If He Is The Christ

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:35-39)

As Jesus hung on the cross, bloody and beaten, the voices of the crowd around Him yelled the challenge: “If you are the Christ… save yourself.” The crowds, the rulers, the soldiers – even the criminal crucified beside Him – taunted and tempted Him to prove His identity through performance. They questioned His power and mocked His silence.

Here’s the thing - Jesus had heard those same temptations before.

In the wilderness, Satan confronted Jesus after forty days of fasting with words just as biting: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.” (Luke 4) The enemy attacked Jesus’ identity and tried to bait Him into proving who He was by showcasing His power. But Jesus didn’t take the bait. Instead, He stood on the Word, repeating again and again: “It is written…” He resisted the devil and the devil fled from Him.

Now, years later, as He was nailed to the cross, the temptations returned – but this time in human voices. Still, Jesus didn’t flinch, He set His face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7). Jesus didn’t need to defend Himself or prove anything because He knew who He was. His silence wasn’t weakness; it was strength. He could have called legions of angels. He could have come down from the cross. But He stayed there because His mission wasn’t to prove Himself, it was to save us.

Your Own Identity

We, too, will face moments when our identity is questioned – when people, or even our own thoughts, whisper, “If you really are loved by God, then why are you suffering?” or “If you’re truly an upright child of God, why don’t you defend yourself?” These temptations are subtle, but dangerous. They push us to perform, to seek validation from people, and to defend ourselves instead of trusting God – to be our defender and in His sovereign plan.

But my friend, if you are in Christ, your identity is secure. You are a child of God, fully known and fully loved. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Scripture says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3), and “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). When temptation to prove ourselves comes, to effectively resist the devil, we only need to stand firm on God’s Word, trusting that it’s true, and that God is a God of His word and will strengthen you to overcome.

Just as Jesus did – the Word of God is still the weapon that silences every single lie.

Don’t let the world’s taunts or satan’s whispers shake you, just let them roll off like water on a duck’s back. Resist the urge to react or defend yourself in the flesh – it will only lead to sin. Instead, stand firm, trust the Father, and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, your Messiah. The One who didn’t save Himself so He could save you will give you the strength to overcome every temptation.