The Death of Our Lord

Before you start today's devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus’ death can be viewed from several viewpoints.

From God’s standpoint, the cross was where full satisfaction was made so that a holy and righteous God could reach down and save sinners. God’s judgment throne becomes a mercy seat, because Jesus bore our guilt.

From the Lord Jesus’ standpoint, the cross is obedience, a sweet-smelling savor as He made Himself an offering.

From a believer’s standpoint, Jesus took our place. The One who was sinless suffered for the sinner. The One who was just suffered for the unjust.

From Satan’s standpoint, Jesus’ death was both a triumph from Genesis 3:15 and a defeat now, as the head of the serpent is crushed.

From the world’s standpoint, the death of Jesus was nothing but a brutal murder.

Read John 19:16-18.

The Gospel of John doesn’t give us a picture of the crucifixion at all—only that two others were crucified with Him and it was outside the city. Little did people realize that in each detail of the horrible ordeal, they were fulfilling 28 Old Testament prophecies.

Read John 19:19-42—slowly and thoughtfully.

What is the gospel? That Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. These are the great, central facts of the gospel.

Do you believe this? Do you trust in Jesus Christ and believe He died in your place? Do not delay answering this question before God.

After Jesus was pronounced dead, two secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, asked permission from Pilate to take down Jesus’ body. They had a lot to lose to identify themselves as Jesus’ disciples, yet at this precarious time when the 11 disciples had scattered, Joseph and Nicodemus came out in the open.

Joseph had a new tomb where Jesus could be buried. Nicodemus brought linen to wrap the body like a mummy and 100 pounds of spices as a sort of glue to seal in the body. They worked quickly, to get this done before sundown.

Read John 20:1-18.

On Sunday, Mary Magdalene arrived first at Jesus’ tomb to finish caring for His body. It was still dark, but she saw the stone rolled away from the tomb’s entrance. She didn’t imagine Jesus was raised from the dead but thought someone had moved His body. She left to tell Peter and John, and they went to investigate. They didn’t go to the graveyard looking for the living, either. They expected to find a dead body.

So, John and Peter ran to Jesus’ tomb. John’s first look at the evidence in the empty tomb convinced Him that Jesus was back from the dead. He saw (literally, “inspected the evidence”) and believed (20:8).

Peter and John went home, but Mary Magdalene stayed, weeping at the tomb. Then she looked in for the first time and saw two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had lain. And if that wasn’t shock enough, she turned around and saw Jesus standing behind her. She didn’t recognize Him—perhaps because she did not believe He was back from the dead. All that was needed to convince her that it was Jesus was Him saying her name.

Mary recognized her Lord and Master and ran to Him. Jesus asked her not to touch Him because He hadn’t yet ascended to the Father. At the Throne of God, the Lord Jesus presented His blood and it became the mercy seat for all time. His blood is there now to remind us throughout eternity of the price He paid for us.

Next, meet Jesus back in Galilee.

1. On the cross, God made the available exchange to us: We receive mercy and Christ receives our sins. Why would you need God’s mercy, and why would Jesus take on your sins?

2. Does it surprise you to see people who had kept their belief in Jesus to themselves now profess belief in him openly, at what is seemingly His ultimate defeat?

3. Why do you think Jesus appeared for the first time to Mary Magdalene rather than to Peter or John?