He Shall Be Called - Day 18

Life and Death Prophecy: The Messiah’s garment would be divided by the casting of lots

Scripture: Read the prophecy – Psalm 22:18
Read the fulfillment – John 19:23 - 24

At the death of our Lord, there was no estate sale. There was no reason to get the family together to read the will. Jesus had so few earthly posses- sions the soldiers decided to throw dice to determine who could keep the only material thing they could identify – His cloak. Jesus didn’t leave much in the way of earthly possessions. He entered our world with nothing except hope for the future. He left the earth having been faithful to the task to turn that hope from a promise to reality.

The soldiers thought the only thing Jesus left was a dirty cloak. In reality, He left far more than that. He left His truth. He left a message of love and kindness. He left a small band of followers who would soon be energized to take His message of love and forgiveness throughout the entire world. Having someone gamble over your clothing as you die on a cross seems like a terrible injustice. What could be more demeaning? The soldiers mocked and probably thought “what a failure, what a loser”. But Jesus wasn’t a loser. He stayed on the cross and suffered death because He loved us. Praise God for His unspeakable gift!

Q1. Why did Jesus chose not to use His power and stop the sham of a trial and crucifixion?

Q2. Jesus voluntarily gave up His power and didn’t demand His rights. Do you see opportunities in your own life where you could help someone by not demanding your rights?

A man stands accused, The sign reads “King of the Jews”
Angry words thrown Your way, “Save yourself”, they shouted that day Earthly goods they took for their own,
Casting lots, the seeds had been sown
Nothing they give can replace what is real,
Nothing they do can erase what You did on that day

PRAYER FOCUS: Precious Lord, thank you for staying faithful, faithful even to the point of death. Thank You for enduring all the pain and rejection and doing it all for me. Thank You for the unspeakable gift of eternal life. Without You and Your sacrifice, I would have no hope. Because of You I can have joy that doesn’t depend on my daily circumstance. Give me the courage to share the truth of the gospel and live a life that makes Jesus make sense to the people I see every day.