“He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from that cross right now, and we will believe in him.”
The mockery around the cross continued not only from the crowd, but also from the religious leaders. Those who should have recognized the fulfillment of the prophecies became their rejecters and mockers. Their attitude revealed a blindness born of spiritual pride. They knew the words of Holy Scripture, yet did not understand that the fulfillment of those words was before their eyes in Christ. The chief priests and the scribes demanded that Jesus come down from the cross as proof of faith, not understanding that precisely by not coming down from the cross He is accomplishing the mystery of salvation. The cross was not holding Him; rather, by His own will He remained on the cross, lovingly accepting suffering. Their words, “He saved others,” became an unintentional testimony to His power. He truly saved others, but did not save Himself, in order to save humanity from sin. The miracle they demanded revealed a blind faith that seeks signs rather than the knowledge of the truth. This episode shows that divine victory is sometimes, by worldly impression, covered with the appearance of defeat. Christ did not come down from the cross so that man might be able to rise up toward God.