Matthew 27 Devotional

The Innocent for the Guilty

“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.””Matthew 27:54 (BSB)

Matthew's account of the crucifixion keeps returning to one fact: Jesus is innocent. Judas, seized with remorse, admits he has betrayed innocent blood (27:3-4). Pilate's wife warns her husband to stay clear of this innocent man (27:19). Pilate himself asks what evil Jesus has done, then washes his hands in front of the crowd and disclaims responsibility (27:23-24). Yet the innocent one is crucified, while Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, is released (27:16, 27:26).

Darkness covers the land, and Jesus cries out, asking why his God has forsaken him (27:45-46). When he yields up his spirit, the temple veil is split from top to bottom, the earth shakes, and the centurion on guard confesses him as truly God's Son (27:51, 27:54). Peter later writes that Christ, the righteous one, suffered for the sins of the unrighteous in order to bring them to God (1 Peter 3:18). A guilty man walked free that day while the innocent one died. You can come to God today on the strength of that exchange.

To think about: What guilt are you still carrying that Jesus, the innocent one, has already carried in your place?