Daily Devotion

Jesus had been crucified on Friday. Early on Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene claimed to see him alive. Peter and John knew that his body was no longer in the grave. If the Jews had come for Jesus, they would come for the disciples as well. And now, with his body missing, the disciples would surely be accused of stealing it. There were many things to consider. They gathered on Sunday evening to discuss what had happened—and what might happen.

Mary was from a small town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee—a town called Magdala. Jesus met her while he was preaching and teaching in that region. I cannot imagine exactly how she looked, but in my mind, I see a woman with matted hair, a tormented face, and clothes little more than rags. She was possessed—not by one, but by seven demons! (Luke 8:2)

When the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he had many issues to address. But the most important topic was the message of Jesus. Paul wrote, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received” (1 Cor. 15:3). In essence, Paul was saying, “If you miss everything else I’ve written in this letter, don’t miss this. This is of primary importance.” Paul then went on to explain the key points of the Gospel.

WEEKEND RECHARGE!
God’s Story in Our Savior

WEEKEND RECHARGE!
God’s Story in Our Savior

Jesus hung on a cross, suspended between heaven and earth. Completely sinless, he was there to pay the penalty for your sins and mine. While he hung on the cross, soldiers gambled for his seamless tunic that was “woven in one piece from top to bottom” (John 19:23).

Pilate was caught between a rock and a hard place. He saw no reason to declare Jesus guilty, and moreover, his wife told him she had been warned in a dream not to punish the righteous man. When he learned that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, “he was even more afraid” (John 19:8). Making things more difficult for Pontius Pilate was that his career and life were in danger. Sejanus, the trusted official who had appointed Pilate as governor of Judea, was executed for treason by the paranoid emperor Tiberius. Now, all of Sejanus’s friends were seen as suspects. The Jewish leaders argued that if Pilate released a man claiming to be a king, then he was no friend to Tiberius; so, Pilate gave in and handed Jesus over to be crucified. 

During Passover, releasing a prisoner was customary. When Pilate offered the crowd a choice between a notorious criminal and Jesus, he thought he had found a sure way to free Jesus. But the people, many of whom on Sunday had shouted “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” now called for Barabbas, a criminal, to be released and for Jesus to be sentenced to death. 

The Romans didn’t like the Jews, and the feeling was mutual. Past rebellions had increased the tension, so when crowds started to follow Jesus, the religious leaders worried that the Romans might see this as an opportunity to punish them. That’s why Caiaphas said earlier in Jesus’ ministry that it would be better for one man to die “for the people, not that the whole nation should perish” (John 11:49-50). He believed that killing an “insurrectionist” would show loyalty to the Roman government.