We have always told the people that a lawbreaker and a friend of tax collectors and sinners could not be the Messiah, the King of Israel; we cautioned them against being misled by His miracles, which were performed in the strength of Beelzebub; yet many did not heed our warnings, and now look at what has happened! He who refers to Himself as the Son of God is being crucified among the wicked! Some believe that we persecute Him out of self-interest, but are we not also expecting the true Messiah, the King of Israel? Will we not follow Him? Yet, we cannot recognize the Messiah in one who hangs on a cross, for the Law of Moses states, ‘Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.’ If He truly is the King of Israel, let Him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in Him first. Why doesn’t He come down? Is it not the same one who trusted in God and called Him His Father? If He couldn’t descend from the cross and if He truly pleased God, then may God rescue Him from this disgraceful execution…! These blasphemous comments influenced the crowd; Luke, noting that the people merely stood and observed, adds that the rulers mocked Him too. This remark can be understood this way: initially, the crowd stood in astonishment, struck by Jesus’ humility and His plea for those crucifying Him, gazing at the horrific scene in silence; however, when the rulers began to smear and scoff at Jesus, the same shameless mockery resonated through the onlookers. Those who passed by reviled Him, shaking their heads and saying, “O you who destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Were these not the false witnesses eagerly summoned during the night trial at the Sanhedrin to testify against Christ? Their mockery of the supposed destruction of the temple and the promise of its restoration after three days, repeating their testimonies from the trial, indicates their involvement. Certainly, many echoed their taunts.
As a point of reflection: Why did Christ remain on the cross? By descending, He would have demonstrated His divine authority, leading everyone to believe in Him. Such inquiries persist among skeptics today. What can we say to them? The One whose word commanded even demons, winds, and waves of the sea, who healed all diseases—often at a distance—and raised the dead, could have easily come down from the cross if it were required. Therefore, His decision not to descend signifies a deeper purpose known only to God. We, as sinful beings, may not comprehend those reasons, yet we can still form hypotheses based on the Lord’s own teachings. The Gospel reveals that Christ, through His Humanity, serves as our ideal of attainable perfection. He called us to emulate Him, to draw inspiration from His life, living as He—the true Christ—lived. For Him to be our model of perfection, He refrained from exercising His divine power for His personal relief; otherwise, He would seem to demand the impossible of us, rendering His commandments unattainable and negating the mission for which He came. We know He never invoked His divine power to escape His human weaknesses and sufferings. He, as Man, experienced fatigue, craving nourishment and rest; He felt thirst and hunger, rejoiced, mourned, and could not always mask His sorrow—often expressed through tears. As a Man, He faced temptation and triumphed not by relying on His divine strength as the Son of God, but by yielding to the Father's will, which He encouraged us to practice as a means to overcome our own temptations. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He trembled at the thought of impending suffering and implored the Father for a delay in fulfilling His will; yet even this trial He overcame by surrendering to the Father’s plan, stating, “Not My will, but Thy will be done” (Luke 22:42). When He submitted, the dreadful agony He endured on the cross culminated in His anguished cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). In essence, why did His divine power fail to alleviate the undeserved suffering during such a harrowing moment? It seems that had Christ descended from the cross or rendered His suffering insensible, He could not exemplify for us what a true human should be, thus failing to fulfill the purpose of His incarnation. He completed His mission precisely because He did not utilize His divine authority to escape His human frailties and trials. Indeed, as a Man, He adhered perfectly to all His commandments; He led a life consistent with His teachings; His actions never contradicted His words; He bore the weight of His own commandments without resorting to divine favor. Consequently, He embodies the compelling example we must follow—and indeed we can.
THEOSIS