The gospel writers characterise the crowd at the cross as being viciously hostile toward Jesus as he hung dying. Other than the young apostle John, there were a group of women there who also loved Jesus. The rest were only there to ridicule and humiliate him. In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! The shocking fact underlying this mocking by the chief priests and the teachers of the law was that they didn’t deny that Jesus had saved others! In other words, they recognised that he had had done many wonderful and good things. This begs the question, if Jesus had indeed healed others and raised them from the dead, then why were they crucifying him? Why did they reject him so brutally? They rejected Christ for the same reason that many rejected him today, even when they know that he has power to save. Money, position, and power. Those are the reasons. It’s not that Jesus couldn’t save himself. It’s that he wouldn’t, because this is what he had chosen. He himself bore our sins. He carried them for us. He paid the penalty for our sins. That’s why he is the Saviour of the world – of all those who trust in him. The issue of why the Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus while acknowledging that he had saved others is a question of vital importance. Why do people reject love, forgiveness, healing, and restoration in their communities, churches, and in their personal lives? The answer is because they prefer earthly power over love. But Jesus preferred love over power. How is it in your own relationships?