Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Father, I confess that I find it hard to believe that in the incredible expanse of the universe with all the billions of stars and people, that you know me and care about me enough to have Jesus die for my sins. I know that at times my love and dedication have been inconsistent and my faithfulness has been spotty and full of holes. But Father, I confess that every time I look closely at the Cross, at all Jesus had to face and all the grief he bore, I am drawn again to love you more and want to serve you more faithfully. Please forgive me for my sin and create in me a new and right heart made clean and pure by your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

Then Pilate's soldiers brought Jesus into the governor's palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. The soldiers took off Jesus' clothes and put a red robe on him. Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus' head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and teased him. They said, "Hello, king of the Jews!" The soldiers spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. After they finished teasing Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross. The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. The soldiers forced another man there to carry the cross for Jesus. This man's name was Simon from Cyrene. They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means "The Place of the Skull.") At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall. Jesus tasted the wine but refused to drink it. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then the soldiers gambled with dice to decide who would get Jesus' clothes. The soldiers sat there and continued watching Jesus. The soldiers put a sign above Jesus' head with the charge against him written on it. The sign said: "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus. One robber was put beside Jesus on the right and the other was put on the left. People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. People shook their heads and said, "You said you could destroy the temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!" The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. These men teased Jesus the same as the other people. They said, "He saved other people. But he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israel (the Jews). If he is the king, then he should come down now from thecross. Then we will believe in him. He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And in the same way, the robbers that were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.

Related Scripture Readings

People made fun of him, and his friends left him. He was a man that had much pain. He knew sickness very well. People did not even give him the honor of looking at him. We did not even notice him. But he took our troubles and made them his. He bore our pain, and we thought God was punishing him. We thought God beat him {for something he did}. But he was given pain to suffer for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for our guilt. A debt we owed—our punishment—was given to him. We were healed (forgiven) because of his pain. But {even after he did this,} all of us wandered away like sheep. We all went our own way. {We did this after} the Lord {freed us from our guilt and} put all our guilt on him. He was hurt and punished. But he never protested. He said nothing—like a sheep being taken to be killed. He was like a lamb that makes no sound when someone cuts off its wool. He never opened his mouth {to defend himself}. Men used force and took him—and they did not judge him fairly. No person can tell about his future family, because he was taken from the land of living people. He was punished to pay for the sins of my people.

So Jesus is the kind of high priest that we need. He is holy. He has no sin in him. He is pure and not influenced by sinners. And he is raised above the heavens. He is not like those other priests. Those other priests had to offer (give) sacrifices every day. They had to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people. But Christ doesn't need to do that. Christ offered only one sacrifice for all time. Christ offered himself.

The sacrifice that God wants is an humble spirit. God, you will not turn away a person who comes with an humble, submissive heart.