When Priorities Are Wrong Because Conscience Is Dead
- Baptist Daily Devotional
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
Rev. Enoch Thompson | April 18 2025 | John 19:31
KEY VERSE: “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.” John 19:31 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
The placement of our priorities reveals a great deal about who we are on the inside. We choose to honour that which appears most important according to our thinking. The Jews had brought the Lord Jesus to a hasty, unjust and unfair trial before the Sanhedrin, before Caiaphas and before Pilate, and had got what they demanded, that He be crucified.
In our text for reflection today, we are struck by their frantic effort to ensure that the body of the Lord and those crucified with Him are removed from the cross. The reason was that the next day was a special Sabbath, which is a Sabbath that fell in the week of Passover. The Law of Moses forbade that a hanged dead person be left hanging overnight. But from the tone of the text, we can deduce that had it not been for a special Sabbath approaching. The attempt to keep away the horrible scene of the crucified three from the many Jews who may be coming into Jerusalem, they would have topped their cruelty by allowing the body of the Lord to hang through the night, thus insulting His dignity further.
The Jews asked for the removal of the body of the Lord from the cross to save their face, but they did not see the injustice they did to Him to matter at all. O, how wrongly we place our priorities because we silence conscience!
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
What is the basis of the decisions and actions you take? Are they God-glorifying, or are they face-saving? Determine to live from now onwards with the honour of God and the doing of His will as your basis of choices.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, I thank you that you took the blows for me when you suffered the injustice of human cruelty on the cross. You were misjudged and dealt with by my sin through your enemies. Please help me to choose you over and above everything, and to make my choices henceforth for your honour and glory. For your dear Name’s sake, Amen.
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 108: Joshua 7-8 — Achan’s Sin and the Defeat of Ai
DAILY word study: LEFT
The Greek word translated as “left” in John 19:31 is “menō,” used in its passive sense—meaning “to remain,” “to be left behind,” or “to stay.” It reflects what continues in place, often implying neglect or intentional avoidance.
The concern of the Jews was not the crucifixion itself, but that the bodies might remain—or be “left”—on the cross during the Sabbath. According to Deuteronomy 21:22–23, leaving a body hanging overnight was seen as a defilement of the land. Yet in this act, the very ones guilty of killing the Innocent One now scramble to cover the physical evidence of their guilt. The word “left” becomes heavy with meaning—it shows how easily outward observance can mask inward rebellion. God’s priority is not what is visibly “left,” but what is morally right.
Reflection: When our consciences are dull, we seek to tidy surfaces while ignoring what’s rotting beneath. God calls us to bring our hearts, not just our habits, into alignment with His truth.
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