The court proceedings had been going on all... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

The chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend from the cross, that we may see and believe.
Mark 15: 31.32.

The court proceedings had been going on all night. They were, in fact, useless, for the sentence had already been decided: Jesus was to be crucified. Pilate, the Roman governor, felt uneasy about the case. So three times he asked the multitude, . On the third occasion they could no longer be held back. "They cried out all the more, Crucify him!" (Mark 15:14).

The king of the Jews was crucified though totally innocent. Why? His life had undoubtedly revealed clearly who He was. "He saved others" confirmed it. "Doing good and healing" (Acts 10: 38), Jesus had travelled through the land. The Son of God had testified: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up" (Matthew 11: 5). Yet the scribes wanted a further sign, so that they could recognise His kingship.

He was to save Himself by descending from the cross. This did not comply with the prophecy of the Old Testament. The Messiah was to demonstrate His power, but only for the benefit of others. Their demand had no scriptural basis.

This kind of condition for believing is not unknown today. Instead of believing what the Word of God states concerning Jesus Christ, people demand their own "experience of faith". Whoever is not prepared to rely on the Bible, will not be convinced by other events.

Today‘s reading: 2 Kings 15: 1 - 22 · 1 John 2: 20 - 29