“Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” Matthew 27:41-43

“Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Mark 15:31-32a

“And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.” Luke 23:35-37

The unbelieving Jewish rulers were not satisfied to just have Jesus put to death. They wanted Him humiliated and discredited in the eyes of the average people.

When they say “he saved others,” they are not sincere in this statement, even though they know it is true. They are saying that if Jesus cannot save Himself now, then the other miracles were obviously fake. They did not understand, nor did they care, why Jesus allowed Himself to be killed on the cross. They just saw it as an opportunity to rid them of a nuisance to their rule.

They make the vain statement that they will believe if Jesus will just do what they ask. These men truly had no desire to follow Jesus so they put conditions on Jesus in order for them to believe. 

Jesus would not do what they asked because Jesus came to die for the sins of God’s people. The desires of these men did not matter to Jesus. 

Anytime we put conditions on God in order for us to be obedient in our discipleship, we are doing the same thing. If we feel like God must make everything just right for us before we will follow Him, we are no better than these arrogant rulers. When men put conditions on God in order to believe in Him or believe Him, they are saying they have the right to decide what is God and what God is not based on their personal opinions and experiences. This way of thinking is not only illogical, it is foolish and unthankful.

Here are some simple facts that we need to get straight in our minds.

God is holy. We are sinners. 

God does not change. We are fickle.

God has commanded us to obey and follow Him. Further, He has given a new heart to his children in the new birth that allows them to do this.

If we are putting conditions of God, we need to realize that He has already overcome the biggest obstacle to our discipleship – US! He has changed us. He has made it possible for us to serve Him. He has raised us from a state of being dead in sin to alive in Jesus Christ. 

All other conditions for service are empty excuses because we desire to be disobedient. We are just like these rulers. We are just like the children of Israel who longed to go back into captivity in Egypt when they had already been set free. All of this is actually mocking and deriding Jesus Christ!

Isaiah declared, that “every knee shall, bow and every tongue shall swear (confess). In all eternity, God will receive His praise. It only makes sense to get started now.