"Save Yourself and Us!"

"You can't have your cake and eat it, too."

I heard a great sermon this morning from the Independent Reformed Church which has been recently formed in Columbia, MO (http://independentreformedchurch.org/). A point which particularly caught my attention was that Jesus had to die in order for us to be saved. He could not have saved himself and us.

Luke 23:

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ... 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, [4] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”

Jesus came to earth to do God's will, and it was God's will that Jesus should die for the sins of His people. When this dying thief said, "Save yourself and us", it was not a mere plea of a dying man. Consider the implications of what he said: 'If you are the Christ, you can save us however you want... it doesn't matter what God has willed... just save us and you could save yourself, too.' To do such a thing would, perhaps, save the lives of the thieves. Jesus could raise people from the dead physically, surely he could 'save' many people from dying at all. But to do so would be to deny the true salvation that Jesus came to provide. He does not save people in the flesh. He saves them to an eternal life. We will die (even Lazarus later died). Jesus had to die in the flesh to give us eternal life. The pleas of the dying thief were truly the mocking of Satan. Consider a similar dialogue Jesus had with Peter:

Matthew 16:

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! [5] This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance [6] to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus would not be tempted by the suggestions of Satan. He knew that to save His people, He would have to do so as The Father had commanded. To attempt to do so and still save his own life would have failed. He would have sinned against God. In sinning He would have been unable to fulfill God's righteous requirement. We would be without a savior.

Am I tempted by Satan's words? Do I attempt to follow Jesus' footsteps but still keep some vestiges of sin alive in my body? Do I try to save myself? I pray that God would give me strength to follow in Jesus, who has saved me, who has fulfilled God's requirements on my behalf when I never could. Praise be to God the Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ!