This mocking demand reveals how little they understood the mystery of salvation. They thought that if Jesus was truly powerful, He should save Himself and come down from the cross. Yet Christ’s power was shown precisely there, in that He did not come down from the cross. If He had saved Himself in that sense, sinners would not be saved. What held Him on the cross was not only the nails, but also His sacrificial love and His perfect obedience to the Father’s will. He could have come down, but He chose to remain, because He had come to give His life as a ransom for sinners.