Let's See If Elias Will Save Jesus - Matthew 27:49

Matthew the apostle wrote, “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse forty-nine of his book, Matthew wrote how, “the rest said, let us see whether Elias will come to save him” where we read:

The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

The verse reads, “The rest said, Let be, ...” Matthew began words, “the rest said” which means “the remainder of the people watching Jesus uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “let be” or “permit and allow Jesus to be left alone”. Matthew shared how the other people surrounding the man who offered Jesus the “sponge filled with sour wine” instructed him not to interrupt Jesus.

The verse goes on to say, “... let us see whether Elias will come to save him.” Matthew added the words, “let us see or “allow and permit all the people before the cross of Jesus to perceive, know, understand, notice, discern and observe” “whether Elias” which means “if Elijah” “will come to save him” or “will arise and appear to rescue Jesus”. Matthew shared how those who withheld the man who offered Jesus “vinegar” wondered there was a possibility that “Elijah” might appear to “rescue” Jesus.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how this group of people continued to desire a “miracle” or something out of the ordinary to occur with Jesus' crucifixion. Because Jesus called out to “Eli” who was actually “God”, they thought He called for “Elijah”, and they wanted to see if “Elijah” would come to “rescue” Him from the cross. God allowed all these things in the view of His Son Jesus because He desired to “save” every person from their sin that separates them from Him. Without Jesus enduring these things people could not be saved and would die in their sinful state. “Elijah” did not “rescue” Jesus, nor did anyone else. Those who are wise will understand how Jesus gave His life so they, and not Himself, may be “rescued” when they submit their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Matthew wrote how Jesus, “yielded up the ghost”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.