Daily Devotional

-May 23, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Jews Demanded That Jesus Be Crucified-

“But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.”

(Luke 23:13-14).

Man crucified Jesus the Son of God on the cross. The Jews got their way and Pilate caved into to their demands. Three times in Luke 23, Pilate tried to release Him, knowing He was innocent and did not deserve to die, especially in the manner of crucifixion. In fact, Pilate’s wife sent word to him to not go through with it. Matthew 27:19 says, “While he was on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.’”

If it were not God’s will for our Savior to die in the cross for our sins, no mortal or demon could prevail against Him. He willingly gave His life for us, dying in our place, shedding His precious blood. He died for our sins and rose for our justification. Through faith in His finished work on the cross we have eternal life, forgiveness, and salvation.

God’s plan for man’s salvation was set in motion even before the foundation of the world and before man sinned in the Garden of Eden. Judas betrayed Him, the Jews arrested Him and condemned Him, and Pilate and the Romans carried out the crucifixion; but God’s plan and purpose was fulfilled.

Peter in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost proclaimed, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:23-24). He also wrote of our Savior in 1 Peter 2:24, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live to righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.”

Jesus was the innocent, sinless Lamb of God that died for sinners. All our sins were laid on Him. We were as guilty of His death as the Jews and the Romans. In actuality, we were among those whose voices demanded His death. We were His enemies. Thank God that justice and mercy met at the cross. He paid our sin debt so that God’s mercy toward us would prevail. Let us thank Him for His love and sacrifice on our behalf. Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s will prevailed and Satan was defeated and death and sin conquered once for all.

Have a blessed day thanking God for saving us. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean