Likewise also the chief priests, mocking, said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others, Himself He cannot save. Mark 15:31
They told a lot of jokes that day, and they thought they were pretty funny! The Nazarene Who had been impossible to defeat in debate during the past weeks in Jerusalem had finally been silenced. All of the leaders of the Jews – the priests, the leading Pharisees, the scribes, even the Sadducees – had sought to challenge and confound this Galilean who had been performing miracles and had attracted great crowds of listeners He had proven impossible to stumble, and had made most of them feel foolish and embarrassed. But now the shoe was on the other foot. The Nazarene was nailed to a cross and was silent.
Boldly the chief priests and scribes raised their voices. Perhaps they wondered how this One Who had performed such powerful miracles and had displayed such amazing skill and power was prevented from removing Himself from the cross. Why, they must have wondered, did He not repeat those great manifestations of power. But as the hours passed and Jesus remained on the cross, as the torment of that horrible gibbet extended without any move on Jesus part to remove Himself from the agony and shame of it all, the religious leaders grew more emboldened. Maybe, they thought, He was unable rescue Himself from the crucifixion. Finally, they opened their mouths and expressed their scornful disdain for One Who appeared to have lost whatever power He might have had. This one, they said, Who claimed to have saved other, was powerless to save Himself. They were tragically wrong about His power, but they were amazingly right about His capability of escaping the agony of Calvary.
We sometimes sing “He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free.” In terms of power, this is true. But the will of His Father was that He remain on that cross to atone for my sin and yours, and it was impossible for Him to deviate from His Father’s will. There was never the slightest possibility that those ten thousand angels would sweep in to rescue their Lord from the cross. For our sakes, He could not save Himself.
By His commitment to the Father’s will, Jesus was unable to save Himself. But He did save us. -Jim MacIntosh