Why didn’t Christ save Himself from the cross?
I think that answer is actually pretty easy and obvious to most of us.
Right?
He had to sacrifice His physical body for us so that He could then overcome the grave.
He knew it had to be done to fulfill the whole plan.
And yet, the priests and others passing by Christ’s crucifixion said:
“He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.” (Matthew 27:42)
They put specific requirements on the miracle that Christ had to perform in order for them to “believe”.
Yet Jesus had spent His whole life performing miracles.
(Which they actually reference by saying “he saved others”.)
And He was about to perform the greatest miracle of all.
And STILL these onlookers decided that He only was a true Savior if He could get Himself off the cross.
Do we sometimes put our own requirements on the help we get from heaven?
“I haven’t received a yes or no answer yet.”
“This terrible thing happened even though I followed a prompting.”
“I keep praying for a way to help my daughter but I’m not getting an answer.”
With our own limited viewpoint here, we think we know exactly what we need sometimes, right?
I need to know if I should do this or not.
I need to get inspiration for this.
I followed a prompting so nothing unsatisfactory should come from it.
And yet there is someone above who sees the whole big picture.
Sometimes the answer is no answer.
Sometimes the prompting is to do nothing.
Sometimes following the Spirit leads to terrible suffering.
What we or what others think the miracle “needs to be” is not always what it is.
God’s ways are not our ways.
And I’m so grateful for a Savior who understood this and knew that performing NO miracle in that moment is what would lead to the greatest outcome for all.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
I never thought of it in that way before. So good! Thank you!
<3