It
can be hard to stop a train wreck. The inertia of the train, the sheer weight
of the cars moving in one direction, means that they will continue moving in
that direction until all the energy has been used up or absorbed. That is why
when you look at pictures of train wrecks the cars are scattered like toys. All
the energy of the following cars is transferred to the leading cars. Those
leading cars take the vast majority of the damage. And once a wreck has
started, there isn’t much anyone can do to stop it. It isn’t like the following
cars can unhook themselves, switch tracks and avoid the accident.
Sometimes
events in life can feel like a train wreck about to happen. The bad things seem
to be piling up, one thing after another. You walk around waiting for the next
shoe to drop, or the final straw to be put on the pile. It is all you can do to
just lift your head off the pillow in the morning because you wonder what will
go wrong today.
More
often than not we see the train wreck coming in someone else’s life and find
that there isn’t much you can do to stop it. They won’t let you. They don’t see
it, or don’t want any help. The elements of their life are coming apart at the
seams, and soon everything will be a pile in the middle of the floor.
Jesus
and two criminals have been crucified at the same time in the same place, a
common practice in ancient Rome. Being nailed to a cross and allowed to die
slowly by physical exhaustion and asphyxiation was Rome’s way of warning others
about the cost of trying to resist Rome’s rule. Crucifixions were done in
public places for maximum effect. They wanted people to see the power of Rome
at work. They wanted to make an impression on people’s hearts and minds so that
they would think twice before they tried to resist.
And
so it is with Jesus and these two criminals. They are receiving the punishment
ordered by Rome and people pass by. They throw out some of the same accusations
that had failed to bring a proper conviction for a crime. They throw them out
again, maybe hoping they would stick this time. They add a challenge: save
yourself. The idea they are pushing is that if Jesus can’t save Himself, how
could He possibly be the Messiah, the One who would save Israel and the rest of
the world. If He is powerless to stop His own death, unable to stand up to the
power of Rome, how is He ever going to be ruler of the world, as Messiah was
promised to do.
Then
the religious leaders get in their last barbs. They aren’t as vocal as those
who pass by. They have had a part in His death. They had reports of the
miracles Jesus had done. They had interviewed some of the recipients of Jesus’
grace filled actions. They had seen them walking and seeing. They had seen the
clear skin. I think they didn’t want to push Jesus too hard. Maybe He would get
off the cross and prove once and for all that they are frauds and He is the
true Messiah. The presence of a miracle does not guarantee faith. They would
find one more excuse not to believe in Jesus, even if He got down from the
cross.
Even
the two other men crucified at the same time join in the insult hurling. Of
course, what did they have to lose? They would be dead in a few hours, just
like Jesus. No matter what they said, it wouldn’t change their circumstances.
The
reality is that Jesus had a choice. He could save Himself or save us. He chose
to save us. He stayed on the cross bearing the shame and humiliation that we
deserved. He was despised and rejected. He bore in His body the punishment for
our sins. The innocent Infinite dying for the failed finite. He did it so that
we might share in His life.