The Gospels report that when Jesus was crucified, “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their head and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27: 39-44 NIV) The same event is also reported in Mark 15:29-32 and Luke 23:35.

People tend to focus on results and self-centeredness and power and unmistakable proof. The priests, the teachers of the law, the elders, the common people, and even the revolutionary crucified with Jesus all thought Jesus should have come down from the cross and saved Himself, thus demonstrating His power. That is what they would have done in His place. And that is what many others have thought throughout history. Muhammad was scandalized that a prophet of God could be crucified and insisted that Jesus could not have died in such a manner. Muhammad and his followers have built their empire by force.

The cross is a mystery and a scandal to most people. They cannot fathom that someone, especially the Son of God, would choose to sacrifice Himself to save others.

Jesus also called Christians to follow His example: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). But few people, including many who call themselves Christians, want to do that. They want to build their empires—and even the Kingdom of God—by force, by government power, by laws, by coercion, by bribery, by wealth, by any means other than self-sacrifice.