Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Though I realize it had to be, though I understand what it accomplished, and though I know that a brilliant dawn awaited Him who endured the darkest of all days, I am unable to shake free from the sound of those square nails being pounded into place.

Crucifixion ranks right up there on the short list of the most painful and torturous deaths ever devised. In the first century, the cross meant death . . . but not just any death. It meant the most hideous, anguished death imaginable.

Knowing in his heart that Jesus was innocent, Pilate compromised his convictions to appease the people and turned Him over to the mob. His fear of people was greater than his fear of God.

Jesus of Nazareth had a magnificent obsession: the cross. He was consumed by a compelling sense of divine providence, and each day of His adult life drew Him inexorably closer to the fulfillment of His mission.

Although he never appears on center stage, Barabbas played a major role. Having been convicted and condemned to die, his cell was most likely located in the fortress of Antonia in Jerusalem.

Jesus' first three trials were religious in nature. The accusation was blasphemy, which was an offense that was admissible only in a Jewish court of law. So when Jesus stood before Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin (trials one, two, and three), He was accused of blasphemy.

Most Christians have never made a serious study of what transpired immediately before Jesus’ crucifixion. We tend to jump from Gethsemane to Golgotha, omitting many, if not all, the events in between.

I've often said that Peter suffered from “foot-in-mouth” disease. He was given to boasting and overstatement because of his over-inflated opinion of himself. But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt here. Perhaps he was genuinely self-assured.

Jesus didn’t just bow once for a brief prayer in the garden and then go out to face His crucifixion. He prayed, and then He went back to the disciples. He then returned to prayer, and then once again came back to the disciples.

Judging from the ancient olive grove that can be seen today on the Mount of Olives, the garden of Gethsemane must have been a quiet, fragrant, and lovely place. Scholars of the New Testament believe Jesus and His disciples must have arrived there somewhere between midnight and one o’clock in the morning.

On His last night with His disciples, Jesus celebrated the Passover as devout Jews had been doing for centuries. Appropriately, He used that feast of remembrance to turn their attention to His own approaching death.

What did Christ look like to the men, women, and children who met Him? To be completely honest, probably not much like the images we see in stained-glass windows.

The Cave of Adullam was no Holiday Inn. It was a wicked refugee camp . . . a dark vault on the side of a cliff that reached deeply into a hill. Huddled in this clammy cavern were 400 losers—a mob of miserable humanity. They came from all over and wound up all together.

THERE IS A STRANGE STATEMENT IN Scripture that flashes like a bright neon sign. Paul made it while he was saying good-bye to a group of friends standing near him. It was a sad moment heavy with emotion.

DISORIENTATION IS THE PITS. When you travel a lot (like airline personnel) you must deal with it.

TUCKED AWAY IN THE FOLDS OF Hebrews 11 is a two-word biography worth a second glance: "He endured" (11:27, NASB). The Living Bible says, "[he] kept right on going."

WEBSTER DEFINES THE WORD "cordial" as of or relating to the heart: vital, tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate, heartfelt, gracious. That's really a mouthful; in fact, that's worth a few minutes of our time together.

PAUL WANTED TO BE IN HEAVEN but needed to be on earth. In a temporal sort of way, this time of year, I share his frustration.

THERE IS ONLY ONE YOU. In our overly-populated, identity-crisis era it is easy to forget this. Individuality is played down. We are asked to conform to the "system."

YEARS AGO, when I pastored in California, an usher met me as I was leaving the church. He had been involved in counting the morning offering.