Dear Christian friends:

"In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!" (Mark 15:31)

You can say the truth in two ways. You can say it with faith and love or you can say it with doubt and hatred.

When you say the truth with faith and love you are worshipping God, but when you say it with doubt and hatred you are mocking God.

In the lesson which I read before we see people say the truth about Jesus, but they say it with doubt and hatred. They are all mocking Jesus. The soldiers give Jesus a king's robe, a purple robe and they give him a crown, a crown of thorns. Then they bow down and say, "Hail, King of the Jews." They said the truth. Jesus is the King of the Jews and He is also our King, but they said that with doubt and hatred. They mocked Jesus. (Mark 15:16-20)

Pilate wrote the truth about Jesus when he wrote the sign of accusation against Jesus, which was nailed above Jesus' head on the cross. The sign said, "The King of the Jews" Pilate did not write that with faith and love for Jesus. He wrote it with doubt and disgust for both the Jews and Jesus.

The Chief priests and Law teachers standing and watching Jesus hang on the cross also said the truth about Jesus. They said, "He saved others, but He cannot save Himself." (Mark 15:31) But they also said that with doubt and hatred for Jesus and therefore they mocked Jesus.


The Jews think Jesus cannot save Himself because He is only a weak man like themselves. They do not believe that He is the almighty Son of God hiding in a Man as Jesus said. They do not believe that Jesus is the Savior God promised to send.

Jesus had proved to them by many wonderful works that He was the Savior God promised. He healed the sick; opened the eyes of the blind; made the lame walk; cleansed the lepers; and raised the dead to life. They knew that. They say, "He saved others." But nevertheless the chief priests and the Law teachers refused to believe in Him.

They wanted another Savior, another king. They wanted a king like King David, who would free their country from Roman rule and oppression and make them a great earthly kingdom again like before under David and Solomon. Jesus refused to be that kind of a King. He said, "My kingdom is not of this world."

Jesus' kingdom is not like earthly kingdoms. Earthly kings rule with pride, force, soldiers and only for this life on earth. Jesus rules through His Word and Sacraments with love, humility and forgiveness of sins. Jesus rules forever. The chief priests and Law teachers did not want such a King. That is why they condemned Jesus to die and then forced Pontius Pilate to condemn Him to death.

Now they stand before Jesus and say with doubt and hatred, "He cannot save Himself." What they say is true. Jesus cannot save Himself. We Christians also say, "He cannot save Himself, but we say it with faith and love.

The Jews think Jesus cannot save Himself because they think He is only a weak man like themselves. But we Christians know and believe that Jesus could have saved Himself if He had wanted to. We believe that Jesus had the power to free Himself from the cross. We believe that Jesus stayed on the cross because He wanted to stay on it. He wanted to suffer and die for our sins.

Jesus cannot come down from the cross because He loves sinners and suffers and dies for them. Love and mercy makes Jesus stay on the cross, not weakness. With faith, love and worship we Christians say, "He cannot save Himself. He saves others! He saves me! Thank you, dear Jesus, my dear, dear Savior!

Amen.