April 11

One for All

“You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50).

Scripture: John 11:45-53

Song: “The Wonderful Cross”

In 1948 New Yorker magazine carried Shirley Jackson’s troubling story, “The Lottery.” The premise of the story is that one per- son dies for the rest of the town. Once a year, the families in a small New England village gather to participate in a lottery to select the family from whom the scapegoat comes. The process begins with the whole town and narrows down to an individual. Whoever chooses the marked rock is the “winner” and is stoned to death.

The story, when it first ran, incited all kinds of responses. Many were outraged at the dark and brutal aspects of it. I thought of that story again as I read John 11 where unknowingly, Caiaphas spoke truth in prophecy about Jesus.

Unlike Jackson’s story, though, the selection of Jesus wasn’t by random chance. He chose the marked rock. He did it so that no one would ever have to fear death. Because He was willing to die, we can live. The echo from that day still resounds: the lottery hasn’t fallen on me. Jesus’ choice means you never have to be afraid of what’s beyond the grave. The Father put the lottery on His Son and when He died, the lottery ended. None of us were selected and we won’t be. Because of our relationship with Jesus, we have life.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus and how He gave His life for us. May we live to honor Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.