Holy Week devotional: Good Friday - John 18:1-19:37

Bible Reading: John 18:1-19:37

Today’s verse:                   John 19:19

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read,

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

            Jesus was totally humiliated by being crucified. Although many drawings and paintings have Him wearing a loincloth to preserve His modesty, Christ was stripped naked and completely uncovered. This must have been awful for Him, as well as His family and His friends, to endure. It was a shameful way for the Son of God to die.

            His shame was also compounded by Pilate’s sign which mocked Christ’s claims, as well as those of His Jewish people. His death was brutally painful, but His spirit was also absolutely crushed. There was nothing noble about His crucifixion because there is nothing uglier than sin, which He had totally become, in order to save us.

How does thinking about Christ on the Cross affect me? Do I understand what He endured in order to save me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You died for us painfully and shamefully, cruelly and wickedly. May we never take Your sacrifice for granted. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.