Day 229/260: Read John 19

He was innocent, yet they mocked Him. He was innocent, yet they demanded His blood. He was innocent, but they cried, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

He was their King, but they denied His power and authority and called for His death. They claimed, “We have no king but Caesar!”

Pilate, the spineless governor who had the vast armies of Rome at his beck and call, gave in to the howling mob aroused by the chief priests and sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. He wrote a title and put it on the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

The chief priests objected and asked Pilate to amend the statement to show that “He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’” Pilate refused, and the truth prevailed.

The King on a cross. The King that had the power to deliver the Jews from their oppressive enemy. Rome was a nuisance, but there was an enemy greater than Rome: Satan. The Jews did not want to hear the truth, nor did they want to follow such a meek man as Jesus as their leader.

Satan thought he had won, and the Son of God had lost. He was rejected by His own people, died upon the cross, and was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. But the story of Jesus and His battle against sin and death was not over. The final chapter had not yet been written.

Memory (Fill in the blanks)

John 17:17. _____________ them by Your truth. Your _____________ is truth.

Pray

Pray for the wisdom to see that, even when things look bleak, God is working through the things in our life to bring about the accomplishment of His will.