May 23, 2026 Devo

Spend a little time with this passage today. Reflect on the events leading up to the cross. Imagine the crown of thorns being crushed down upon Jesus’ head. See the blood running down His face. Picture Him as He’s forced to His knees, with His arms wrapped around a pole. Watch His body wince every time the whip straps, laced with hooks, snap across His back and rip out strips of flesh. Time and again, they strike until there’s nearly no flesh left. Then they force Him to stagger through the streets in public humiliation. People laugh and catcall as He passes. They spit in His face and mock Him. And they lead Him away to a waiting cross. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is crucified like a common criminal.
As you imagine this, say these words out loud. “He chose to do that for me.” Isn’t that unbelievable? First, that He CHOSE it. Look again at what Isaiah reminds us about. “I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.” “I OFFERED my back…I DID NOT HIDE my face.” Jesus didn’t have to go through any of it. He was clear about this when He said, “No one takes my life from me. I lay it down.” He reminded Peter and His disciples in the Garden that He didn’t need their protection. He was the Commander of the Armies of Heaven and could call legions of angels to defend Him. But He didn’t. Though He was powerful beyond measure, He willingly and thoughtfully chose not to stop what was happening or even resist. He chose it.
But He didn’t do that without reason. He did it for YOU. He did it for ME. When the crown of thorns pierced His scalp, when the whip shredded His back, when He tolerated the mocking and spitting, when He allowed them to drive spikes through His hands and feet, He did it with us in mind. His pain would be for our healing. His humiliation would pave the way for our glory. His blood would pay the penalty for our sin. And His death would give us LIFE! Say it again and let it humble you to your knees before Him today. “He chose to do that for me.” That’s God’s Word for you today.