"I Dare You!"

Those three words hearken back to the days of childhood, where one could be manipulated by peers into doing or saying any number of things, for the sake of showing what you're made of.

As I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible podcast today, I tuned into the fact that Jesus himself was taunted, and then flat-out dared to prove that he was the Son of God.

Matthew 27:39-43 (The Message)

35-40After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: "You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you're really God's Son, come down from that cross!"

41-44The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: "He saved others—he can't save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We'll all become believers then! He was so sure of God—well, let him rescue his 'Son' now—if he wants him! He did claim to be God's Son, didn't he?" Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.

Jesus could have taken the easy road; He could have given in and taken the high priests' dare. He could have easily commanded legions of angels to accompany him off of the cross. The crucifixion would have ended right then and there. The priests and scholars would have been promptly squelched. There would have been no remaining question of Jesus' divinity.

But what would that mean for you and me? Salvation through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection would have never occurred.

"Thank you, Lord for making the tough choice to ignore the verbal, mental and physical abuse while hanging on the cross. Thank you for the precious gift of salvation that you didn't have to give. You could have simply saved yourself and let humanity go by the wayside, but you didn't. It wasn't the nails in your hands and feet that kept you on the cross, it was love. I'm very grateful for that. Amen."

Good Night