Words of Hope Daily Devotional
Lion of Judah
Read: Mark 15:37-39
One of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.” (Rev. 5:5)
Have you ever watched a long-distance runner finish a race? You can see the pain in their faces as they push their bodies to the limit. But there is also a sense of joy and relief mixed in with the exhaustion. Sometimes, the runner’s arms go up in that universal posture of victory as they lunge across the finish line.
When Jesus crossed the finish line of his crucifixion, he was undoubtedly in tremendous pain. But he seems to have felt relief and accomplishment, as well. The gospel of Mark reports that Jesus “uttered a loud cry” as he breathed his last (Mark 15:37). Other gospels record specific last words of Jesus: in Luke, Jesus called out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46) In John, Jesus said simply, “It is finished” (John 19:30). When the centurion guarding Jesus observed these final moments, Mark reports that he was amazed: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39) There was something almost lionlike about the way Jesus came roaring to the end of his ordeal. The book of Revelation returns to a prophecy that was first uttered all the way back in Genesis, naming the conquering Jesus “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Gen. 49:9; Rev. 5:5).
We can be confident in our salvation because Jesus confidently finished his work on the cross. The Lion of Judah has conquered. How can we rest in his decisive victory today?
As you pray, thank God for the victory of Jesus’s death on the cross.
About the Author
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
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