"Save Yourself!"
Have you ever heard anything along the lines of this:
- It's a dog eat dog world out there.
- It's every man for himself.
- You have to watch out for yourself because nobody else is.
- You gotta do whatever is in your best interest.
These are all statements that are a great reflection of how we are innately wired. We make sure that we are taken care first and foremost before anyone or anything else. We are always striving for whatever is in our best interest. We try to avoid pain and do our very best to save ourselves from that pain.
Although we are naturally inclined to make every decisions based off personal preservation, this is the exact opposite of what Jesus modeled on the cross. The King of all kings, who had the power to save himself from any pain that was inflicted on him, was beaten beyond recognition. He was then stripped of his clothes and hung on a cross naked for all to see. The Bible goes on to say in Matthew 27:39-42:
"Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!"
Jesus himself, the Son of God, didn't save himself. He could have, but He didn't. He took the temporary pain upon himself to save you and I. Jesus knew that He had a job to do and that job was not to save Himself, but to save others. The people that were passing by were baffled at the fact that He wouldn't save himself because it's counterintuitive. Although it didn't make sense in the moment, Jesus knew how it would end!
Just like Jesus, you and I know how the story is going to end... We win! If we aren't careful though, we can go through life trying to save ourselves. We're looking out for #1! Jesus says that if you want to be like me then you're going to do the polar opposite and look out for others first.
What would it look like if you and I started to serve others instead of trying to save ourselves?
I would love to hear your thoughts!