April 28

John 19

After being cruelly mistreated, Jesus is crucified and gives up His spirit.

INSIGHT

The apostle John reveals the most detailed picture of Pilate’s judgment of Jesus. At first, Pilate says, “I find no fault in Him at all” (18:38). Then, he scourges Jesus, hoping to placate the Jews. Without success, he makes efforts to release Jesus, but the Jewish leaders will not stand for it. Anxious about his political reputation in Rome, Pilate caves in, washes his hands of the affair, and releases Jesus to the Jewish leaders to be crucified. We place much of the blame for Jesus’ death on Pilate. But if at any point in time Pilate had repented of His deed, Jesus Himself would have welcomed him into the kingdom of God.

PRAYER

Give your praise to the Lord for sending His only begotten Son to provide the way for your redemption:
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities(Isaiah 53:10-11).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations (Psalm 22:27-28).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

Deeper gratitude for your salvation
The integrity of those who represent Christ in the pulpit
Your activities for the day

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever (Psalm 23:6).