Luke 23
February 2, 2022
“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’”
Three times the test is given to Jesus to save himself and come off the cross if he really is the Christ (hearkening back to Satan’s 3-fold temptation in the wilderness in Luke 4). The test, there, too, was to avoid suffering and take a path other than the one laid out for him - in order to prove that he was the Son of God. And in both tests/temptations, Jesus could have called down a legion of angels to rescue him. But He doesn’t. He doesn’t take Satan’s bait. He refuses to ‘save himself’ - so that he might ‘save us,’ staying up on that cross until the work of redemption was ‘finished’ (John 19:31).
Lord Jesus, I praise You for Your great love - so perfectly demonstrated at the cross. Thank You for being faithful to the mission all the way unto death, giving up your life - so that I might gain life! May my gratitude for the cross increase today - and may my obedience to the Father’s will look more and more like Yours - even when it involves suffering or hardship. May I face it with the same trust and resolve that You modeled at the cross - by Your Spirit, who now dwells within me through faith in You!
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
-
Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
-
Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
-
➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
