READING: Daniel 4-6, John 18
Many people accused Jesus of wrong. Herod surely thought He was an insurrectionist. Some said He was a blasphemer. Others claimed He was a lawbreaker. Some said He had a demon, while others said He followed Beelzebul. Some in his hometown were offended by Him. Still others thought He was just a make-believe king. In the end, many wanted Him killed as a threat to the religious establishment.
Pilate, though, recognized nothing wrong in Jesus. When the Jews wanted Jesus crucified, Pilate told them, “I find no grounds for charging him” (John 18:38). In fact, he would repeat these thoughts in the next chapter two more times (John 19:4, 6). While Pilate was not passing judgment on Jesus’ nature, he was saying that Jesus had broken no law worthy of crucifixion. He was innocent of the charge.
In this gospel, however, John uses this story to remind the reader that Jesus would not suffer for His own wrong. He would die, but not for breaking the law. He would die because we’ve broken the law. Even in His innocence, He would drink the cup the Father had given Him. He was indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
PRAYER: “Thank You, Lord, for being willing to die in my place.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Daniel 7-9, Psalm 91, John 19