Beautiful Word: Your Daily Devotion

Daily Scriptural Insights, Curated by the Editors of CT | [View online]( [ChristianityToday.org]( [Beautiful Word Newsletter]( Wednesday, April 12, 2017 His Suffering [April Yamasaki]( Yamasaki&db=true) Today’s Verse Powered by the [New Living Translation]( “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. Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame.” Isaiah 50:6–7 [View in context]( Like the suffering servant of Isaiah 50, Jesus did nothing to prevent his fate. He did not argue with his accusers. He did not retaliate against those who beat him and crucified him. Instead, he responded with few words, a lot of silence, much suffering, agonizing prayer, and steadfast endurance to the end. He allowed his righteousness to speak for itself, as it did to Pilate’s wife in her dream (Matt. 27:19). He allowed others to supply the testimony to his identity. In the face of injustice, he relied on God’s justice in God’s time. In the face of scorn, he refused to stoop to the same level of contempt. In the face of violence, he chose a path of nonviolence. Three days later, on Easter Sunday morning, God’s answer to all of the questions about Jesus came in the Resurrection. Yes, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah and Anointed One of God. Yes, the temple of Jesus’ body had been beaten and broken, but gained new life on the third day. Yes, Jesus is God’s Son, not at all forgotten or forsaken, but fully vindicated in his passion and in his rising again. Our text ends with Jesus’ passion on Good Friday, but Resurrection Sunday is coming! Reflect: Read Isaiah 50:4–9 and reflect on Matthew 27:11–54 one more time. What does Jesus’ suffering reveal to you about his love? Pray: Express your gratitude to God for the extent of his love, revealed to us on the Cross. April Yamasaki is a pastor and the author of several books, including [Christ Is for Us](. Learn more at [AprilYamasaki.com](. Excerpted from Christ Is for Us © 2016 by Abingdon Press, an imprint of The United Methodist Publishing House. (All Scripture quotations within these excerpts are drawn from the Common English Bible © 2011.) Used by permission. All rights reserved. [Read devotions online]( | [Share with a friend](mailto:&subject=Christianity Today Women: His Suffering&body= More for Women [Why Corruption Is an Urgent Justice Issue]( [Why Corruption Is an Urgent Justice Issue]( While living abroad, I discovered the corrosive effects of corruption and the suffering it causes. Dorcas Cheng-Tozun [Easter Book List: Our Favorite New Releases for Kids]( [Easter Book List: Our Favorite New Releases for Kids]( 10 faith-enriching picture books. Kelli B. Trujillo Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( In the Current Issue [April]( [The Most Astonishing Easter Miracle]( [The Strange Encouragement of the Church's Appalling History]( [How a Hotshot New Yorker Found Jesus in Paraguay]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( Christian Bible Studies [No Wonder They Crucified Him]( ) Discover why Jesus was a dangerous man. 6 Session Bible Study [Beautiful Word]( Delivered via email to subscribers daily. [Subscribe]( | [Email Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2017 [ChristianityToday.org]( Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.