He could have stopped the universe

"For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father." (John 10:17-18, Amplified Bible)

Why did Jesus say He laid his life down voluntarily?

"He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the [c]out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power." (Hebrews 1:2-3, Amplified)

It was voluntarily for Jesus to lay down His life...because He created the universe (along with the Father).

Let's look just a little further into this and come back around.

"Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions [more than 80,000] of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must come about this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54)

"And it all came to pass, for that night the angel of the Lord went forth and slew 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies." (2 Kings 19:35)

"When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, 4[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. 5For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? [II Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7.] 6Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son [d]again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him." (Hebrews 1:3-6, Amplified)

So, we have an account where one angel slew 185,000 men. Jesus, at the time of his arrest, could have called 80,000 angels to His side.

80,000 angels times 185,000 men per angel. Could Jesus have stopped His suffering and death? Absolutely. Hebrews then reminds us Jesus' place and rank is far superior to the angels. He could have called any number of them, to put asunder His accusers and those who beat Him beyond recognition and crucified Him. And, since Jesus is above all angels in terms of power, authority and standing with the Father, He could have said or done anything He'd wanted about his captors.

What else could Jesus have done if He'd chosen?

He could have turned to His accusers, spoken a word, and they themselves would have shriveled like the fig tree (Mark 11:12-21).

(He could have, but this type of action was NOT Jesus. Jesus' entire ministry and message was the exact opposite of this. He brought a NEW Testament to mankind. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather to save it through Him" (John 3:17). Life is not about revenge. It's not about always wielding our authority, our power, our rights. Jesus gave a New commandment. (Matthew 5)

Another example of Jesus showing the NEW Testament to mankind:

"And He sent messengers before Him; and they reached and entered a Samaritan village to make [things] ready for Him; But [the people] would not welcome or receive or accept Him, because His face was [set as if He was] going to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John observed this, they said, Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, You do not know of what sort of spirit you are, For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them [from the penalty of eternal death]." (Luke 9:52-56, Amplified).

James and John were thinking Old Testament. Jesus lived and showed a New Testament.

Jesus could have simply walked through their midst. (Luke 4:28-30) He didn't. He could have.

Looking back at all these verses, and coming back to the time of His arrest, beating and crucifixion:

Hebrews 1 tells us by and through Jesus the universe is held together and operates. Here is the Creator of the universe, by whose word the universe ticks, knowing the pain and agony He is about to face is beyond the worst imaginable to the human mind. (Isaiah 52 tells us the beating Jesus received was so horrific He didn't even look like a human being (verse 14).)

Jesus knew what He was facing. He knew what He was going to endure. As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, do we realize Jesus could have stopped the universe right then and there, by speaking the word for it to cease? Could have changed the course of Earth at His own command, to cause or avert whatever He wished.

He could have spoken, and the guards and accusers shrivel like the fig tree. He could have called down fire from Heaven, as James and John had suggested when He previously was rejected and opposed. He could have called one angel (able to slay 185,000 men) as occurred in the Old Testament. He could have called upwards of 80,000 angels to His side in an instant. He could have passed through their midst like a vapor and disappeared (Luke 4). He could have transported himself instantly to another place (John 6:21, Acts 8:38-40).

"Now My soul is troubled and distressed, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour [of trial and agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it]. [Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name!" (John 12:27-28a, Amplified)

Jesus knew one day you and I were going to walk this earth. He already knew two thousand years-plus down the road you and I were going to live. That we were going to be alive here.

Before you were even born He knew you (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows everything about you, from before you were born, to when you get up and lie down, to how many hairs are on your head (Psalm 139:1-16).

He knows every thing you've ever done, every thought you've ever had, and every intention of your heart. He knows every struggle, every triumph, every failure, every joy and every wound...ever. And every one of those things about you matters to Him. Every single one of them.

He wants to celebrate everything good you've ever experienced or done. More importantly, He wants to heal every wound, every scar, every torment you've ever endured.

It's easy to celebrate victories. Within human nature it easy to enjoy the good. Jesus shows who He is in healing the wounded, brokenhearted and afflicted--both physically and spiritually. "to preach good news to the poor and afflicted, to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1, Amplified)

He is able at a touch or a word to heal whatever sin, whatever horror, whatever baggage, whatever garbage, whatever disappointment we've ever experienced. He is able to free you from anything weighing you down: any heaviness, any depression, any spirit, any struggle, any addiction, any compulsion, any habit, any actions you do, anything you think, anything you hate about yourself, anything you hate about life.

He came to set the captives free.

Stop and let this soak into your entire soul.

Let this seep into every corner and crevice of your mind and heart:

"He came to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound."

He had the guts to let the universe keep spinning, even as He faced the most horrific disfiguring any human ever had, for He knew one day you would live. He knew you would need forgiveness. He knew you would need healing.

He also knew you'd stumble but somehow make it in life to the point you are now. You're here, you're breathing, but do you have His life? Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35).

Do you have His Life? Or do you find yourself occasionally (or often) unable to sustain spiritual momentum or spiritual power with Him? Is your relationship with God hit and miss?

Do you find yourself hungry in life? occasionally? regularly? frequently? Are you unsettled? Disturbed? Angry? Restless? Empty? Thinking "there's something more than this" or "what's the point of this"?

Do you ever sense you're in bondage of some kind? Are you truly and unshakably free from the emptiness and tug of this world? Are you truly, truly free? (Gut honesty between you and God. You know, as does He.)

Are you free from the horrors of your past? Were you playing the music of your life when something happened that slammed the piano shut and put your whole life out of tune, and you don't care to ever play your song again? Have you refused to talk with Jesus about what happened because of embarrassment, shame, guilt, or just plain had the wind taken out of your sail?

Jesus proclaims freedom to the captives.

He is powerful and able--above any lie, false voice or tormentor that says you're trapped, unable or not worth it. You ARE worth it.

Know this. Jesus does not give freedom or healing unless asked, and He may check the strength of our desire before taking action (Matthew 15:22-28). Have you asked Him before, but unlike the woman in these verses not persisted with Him? Did you just walk away and write Him off because He didn't answer you right away?

The woman in these verses persisted beyond His initial silence. She persisted beyond His disciples trying to shoo her away. She persisted even after Jesus said "I was only sent here for certain people" (verse 24). She persisted even after He told her "it's not right to take bread from children and feed it to the dogs" (v 26-27).

It was only after showing an undying faith in Him as able to heal and restore that He acted. Have you given up on Jesus for something that was of utmost importance to you? I have.

Take Him at His word. Ask Him to free you. If you hunger for it as the woman in Matthew 15:22-28, watch Him move. Maybe you're not at a point of asking Jesus Christ for anything. Maybe you're too tired, or too hurt. In that case, dare Him. Dare Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Then watch. Things may not churn that moment or that day, but just watch.