“Let him save himself!” the religious leaders scoffed as they stared up at the man hanging under the sign which mockingly read, “King of the Jews.”
“Save yourself!” the soldiers yelled as they joined in the mockery.
“Save yourself, and us!” one of the criminals derided, as if he had any moral pedestal for mockery as he hung on his own cross.
“Save yourself!” the world tells Jesus. It is no surprise. The people of this world expect one another to “save themselves” all the time. It is a part of our everyday language. “Pull yourself up by the bootstraps,” the world teaches. “Take some time for yourself,” they plead. “Save yourself, and us!” “God helps those who help themselves!”
Did you know that last one is not in the Bible? “God helps those who help themselves,” is quoted constantly by the religious as if it were in the Bible, but it is not. Unfortunately, I fear it is a better known phrase than John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
The two phrases could not be any more different from one another. The one that is actually from the Bible, John 3:16, tells us about how God saves us through faith. The one that is not from the Bible tells us that we need to be the ones who take the initiative to save ourselves.
“Be the author of your own story.” “You can do it.” “Trust in yourself.” “God helps those who help themselves.” “Save yourself.”
To tell you the truth, those of us who are “of the world” take great pride in our self-made accomplishments. Those of us who are “of the world” can clearly see that if it were not for our own hard work, we would be nowhere in life. And, maybe we are right. Maybe, we care a lot about making our way in this world, and we have accomplished exactly that. Maybe, pampering ourselves has been our focus in life. Maybe, that is what drives our life. Maybe, at the end of the day, all we care about is saving ourselves…or more graciously, ourselves along with our friends and family.
“Save yourself,” we whisper to ourselves when the times get rough. “Save yourself,” we whisper to ourselves because we are too afraid to be a burden to anyone else. We refuse to lay our burdens on anyone else’s shoulders…even Jesus’ shoulders…so we shoulder them all. We are tough enough, right? “Save yourself,” we say into the lonely night as we twist and turn and try to figure it all out before the sun comes up.
Do you know what Jesus did not do? Jesus did not save himself.
Jesus did not focus on his own life. His own welfare was not the center of his own actions. Instead, the Bible tells us again and again that Jesus’ attention was turned toward healing people who were blind. He found people who were lost. He ate with people who were tax collectors and sinners.
This does not sell lots of books. “Hanging out with known sinners is not how you get ahead in life,” parents reiterate to their children around the entire world.
I know of a faithful member of a church who was given a harsh warning from the pastor when he was seen hanging out in the front yard of some “unsightly” neighbors. You know, the ones with the beer in hand, playing shoot the squirrel, sitting on the old, rain soaked couch in the front yard. I have mentioned this before in church and someone came up to me afterward and said, “I think you just described my extended family.”
I apologize if I have labeled someone close to you as “unsightly.” But, it is because we have all learned from an early age that “you are who you hang out with.” The world teaches us that if we care about getting anywhere in the world, we will not follow the Lord’s example and hang with people like “them.”
But, Jesus does hang with people like “them.” Literally. On the cross, he hangs with the unsightly. Throughout his entire ministry, Jesus hangs with the “unsightly.”
Jesus hangs out with the wrong people all the time. The Bible constantly says that Jesus made his friends with tax collectors, sinners, and terrifyingly broken people…think of the wild man living among the tombs. The Bible is clear that Jesus hangs out with the wrong people and hangs in the wrong places all the time. And, on top of it all, he winds up sitting on the wrong throne. Christ’s worldly throne, is not crafted out of granite or gold, but is rough hewn wood nailed in the shape of a cross. No one builds and commands armies so that they can be the one to sit on that throne. That throne, the old rugged cross, is placed in the middle of a kingdom of dying criminals.
Those who taunt Jesus, spitting the words, “Save yourself,” do not actually think that Jesus can save himself. They do not think that he is a king as the sign mockingly declares. It is a display of mockery for the benefit of all who pass by on the road into the heart of Jerusalem. But, these people who mock Jesus do end up saying one thing that is absolutely true; “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” (Luke 23:35).
“He saved others.”
Yes, that part is absolutely true. Jesus did save others. Jesus healed others when other people could not or would not. Jesus guided others when other leaders refused. He accepted and loved others when other people refused. “He saved others.”
And, Jesus is going to do it one more time before he dies. You see, Jesus, our King, may refuse to use his powers to save himself (after-all he is not a king of this world) but, he will go to any length to use his powers to save others. One of the two criminals hanging with Jesus at the very end of his life, refuses to join with those who taunt. Instead, that criminal admits that he wasted his opportunities in this life.
“We indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds,” the man admits.
In the end, this man was not able to help himself. In fact, it appears that he actively destroyed himself. He is a man who deserved his cross. But, he is also the only person in this scene who turns his head toward Jesus and asks, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
That man is the man who Jesus chooses to save that day. Jesus does not save himself. Nor, does Jesus dramatically save someone who was found deserving. Instead, Jesus saves a broken man who asks.
"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise," Jesus promises.
Jesus did not save himself, but he does save others.
All those who ask will find that they are welcome in Jesus’ kingdom. That was true on that last day, and it is still true today.
Come to the cross with your burdens, you need not bear them alone. Come to the cross with your sins, Jesus offers to remain next to you. Come to the cross with your pain, Jesus desires to heal you. Come to the cross and worship your king; a king who understands pain and the temptation to sin; a king whose throne is a cross of shame; a king who helps those who are unable to help themselves.
Come to the cross.
Come.
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