Acquittal after 35 years - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

Pilate said to them, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.
Luke 23:13-15

Acquittal after 35 years
A few years ago, a large picture appeared in many daily newspapers. It showed the innocent convicted felon, James Bain, embracing a distinguished grey-haired gentleman, his lawyer. For 35 years, James Bain had served time in prison, although completely innocent. A genetic test finally brought the truth to light: he could not have been the perpetrator who had assaulted and raped a nine-year-old boy so many years before.

Similar to this man, several hundred convicted prisoners have already been acquitted on the basis of DNA tests. Many had served long prison sentences and some of them had even faced the death penalty. But none reached the 35 years that the innocent James Bain spent behind bars. It was all the more astonishing that the man who had been innocently imprisoned for so long felt neither bitterness nor resentment. He said upon his release, "I have left everything in God's hands."

In the Bible we read that Jesus Christ was also innocently condemned. He was even crucified, although Pilate, the Roman governor, and Herod, the prince of Galilee, had found no guilt in Him.

Unlike James Bain, however, Jesus could have extricated Himself from this dire situation in the blink of an eye. But he didn't. Rather, He died out of love for us because He wanted to save us. Therefore, through faith in Him, we can now receive forgiveness of guilt and eternal life. He is worthy for us to entrust ourselves completely to Him - even if we suffer unjustly.

Today's reading: Numbers 7:1-29 · Matthew 5:21-32