Tuesday, August 29
Choose others above yourself
Scripture: Mark 15
Mark 15:29–32 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself and come down from the cross!”31 In the same way even the chief priests—together with the experts in the law—were mocking him among themselves: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! 32 Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.
Observation
The irony is rich.
Passersby mocked Jesus, calling for Him to “save yourself and come down from the cross.” The religious leaders joined in, “He saved others but he can’t save himself. Let him come down from the cross that we may see and believe.”
Of course, Jesus’ purpose was to give His life as a sacrifice for us, to save us. He chose the cross to save us. Could He have come down from the cross and saved Himself? Yes, but it would have been a denial of His purpose and meant that we wouldn’t be saved.
He could have saved Himself, but He chose to save us instead. This is love: to do what is best for another no matter what it costs you. Jesus loved us and chose us above Himself.
Application
First, awe and wonder and deep appreciation for the love of God that put me before Him. Thank You Jesus for saving me when You could have saved Yourself.
Second, this is what love looks like, and how we are to love one another.
1 John 3:16–18 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.
“We ought to lay down our lives” for one another. Save me or you? I choose you. Choose others above yourself. (But that is easier said than done! Help me Lord!)
Prayer: Lord, I love You, and I want to love like You do—selflessly. That is so hard for me; I’m naturally selfish. Please help me choose others above myself.
More: Lamentations 5, Proverbs 20, 2 Peter 2