Christ’s crucifixion, drenched in agony, stands as a pivotal moment in human history. On the cross at Calvary, divine love, justice, and mercy converged in a singular act of redemption. Far from an accident or a tragedy beyond His control, Christ’s death was the deliberate culmination of His mission as the God-Man. Yet, even in His final moments, He faced the scorn of mockers who taunted His power and authority.

Mathew 27:38-44 vividly captures this scene:

“Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

It begs an interesting question: could Jesus have saved Himself? “The point of the mockery was very simple,” explained pastor R.C. Sproul, and it’s “that Jesus had been able to save other people, but he wasn’t able to save himself. He simply couldn’t do it. He was in such a weakened condition from the scourging and from the beginning of the crucifixion that he was virtually powerless. And so, the charge was, ‘You can’t do it, can you, Jesus?’ Well, let’s explore that for a second.”

1. Could Jesus have saved Himself?

Absolutely. As the God-man, Jesus possessed divine omnipotence despite His human weakness. Sproul noted that Christ’s divine nature could have ended His suffering with a single word, instantly defeating His executioners. In Matthew 26:53, Jesus confirmed this. When Peter attempted to defend Jesus before His arrest, Jesus declared, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” Even as He prayed in Gethsemane to avoid the cup of suffering (Matthew 26:39), He still freely chose the cross.

Taking in all of Scripture, Christ’s ability to save Himself has never been in question. It’s not that He was a helpless victim kicking and screaming on His way to Calvary. Rather, as Matthew 26:39 continues, Jesus immediately followed His plea with, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus submitted wholly to the Father’s plan.

Sproul captured this truth well: “We have two words in the English language that are separated by one letter. … Ladies and gentlemen, the reason why Jesus didn’t save Himself was not because He couldn’t do it. He didn’t save Himself because He wouldn’t do it. Why not? It’s because of the Covenant of Redemption that Jesus stayed on the cross.”

2. Why wouldn’t Jesus save Himself?

Before the foundation of the world, God ordained a plan: to create and redeem a fallen people for His eternal glory. If you are in Christ, you are part of why Jesus willingly endured the cross’s agony. As R.C. Sproul observed, “The human nature [may have] shrunk before it in Gethsemane, but eternity had determined that that cup had to be drunken to its limits, to its tracts. And so, if the Son would keep the covenant with the Father and with the Spirit, He would not come down. He could not because He would not.” Facing mockers, scoffers, and unimaginable pain, He suffered until He could proclaim, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Why would He do this? Because Jesus would never break His covenant promise. He would not abandon the redemption plan forged with the Father and the Spirit. He would not forsake the people He came to save, even at the cost of spiritual and physical torment. For us to have life, Christ had to go to the cross — a necessity rooted in the reality of human sin.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God’s perfect justice required a payment for sin beyond human capacity. Yet, in His grace, God sent His Son, the sinless Lamb, to bear our punishment as our substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21). The cross exacted a profound cost: not only physical agony but spiritual desolation, as Jesus, under divine wrath, cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). In that moment, the perfect communion between the Father and the Son was shattered.

On the topic of what Jesus could have done, He could have stopped that torment at any moment. In His divinity, no Roman soldiers, mocking crowd, or nail had any power over Him. He could have summoned legions of angels, silenced His accusers, or walked away unharmed (Matthew 26:53). He could have spared Himself the most excruciating death known to man. And yet, had He done any of that, the debt of sin would remain unpaid. We would be without hope, doomed to a terrifying future.

Jesus Christ possessed the power to escape the cross. Yet, He wouldn’t. For our sake, He endured the cross, bearing the weight of sin to reconcile us to God. This truth is the core of the gospel: Christ’s death was essential, sufficient, and victorious. Because He refused to save Himself, we are saved forever. His voluntary death ensured that every sin of His people — past, present, and future — was atoned for. He knew there was no other way, so He became the way. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The cross unveils this gospel truth as well as a vital challenge: like Christ, believers will face scorn for their faith. Yet, we are called to proclaim boldly that His death was no defeat but a triumph, securing His people for eternity. As Paul clearly states in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “[I]f Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” But praise God, Jesus is risen! His death was the necessary step to make way for our salvation, completed by His resurrection. And because of this, we can proclaim:

“And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
‘Jesus died my soul to save,’
My lips shall still repeat:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.”