Daily Devotions
Friday, March 13, 2026
And as soon as it was morning, the [Jewish leaders] bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things. And Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against You.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. (Mark 15:1-5)
When the sun came up, the council sent Jesus to Pontius Pilate—the Roman governor who ruled Judea. They had to do this, because they wanted Jesus dead—and as a conquered nation, they no longer had the right to put people to death. So they handed Jesus over to a non-Jew, that is, a Gentile.
What this means for us today is that all human beings were involved in what we did to Jesus. We can’t blame the Jews or the Gentiles—it’s all of us. If His own people betrayed Him and handed Him over, it was the Gentiles who carried out the death sentence—even though they knew He was an innocent Man.
So the guilt belongs to everybody. But because God loves us, Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness belong to everybody, too—He gives it to anyone who will take it. That’s because Jesus willingly suffered and died for every human being in the world. He took away all of our evil at the cross; and when He rose from the dead, He became the Source of life for all of us who believe in Him, no matter who we are.
WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for taking me as Your own. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- What does it mean to say that Jesus is the “King of the Jews”?
- What does Romans 15:12 have to say about Jesus and the Gentiles?
- What does Jesus say about how both groups relate to Him in John 10:16?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Readings:
Numbers 7-8Mark 13:21-37
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