Mark 15:30

And those who passed by blasphemed Him,
wagging their heads and saying,
"Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,
save Yourself, and come down from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests also,
mocking among themselves with the scribes,
said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save."

Were they right?
Were the mockers right?

Well, yeah.
He couldn't save Himself.

But it wasn't impotence.

He couldn't save Himself because it would mean letting go of saving us.

The communion of the Holy Trinity within itself was pure love. Jesus had His Father's love, and unity with Him, and all the fullness of communion with His Father. And He left it. For us. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that this cup of His Father's wrath could pass, it wasn't because He didn't want the pain. It was because He knew He would be enduring His Father's wrath, losing touch with that love. And yet, to stay in His Father's "good graces" would mean turning away from the work of salvation, hanging onto His own benefits instead of making our rescue the priority. He would have to deny who He is and what "makes Him tick."

If we are faithless,
He remains faithful,
for He cannot deny Himself.


"He saved others; Himself He cannot save" has a truth embedded behind the mockery. He cannot save Himself because His self-sacrificing love compels Him to save others.