This week’s devotion is based on Cross Examined Week 5 – “Why Kill Him?” (CLICK HERE TO WATCH)
Beware!
Today is April Fool’s Day.
Perhaps you have been plotting for weeks of the pranks that you will be pulling on people. Perhaps you hate today because you seem to fall for every April Fool joke there is.
You can search to find the origin of April Fool’s Day and it seems about as clear as the day itself…not sure what to believe.
So we have a tradition in our country of unknown origin that allows people to play practical jokes on unsuspecting people.
I wonder if Pontius Pilate were living today and presiding over the trial of Jesus he would have thought, “This has to be an April Fool’s joke, right?
The religious leaders of the Jews wanted him to condemn Jesus to death for blasphemy…not really a Roman law that would deserve the death penalty.
Some said he was a king that opposed Caesar, but the fact that he had no army and his kingdom was not of this world left that charge void.
His wife had a dream about this man and said, “Have nothing to do with him.” More than likely this had never occurred in another trial he presided over.
He thought the way to release Jesus was to pit him against a known criminal and threat to society. Nope. The crowd wanted Barabbas.
Jesus?
Crucify him! Crucify him!
You have to be kidding right?
Luke 23:22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
The evidence was obvious. Jesus was not guilty of death. But the crowd said otherwise.
Pilate would have loved to hear, “April Fools! Just kidding, let him go.”
But he didn’t.
It was no joke.
And good thing for you and me.
What didn’t make sense to Pilate and many others in the moment is that God was working his eternal plan to put his innocent Son to death in place of each of us guilty sinners. What didn’t make sense to Pilate, made absolute sense to the holy God needing a substitute for unholy people. What seemed like a personal vendetta from the Jewish leaders was a personal plan for your salvation and mine.
Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
You might say, “You have to be kidding me!”
But Jesus just says, “I love you. It’s true.”
So no foolin’.
Jesus died for you because he loves you.
Apply: What aspect of grace seems too good to be true?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love and grace that seems too good to be true, but simply reflects the great love you have for me. AMEN.