March 24 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 19:14–22

Bible Text:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS..... The sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek (John 19:19–20).

Devotional:

The Romans used to hang criminals on a pole or nail them to a crossbeam. On a sign they would write the crime that had led to the execution. The sign would be attached to the pole or hung around the fellow's neck.

The Jewish religious leaders wanted Jesus killed because he claimed to be the Son of God, and that was blasphemy. So they coaxed Pilate, the Roman governor, to condemn Jesus to death against his better judgment. Then Pilate tried to annoy these religious leaders by writing "King of the Jews" on Jesus' sign. The Jews were, after all, waiting for their Messiah, who was a type of king.

By having Jesus killed as a mock-king, Pilate was saying, "This pitiable fellow is the king/Messiah of the Jews." Write it in Latin, the official language of the Roman empire; write it in Greek, for most travelers can read Greek; and write it in Hebrew (Aramaic), the language of the Jewish people.

"Everybody ought to know who Jesus is."

John—the one who wrote this gospel—stood at the foot of Jesus' cross. The book he wrote has now been translated into a thousand tongues. John wrote it in order that every reader would believe "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [millions] may have life in his name" (John 20:31).

The jeering is over. It's time for faith and adoration.

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.