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.
The Arnold Journey 