To Encourage You

Matthew 27:42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”

In these mocking words from those who crucified Christ, God saw fit to reveal a glorious truth.  As Peter drew his sword to defend Jesus from the soldiers who came to arrest Him at Gethsemane, Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53)?  And to think that just one angel slaughtered 185,000 Assyrians as they threatened Israel in the time of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 19).  To the threats of Pilate Jesus replied “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).  Yet, if Jesus would have saved Himself, He could not have saved us.  He died as the Lamb of God, to take away the sin of the world.  He willingly gave His life on a Roman cross to save you and me.  No one with such power (no one ever had such power) ever yielded that power so willingly to evil men to save those same evil men by dying to pay the penalty for the very sins they were committing against Him.  What incredible love that He would say at that very moment “Father forgive them, for they know now what they do.”  

How can we do anything but fully trust this One Who has given His all for us?  No one has ever loved us like Jesus.