Day 27: What did Jesus give?

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” Luke 23:35

Jesus was the King of the Jews, and the most crucial part of His sacrifice was His death. Giving up His life paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. But Jesus made many other sacrifices, too.

Although He was both God and King, He gave up His glory and honor. Instead He lived as a regular person from a typical family. He didn’t have political power or financial clout or a famous family.

He sacrificed some parts of His power. God the Father is present everywhere and knows everything about the future. Jesus those abilities up, too.

He continually gave up His own will and instead did the will of His Father. He did God’s Will even when it was difficult. Luke 22:42 tells us that Jesus prayed that He would not have to go to the cross to die, yet He did so willingly, in obedience to His Father.

God sometimes ask Christians to sacrifice their lives, but we are more often called to make the kind of daily sacrifice Jesus also made, giving up our power, prestige, or desires in order to do what God wants or to serve others.

Questions for reflection or discussion

  1. Can you think of anything else Jesus gave up during His time on earth?
  2. Is there something you need to sacrifice for God’s will?

Prayer

Dear God, give us grace to emulate Jesus’ sacrifices, even to the point of giving up our lives. Help us also remember that the sacrifices that seem small can be equally important. In Jesus’ name, amen.