No Greater Trust

“He trusted in God; let him deliver him” (Matthew 27:43). This taunt highlights an unwitting compliment to Jesus. The religious leaders said it about him when he was on the cross.

There is no greater trust than agonizing in the face of death for the one you trust to deliver you. Here is an example of Christ’s taking every virtue and pushing it to the absolute. There is no better place to see the pattern than at his death. In that event, all previous virtues come to their highest expression.

The more extreme the virtue, the more obvious that it is there, the clearer as to what it is (presence) and its character (nature), and the more inviting to go and do likewise. These emblems picture him in his most extreme act of trust in the Father. In bringing ourselves into contact with them, we connect with that virtue. The Father honored the Son’s trust by doing more than bringing him down from the cross; he raised him up from the grave and set him on his right hand in glory. So we reaffirm this day our confidence that the Father’s vindication of the Son extends to us who have put our trust in the One who trusted to the uttermost.