“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at Him. They said, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers also came up and mocked Him. They offered Him wine and vinegar and said, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.’ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.'” (Luke 23:35-37, 39-43)
The common chorus from the crowd around the cross was a challenge for Jesus to save himself. The people acknowledged that He had saved others from diseases and even raised the dead so they wanted to see if He could do it for Himself. If He wanted to prove that He was the chosen One, this was the perfect opportunity. The soldiers joined in by asking Him to provide proof that He was a King but they were only mocking Him because they knew that Jesus was not a King or the Chosen One. If He was, He wouldn’t be there hanging on a cross alone, defeated and dying…or would He?
The Scriptures tell us that the reason Jesus came into this world was to save the world not to save Himself. The angel said to Mary, “…He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:17) that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but “to save the world through Him.” Jesus said to Zacchaeus, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Everything that Jesus did was for the purpose of saving the world and demonstrating His love for us…even the cross!
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
What an odd way to save the world!
The thieves that were crucified on either side of Jesus were also witnesses to this event. One of the thieves joined the chants of the crowd for Jesus to save Himself. The other saw things differently. One ridiculed this self proclaimed Messiah while the other recognized a loving sacrifice. The repentant thief called Jesus by name. Maybe he had seen the Savior and had witnessed His ministry before his run in with the law. Whatever the reason, he rebukes the cynical thief and asks for mercy from the Lord. He was aware of his condition and his need for a Savior and he could see that this man was Him. There was Jesus hanging on the cross, shedding His blood and dying for our sins that we might be saved…and the only one to recognize it was a condemned thief.
What an odd way to save the world…but it was the only way.