March 23 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In March we read the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel so that his readers would know and believe the claims of Jesus. Those who do have everlasting life here and now.

Bible Reading:

John 19:1–11

Bible Text:

"I find no basis for a charge against him" (John 19:6).

Devotional:

The most famous trial of all time resulted in a miscarriage of justice. Jesus was innocent. Yet they killed him. The Jews wanted a death sentence because Jesus had called himself the Son of God.

And the Roman judge finally used Jesus' claim to kingship as an excuse for the verdict.

The Jewish leaders hated Jesus, and hatred blinds people. The Roman judge was scared, and any judge who acts out of fear or seeks favor corrupts justice.

But none of us is innocent. From time to time in the history of the church, Christians have persecuted Jews, calling them "Christ-killers." These acts of violence are an embarrassment to the church even today. Christians who hate the Jewish people for the murder of Jesus don't know history and don't know their own faith.

Historically, Christians owe all they have to the Jews. All the first Christians were Jews. Jesus himself was born into a Jewish family. In fact, differentiating between Jews and Christians is misleading. There have always been, as there are today, many Jewish Christians. Christ claims Jews just as he claims people from all nations and ethnic groups.

Most importantly, blaming the Jews for Christ's death ignores one of the most fundamental teachings of the Christian faith: Christ suffered and died for the sins of all of us. A favorite Lenten hymn expresses it this way: " 'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied you; I crucified you." Only Jesus was innocent.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.