Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. (‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭32‬ NKJV)

And He could have. He could have descended from the cross to prove who He was, but He had a more important task at hand. Instead of coming down from the cross, booming, “See! See who I am! I am God!” He quietly hung there, His actions saying, “I am who I am and I love you.”

He hung on the cross, not because He was forced to be there, but because He chose to be there. He hung on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. To pay for the sins of Barabbas. To pay for the sins of the criminals that hung on either side of Him. To pay for the sins of the chief priests who mocked Him. To pay for the sins of you and me and everyone else.

His love was — and still is — selfless, not self serving. He is God and He doesn’t owe us a single thing, yet He gave us everything.