Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him! --
These words were spoken by the Pharisees, the enemies of Jesus, when he entered Jerusalem. They
stood at a distance watching a great crowd shout, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord." To the legalistic Pharisees it looked as though they had lost and that Jesus
had wrestled away the hearts of the people with all his talk about new life.
In his gospel, John tells us that the crowd gathered around Jesus because they saw him raise
Lazarus from the dead. Like the crowd, we have always looked for a way to find new life after the
death of our dreams, relationships, jobs, and, of course, our bodies. Otherwise, the legalists
win and there is no salvation from our losses and sins, no Easter, no hope for new life.
But where was everybody in this great crowd when Jesus was arrested, tried, and crucified last
Friday? Why did he die essentially alone? Perhaps the best answer to this question is from an
anonymous voice in the crowd during the crucifixion: "He saved others. Let him save himself." The
crowd mistakenly assumed that Jesus, the miracle worker, would avoid his own death. But the Savior
knew there was a price to be paid for all this new life others would receive.
So in the end, the legalists were right. They did lose. You don't have to keep trying to pay for
your own sins. That was already taken care of -- last Friday.
-- Craig Barnes