“And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. It was the third hour… And the inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour… And Jesus uttered a loud cry [and] said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!'” Mark 15:24-33,37-39; John 19:30
“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17
“[After he had risen] he said to them,.. ‘Whoever believes… will be saved.'” Mark 16:16
Soldiers and crowds derided the condemned Jesus, flapping around their cruel mocking, coarsely claiming He couldn’t save. What their sin-stained, hate-filled eyes failed to see was that in deliberately not saving Himself from death He was saving them unto life. His willing crucifixion made the way for the salvation of all who would believe; He yielded His spirit to convey the Holy Spirit. He was the One in true control, with a purpose far higher than they dared know. He understood what true saving meant, and required. (John 16:7; Romans 10:9-13; 1 Peter 1:18-19)
Unless the Spirit gives sight, we are destined to limited spiritual vision, even blindness. Our emotions get caught up in crowd stir and run amok. Our understanding is shaped by the world mantras around us, what media insists is important, what preferences our senses stoke and desire. Unless we’re immersed in biblical truth as our filter for all that is and transpires, we will never see as God sees nor know as He knows. Do we grasp what being saved means?
What is true is that because Jesus willingly endured the cross, all who call on His name, on the crucified, buried, resurrected, glorified Jesus, will be saved. Saved from eternal separation from Him, saved from slavery to sin and the entanglement of a worldly mindset. Saved from present anxiety and a hopeless future. We must recognize we cannot save ourselves and trust His work on our behalf. Have we, and are we living the difference?
If we still condemn, are shamed by Christ’s death, or are striving ourselves, we must check our pride. Only when we by faith receive His grace are we saved forever. (Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)
Lord, develop in me the mind of Christ to discern, to discard what is for naught and grasp Your view of all things important.
As the rain and snow 