Himself He Cannot Save

Mark 15:31

Likewise, the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.

Caiaphas, the High Priest, had prophesied that one man would die for the nation (John 11:51). As High Priest, he prophetically declared God’s intent. Now, even in their mockery, the chief priests and scribes echoed God’s purpose and plan. The One who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) was now dying. Jesus had saved others, but He could not save himself.

Someone must die. The price for man’s rebellion must be paid. Justice demands full payment for all of man’s sins. Man himself could pay, but who could endure the just penalty for sin?

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had told Peter that He could ask the Father for twelve legions of angels to save Him (Matthew. 26:53). Throughout the ordeal of the trial, the beatings and the crucifixion, Jesus did not ask. Angels were ready. They were waiting. They would have esteemed the life of the Lord of Glory to be worth more than every human life.

Thankfully, Jesus did not ask. He knew that for this purpose, He had come to this hour (John 12:27). Before the world was even created, He had chosen to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

We can barely imagine the self-control and devotion needed to stay in a place of torment and pain. We think of the brutality, the insults, the grief. Jesus, however, endured much more. He experienced the degradation of sin, the anguish of abandonment, and the horrors of hell. His death was more than physical; He became sin, the very thing He abhorred (2 Corinthians 5:21). His soul was poured out unto death (Isaiah 53:12), as He became the sacrificial offering for our sin (Isaiah 53:10).

Jesus did not save Himself because He wanted to save us. He chose to pay for our sin. He chose to free us from the just penalty for every unclean thought, sinful deed, attitude of rebellion and sin of neglect. You were worth the pain, insults, torment, and shame. He could not save Himself and save you. So, He chose you.