Key Bible Verse: As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side (John 20:20). Bonus Reading: Revelation 5:1-14

The ritual scars on Joseph's face mark all Masai warriors. But the scars-upon-scars that cover his chest and back are unique. Walking along a trail one day, Joseph met someone who told him the good news of Jesus. He made Him his Lord on the spot. Returning to his village, he went hut to hut, excitedly telling about salvation through the cross of Jesus. Joseph was unprepared for the hostile reaction. Men seized and pinned him down while women beat him with strands of barbed wire. He was dragged out into the bush and left to die.

Joseph crawled to a water hole, passing in and out of consciousness for two days. Then, puzzling over what he'd left out of his telling, he limped back into his village, and tried again: "Jesus died for you so you could obtain forgiveness from God." He was again beaten unconscious and dragged outside the village.

When Joseph returned, they were waiting; they attacked him immediately. He gasped out words about Jesus' power to give new life. As he passed out, Joseph saw the women flogging him begin to weep. When he awoke in his own bed, his assailants were trying to save his life. The entire village had come to Christ while he was unconscious.

—Michael Card in Immanuel

My Response: How have I been affected by Jesus' suffering on my behalf?

Thought to Apply: We need men of the cross, with the message of the cross, bearing the marks of the cross.—VANCE HAVNER (preacher & evangelist)

Adapted from Immanuel (Nelson, 1990) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, this week help me grasp the agonizing ordeal Your Son endured to pay my penalty.

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