesus.  He did save others...He had healed many, but instead of honoring Him for it, they despised Him for His good and returned evil upon Him.

Unbelievably, but in fulfillment of Scripture...see Isaiah 53, Psalm 2, and Psalm 22....they were mocking, reviling and crucifying  Jesus, the Son of God...the Messiah, who had committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.  Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.  They crucified the very Man who, had He saved Himself that day, could not have saved us.  Instead, He obeyed His Father and loved us to the very end...

Jesus is our example.  I look at verses like these and am overwhelmed.  Jesus was cruelly and horribly treated by men, and yet, He submitted to His Father to the point of the death of the cross.  He did not answer His attackers back. In fact, He offered them forgiveness...He died to save them.   I am to do as Jesus did...to walk as He walked. Do you see why these kind of verses could overwhelm? This CANNOT be done in my own strength.  Without Him I can do nothing BUT I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I can do all things when I surrender to the Spirit of God dwelling inside me.  Jesus is not only our example...He is our strength and our power.  He enables us and empowers us to follow Him.  In Him we are strong and mighty...even when and especially when, we are weak.  In fact, take pleasure, the Scripture says,  in infirmities, in  reproaches,  in needs, in persecutions and in distresses for Christ sake.  This is when the power of God will rest upon you as you cry out to Him.  Pray and watch His grace abound!

The next time you are offended, think of Jesus surrounded by evil and overcome the offense with love.  Overcome evil with good.

Choices...

Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion. Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them. But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.  Pilate answered and said to them again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"  So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!" So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. --Mark 15:6-15


What a choice the people made!   Pilate knew Jesus had done no wrong and attempted to finagle Jesus' release by manipulating the people.  The chief priests, however, had already worked the crowd and stirred them up...they wanted Barabbas...who had taken a life...to be released.   Jesus who had come to give His life would, in fulfillment of much prophecy,  be crucified.   Jesus represented the law of God.  Barabbas represented lawlessness.  The people chose lawlessness.  Pilate chose to please the people rather than do what he knew was right. 




The question Pilate asked the crowd is one each one of us has to answer.... 

"What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"  

What will you do with Jesus?  The fulfilled  prophecy in the bible is overwhelming.  When you look at it,  the sheer numbers are undeniably significant.  After careful study the only conclusion you can draw is that someone outside of time wrote the book. What will you conclude?  Will you confess Him or deny Him.  Submit or rebel?  Greater more intelligent men than you or me have decided to look into the question...study the evidence and concluded that Jesus was who He said He was and submitted to His Lordship.  Your eternal destiny rides on your decision...it is worth looking into.  Eternity is a very long time.