Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: MICAH 7:19; 1 JOHN 1:9–2:1 Do you still feel guilty about it? That thing you did. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened eight years ago. No matter what it was, you may be holding on to unnecessary guilt. Guilt does have a purpose. It leads us to repentance and encourages us not to do evil again…but that purpose can be twisted by Satan. God wants us to feel sorry for our sins so we can repent (or turn away) from them and rest in His forgiveness. But once these sins are forgiven, they’re gone. Poof! God has removed them from us. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we carry these old sins no more. The Bible even says that God separates us from our sins “as far…as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). God doesn’t want His people to sit in their guilt and pore over sins already forgiven. Jesus took on our punishment for us. He died and was forsaken for our sins, taking on God’s wrath for us so that we don’t have to suffer the punishment our wrongdoing deserves. Besides guilt, another problem Christians face is shame. Shame is similar to guilt, but instead of seeing wrong in your sins, you see wrong in yourself. Shame changes “I did something bad” into “I’m a bad person.” As Christians, we were once defined by our sins. But if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He has given us a new identity. We are now children of God, wrapped in Jesus’s righteousness and blameless in His eyes. God wants us to rejoice in Him, not feel shameful. As Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.” So whenever you feel guilt or shame, you can repent of any sins that come to mind—acknowledging them to God, turning away from them, and resting in His forgiveness. If you still feel guilt and shame after that, consider taking some time to thank Jesus for the grace and forgiveness He has already given you. You are no longer captive to the power of guilt and shame. You are held in the love of Jesus. • Naomi Zylstra • If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, then all your sins have been paid for on the cross—past, present, and future. If you want to know more about this amazing forgiveness, see our "Know Jesus" page. • Are there any sins you still feel guilty for? If you haven’t confessed them to God yet, consider doing that now. If you’re still feeling guilt or shame, who is a trusted Christian you could share openly with— someone who can pray with you and remind you of how God truly sees you? He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 64:6; EZEKIEL 36:25-27; MATTHEW 23:23-28; 1 PETER 1:18-23 “You wear the pink wig; I’ll wear the silver one!” My friend Bridget and I laughed as we dressed in costumes. Playing around with Bridget’s keyboard that day, we decided to put on a show for my grandma, who had stopped by for a visit. My grandma didn’t know about the tunes the keyboard had been programmed to play with just the press of a button. We thought it would be funny to pretend we played the music and see if we could trick my grandma into believing we possessed more musical skills than we did. Bridget and I silently tapped the keyboard while recorded music filled the room. After our concert, my grandma praised our abilities. She gushed until we sheepishly admitted our ruse. Though Bridget and I fooled my grandma, that didn’t change anything about our actual talent. Sometimes in life, we do the same thing. We attempt to hide the reality of a bitter, unforgiving, or selfish attitude by putting on a kind of performance, like an outward show of friendship or kindness. People might be tricked, but God knows the true state of our hearts. God sees everything—including the motives for why we do what we do. When Jesus lived among us, “he knew what was in each person’s heart” (John 2:25). He spoke harsh words to the Pharisees, calling these religious leaders whitewashed tombs. Outwardly, they displayed good behavior, but they resisted humility and repentance of their sins. Each of us has a choice. We can try to look “good” with a performance we can never maintain, or we can acknowledge that our good deeds are just filthy rags before a holy God—and turn to Jesus for forgiveness. Once we trust Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins, we start a new-creation life in Christ. His love for us is always authentic and never a mere performance. As He transforms us from within, we grow into Christ followers who don’t just perform. We learn to live and love with a new heart. • Allison Wilson Lee • Have you ever felt God loved you more on your “good” days than your “bad” ones? What does the reality of being God’s children mean about His love for us? Does His love change based on our performance? (Hint: read Luke 15:11-32; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) • Why is it important to bring our heart issues to the Lord instead of simply trying to modify our outward behavior? Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 103:1-8; EPHESIANS 1:3-6; COLOSSIANS 3:1-2 Ever wonder why we have to go through so much hard stuff in this life? If you do, you’re in good company! All of us prefer the sweet and easy moments, free from the burdens of grief and pain. God created us for wholeness, but humanity’s sin brought brokenness. Yet God made the way for wholeness again through Jesus, who died on the cross and rose from the grave to save us from sin and heal all the brokenness sin causes. One day, Jesus will return, and this earth will be remade. In a brief moment, all will be made right. Our suffering will be but a memory. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we have this good future to look forward to. In the meantime, we have a choice. We can ask ourselves, How will we suffer? The things we face might make us angry or deeply sorrowful. And those emotions only make sense! And yet, in the middle of our afflictions, we can also choose to rejoice in God our Father, Christ our Savior, and the Spirit our Comforter. God invites us to be honest about how difficult or even impossible the hard things are, and to feel our emotions with Him. And at the same time, because His power is in us, we can choose to raise our sights above, “where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1). Paul said it this way: he was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). It’s a both/and kind of thing. We can face the reality of any sad or difficult thing in our lives, and we can also cast our eyes upward. When we do, we remember the truths that remain, no matter what: God really is good, He is still trustworthy, and His love for us never ceases. We remember that He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. We are His cherished children. Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he said, “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Living by faith is a choice we can make, right now. Along with Paul, many other believers have chosen to rejoice even in their sorrows. We can too, when we remember that Jesus walks with us through every step of our life’s journey. • Kristen Merrill • When it feels impossible to turn our gaze away from the brokenness and rejoice in God’s goodness, God wants us to ask Him for help! We can talk to Him honestly, and we can also share our struggles with trusted Christians. Who in your life can pray with you today? • If you want to dig deeper, read Psalm 145:9; Lamentations 3:22; John 14:6; 1 John 3:1 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 2:1-10 My skin is cold. Though I can’t know for sure how cold—since corpses can’t feel anything. They can’t do anything at all, really. If I had the ability to touch, I’d feel the icy, rough dirt that holds my stiff body in place. I’d feel the maggots wriggling their muculent bodies around the tips of my fingers, inside my ears, around my mouth, at the corners of my eyes. If my sense of smell were working, I’d smell the aroma of rotting things decomposing beneath the earth’s surface. If my tear ducts worked, I might wail as I thought on the fact that I am among them, my body food for the creatures that never see sunlight. But I can do none of those things. Because I am dead. And when a person is dead, that is all they can do. Nothing. This is my fate. To do nothing. To be nothing. To know nothing. To love nothing. Until the moment that it isn’t my fate anymore. Suddenly, the dirt is being pushed away from my body. Gentle hands are brushing the soil from my face, and I feel the warmth of them as they grasp my hands. I feel them. As I have never been able to feel anything before! These warm hands that send a blaze of warmth and life flowing up my arms and throughout my body now pull me upward until I’m above the ground. I squint in the sunlight with eyes that can see! When my eyes finally adjust to the bright light, I look into the face of the one who pulled me out. The one who has breathed life into my dead body and saved me from a fate of death and nothing. The Man who smiles back at me wears white robes, free of blemish or spot. On His head is a crown made of the finest metals and precious stones. This Man is the King. He cares for me. And He has made me alive. • Emily Tenter • Today’s allegorical story is inspired by Ephesians 2:1-10. Consider taking some time to read this passage slowly. What do you notice? Why do you think dead is the word used to describe us before we know Jesus? • Our sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). But God wants to rescue us from sin and death. What lengths would He go to to save us? He loves us so much that He gave up His own life for us. Jesus died and was buried—His body dwelt in a grave. But not for long. Jesus rose from the dead, defeating sin and death forever, and guaranteeing that everyone who knows Him will have eternal life! When someone becomes a Christian, they pass “from death to life” (John 5:24), and they have the sure hope of Jesus’s return. On that day, He will raise us from our graves, and our bodies will be fully healed and whole! What questions do you have about death and life? Who are trusted Christians you could talk to about these things? (If you want to dig deeper, read John 11:1-44; Romans 8:10-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.) • Have you experienced being made alive by Jesus? For more about what this means, see our "Know Jesus" page. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Ephesians 2:4-5 (CSB)

READ: LUKE 22:19; 24:13-36 The mall food courts in Guatemala City are very different than those I visited in the US. When I came back from four years away from my country, one of the first outings we had was to the mall. Mall runs and window-shopping are common practices among most city folk in Guatemala. We especially like doing this on Sunday afternoons. Food courts get packed—to the point that families usually have to split up to find a spot to eat. It’s crazy, and I bet many of you reading this are already cringing at the thought. The layout of these food courts is pretty interesting. Tables are all touching each other, basically creating twenty-person tables. There is no room to separate them, so—whether you like it or not—you usually eat lunch with strangers. And that brings us to today’s Bible passage. Shortly after Jesus’s resurrection, He appeared to two of His disciples, walking along the road to Emmaus with them. But Luke 24:16 says, “they were prevented from recognizing him.” Even though Jesus was an apparent stranger to these disciples, they still invited Him over for dinner. Jesus accepted and ate with them. And He broke the bread—just as He had done on the night before He went to the cross! When that happened, the disciples’ “eyes were opened, and they recognized him”—and then He vanished (verse 31). Is it too bold to say that maybe by having lunch with strangers—even at such a common place as a food court—we might be dining with Jesus, welcoming Him to have lunch with us? Is it even crazier to think that when others are hosts to us we might recognize Jesus in them? Hospitality is an opportunity to show and remember Jesus’s love and His presence with us. It’s a chance to recognize and proclaim that Jesus came to dwell with us even when we were estranged from Him (Matthew 1:23; John 1:14; Romans 5:8; Colossians 1:21-22). • Andres López • Can you think of a time you felt welcomed by others? What was that like? • As Christians, how can we (safely) welcome the stranger among us into our lives? • How might God be inviting you to reach out to the outcasts in your school, church, neighborhood, etc.? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this. Additionally, who is a trusted Christian adult—such as a parent, pastor, or youth leader—you can talk to about what practicing hospitality could look like in your life? (Matthew 25:34-40; Hebrews 13:1-3) Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God. Romans 15:7 (CSB)

READ: JOHN 20:24-31; 1 PETER 1:8 I’m just gonna say it—I think Thomas the disciple, commonly known as “Doubting Thomas,” gets a bad rap. When the other disciples witnessed the risen Christ, Thomas was absent. Thomas said he wanted visible, tangible proof of Jesus’s resurrection, saying, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands…and put my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). It’s easy to criticize Thomas for his unbelief, but I’m not sure I would be any better. Would I take the word of the other eleven disciples? Would I really believe that Jesus had risen from the dead? Thomas loved Jesus deeply. So fervent was his love for the Savior that in John 11:16 he was willing to follow Jesus into possible death when Jesus wanted to go to Bethany. Perhaps Thomas wanted evidence of the risen Christ, not because he was apathetic, but because he felt the intense hurt when Jesus died. Death is painful, separating loved ones and drawing us into profound grief. Even Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35). Death is unnatural, a consequence of the curse of sin. Yet Jesus has overcome the power of sin through His death— and overcome the power of death through His resurrection. The good news is, the story doesn’t end with Thomas’s doubt. A week after Thomas’s statement of unbelief, Jesus reappeared in the upper room where the disciples had gathered behind locked doors. Jesus confronted Thomas and invited him to touch His hands and His side—to touch the very wounds Thomas had said he needed to see. Thomas immediately believed, exclaiming, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28). In fact, church tradition says Thomas spent the rest of his life as a missionary and died at the point of a spear. He devoted his life to sharing the good news of the resurrection with those who had not seen the risen Christ in person. Thomas may have doubted in the upper room, but Jesus wasn’t finished working in his life. • Mike Hurley • Do you think “Doubting Thomas” is an accurate label? • Even people who have been walking with Jesus for decades still wrestle with doubt from time to time. Thankfully, Jesus responds to us like He responded to Thomas—not shying away from our questions and hurts, but coming near. Jesus invites us to tell Him all our questions, frustrations, and fears—and also to share these with trusted Christians who can show us His love, pray with us and for us, and help us dig into His Word. What doubts have been weighing on you? But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 (CSB)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-20 In 1 Corinthians 15:17, Paul writes that if Jesus Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our faith is worthless because we are still in our sins. Jesus’s victory over the grave is what secures forgiveness for our sins and guarantees that we will have eternal life with Him. So how can we be certain that Jesus rose from the dead? Here is some of the best evidence for the resurrection: Jesus’s followers died for Him. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, His followers continued to proclaim His resurrection, even in the face of immense persecution and suffering. Church tradition tells us that most of these followers were even killed for what they were proclaiming. Would you suffer and give your life for a lie? How likely do you think it is that multiple people would all suffer and die for the same lie? Hard-to-convince people were convinced. According to biblical records, people like James (the half-brother of Jesus) and Saul of Tarsus were hard-core skeptics, and in Saul’s case, persecutors of the church. Only the resurrection explains their sudden change of heart, which led them to become leaders of the church. If the resurrection was a lie, the disciples did a terrible job. Several details in the resurrection story would be different if the disciples were trying to invent a believable story. For example, they would not have included shameful information about themselves—like abandoning and denying Jesus at His trial. They would not have shared that women found the tomb empty first—because women in the first century were not considered credible witnesses. They would have removed the part about Jesus’s suffering as He awaited His betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane—to make Him more appealing to a culture that valued strength. The Christian faith hinges on the resurrection. Thankfully, we have every reason to be confident in the reliability of the eyewitness accounts of the resurrection that we have recorded in Scripture today. • Jonathon Fuller • Why is it important that Jesus actually rose from the dead, and that eye-witness accounts of His resurrection are recorded in the Bible? • What questions do you have about the resurrection? Who are trusted Christians in your life who could help you look into these? But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 53:1-5; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:8-18; 1 PETER 5:6-11 The pastor spoke through the laptop sitting on a TV tray in my living room. It wasn’t the typical way I spent Easter Sunday. I took a few steps and opened the blinds, mimicking how the shades opened during service at my home church. My mom laughed, and I returned to the couch to listen to the Easter message. Several days earlier, I had an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit removed from my abdomen. The sixty days before the surgery had been filled with confusion, anguish, and debilitating pain. Unsure of the root cause at first, I spent weeks scheduling tests with doctors until the cyst was finally found. Even after the doctors found the cyst, I had to wait another month for the surgery. That month was one of the hardest months of my life. Chronic pain and fatigue, while trying to teach a class full of rambunctious first graders, made me question why God was allowing this in my life. Those sixty days were hard, but through them, I came to feel closer to God. The nights when I had pain so severe I thought it might burst through my body, I called out to God, and He sustained me. When I wasn’t sure how I would endure, I clung to His promises, and He came through. That Easter was different than any other Easter, but it was also the rawest example of the Easter message in my life. My body had felt dead, consumed in pain and anguish, but through the hands of skilled doctors, God had raised my body back to life. Later that day, my mom drove us to a nearby restaurant. It was a huge accomplishment to get dressed, climb into a car, and sit in a booth. My broken body was being restored. Easter pie never tasted so sweet. • Jenna Brooke Carlson • On Easter Sunday, we celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead! Through His death and resurrection, He made the way for us to be restored to relationship with God—and for all of creation to be made new one day when Jesus returns. As we wait for this glorious day, we have the incredible blessings of Jesus’s presence with us every moment, and the many ways He shows us His care and healing. Yet we also long for renewal that isn’t here yet. Can you think of a time you felt broken? Were there any ways you noticed God caring for you? • Where are you still waiting for God’s renewal? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this. But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead! Isaiah 26:19 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 52:13–53:12; JOHN 16:33; HEBREWS 4:14-16 Long before Jesus was born, many prophets foretold His coming. Isaiah was one of these prophets. And his words (found in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament) use powerful imagery to convey God’s glorious redemption story. Isaiah had a lot of incredible things to say about Jesus, even before He was born. One of Isaiah’s most gripping word-picture passages is Isaiah 52:13–53:12. Earlier in the book of Isaiah, we learn of Jesus’s power and divinity (9:6-7). But here, we understand His relatable, humbling humanity. Jesus knows our pain— He was not particularly attractive, He knew suffering and sadness, and He was despised by many (53:2-3). Jesus loves us so much that He willingly took on this pain and affliction, and He suffered to the point of death on the cross. For you and me. We praise Him because through His death and resurrection He has overcome the pains and sins of this world! He offers us new life in Himself— forgiving our sins, saving us from death, and healing all our hurts (53:5). No matter what you’re going through, you can trust that Jesus loves you, and He understands your pain to the fullest. He knows grief. He knows what it feels like to be unpopular and rejected by people. He knows abandonment. He even knows death. He didn’t have to experience these painful things, but He chose to enter into our suffering in order to heal us. Jesus knows your pain and loves you immensely, which is why He died for you. He came to heal you from the sin and pain of this world and to bring you into a right relationship with Himself. You can always bring your pain to Him because He understands, and He cares. • Rachel Wierenga • Consider reading Isaiah 52:13–53:12 slowly. What phrases stick out to you the most? How do these make you feel—curious, confused, sad, thankful, frustrated, peaceful, or something else? • What sort of pain are you experiencing today? It might be physical, emotional, mental, relational, or spiritual. Consider taking a moment to tell Jesus about your pain. You can be totally honest with Him. He truly knows what you’re going through, and He weeps with you. • When Jesus returns and raises all His people from the dead, we will have resurrected bodies and live harmoniously together in restored creation! Revelation 21:4 says, “There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” How can this eternal future give us hope for today? But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 53:1-12; MARK 15:16-41; LUKE 23:34, 39-43 Anguished, Blood splatters On the sacred ground. Jesus weeps for us. Soldiers taunt Spitting, striking Upon His holy face Our Savior scars for us. Falling, rejected, Brutal nails pierce Into the Son of God Jesus dies for us. Many did not understand Who you were and are: The Lamb, the Messiah, Restorer of our brokenness. • Cindy Lee • Today’s poem describes Jesus’s journey, death, and sacrifice. He knew that suffering the cross was the only way to repair the broken relationship between us and God. It was worth it to Him to give up everything for us—because He loves us. Consider taking some time to read today’s Bible passages slowly and ponder God’s love and sacrifice for you. • If you want to know more about what Jesus has done for us, who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk to about it? You can also find more about Jesus on our "Know Jesus" page. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

READ: JOHN 13:1-38 Maundy Thursday is one of my favorite times in the church calendar. The evening service I attend is one I have always found deeply moving. Listening to Scripture during the commemoration, it’s as if the words transport me back in time to the upper room sitting with Jesus and His friends. Key moments from the Bible unfold, like when: Jesus washes His disciples’ feet. As Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He humbled Himself and adopted a servant’s role. At times in the history of the UK (where I live), the monarch would reenact this Christian message by washing the feet of the poor and giving them donations. Ministers all over the world still wash people’s feet. It can remind all of us of the way Jesus humbly loved and served us—and the way He calls us to love and serve each other. Friends gather together. When Jesus gathers His close friends together for a meal, they are celebrating the Jewish Passover (Exodus 12). During this meal, Jesus points to His upcoming sacrifice on the cross. It’s impossible to imagine the sorrow and anxiety Jesus experienced. Even His friends couldn’t offer Him strength. He predicted Judas’s betrayal and Peter’s denial, and loved them still. This caused uncertainty in the room. Everyone wanted to know who the traitor was, and Peter argued with Jesus that he would never deny Him. It paints a raw picture of human frailty. Jesus’s fulfillment of the plan of salvation draws near. The Last Supper is the start of the horrific events that lead to Jesus’s betrayal, torture, and death. Although the disciples couldn’t comprehend it at the time, today we know that Jesus defeated death through His resurrection—and now He offers salvation as a free gift to all who believe in Him! Wherever you may be on Maundy Thursday, this special day during the last week of Lent is a wonderful reminder of the love and forgiveness Jesus offers to us—sinful and broken people that we are. The celebration of the Passover in the upper room was the start of a momentous event that would change lives forever, offering hope and salvation to those in the past, present, and future. • Cindy Lee • Consider reading John 13:1-38 slowly, and imagine you are in the upper room while these events take place. What moments stick out to you? Which people do you resonate with? What do you notice about Jesus? Consider spending some time in prayer, talking to Jesus about all of this. Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1 (NLT)

READ: MARK 14:27-31, 66-72 A rooster crowed at the moment of the apostle Peter’s biggest failure. Let’s back up a few hours before that awful choice. On the night of Jesus’s betrayal, He warned His disciples that they would scatter when He was taken from them. That’s when Peter spoke up: no matter what the others would do, he would not deny Jesus! But Jesus had sad news for Peter. That very night, he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Sure enough, as we read in today’s Bible passage, Peter denied knowing Jesus. But, upon hearing the rooster crow and realizing what he had done, Peter broke down and wept. Peter loved Jesus and wanted to be faithful—yet he abandoned and denied Jesus in His darkest hour. Have you had any rooster crow moments? Times when you were sure you would follow what God’s Word said? Times when a quick decision had to be made, and you made the wrong one? Times when you chose sin over Jesus? Then, when you realized what you had done, you stopped and wept. You mourned a choice that couldn’t be unmade. The rooster was crowing in the background. But here’s the good news. Jesus loves us and knows our struggles against sin. He has not left us alone. When we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, He wraps us in His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In God’s eyes, it’s like we’ve never done anything wrong. And God has given us His Word and His Spirit to teach us the way and empower us as we learn to walk in it. When we are tempted to sin, we can listen to the Holy Spirit, rejecting sin and remembering who we are in Christ (Titus 2:11-14). And when we do sin, we can run to Jesus, knowing that we are securely held in His love and forgiveness— even in our rooster crow moments (Romans 8:33-39; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9–2:1). • Deborah del Villar • Read John 21:15-19. After Peter failed, was Jesus done with him? • Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 4:14-16. When we sin or are tempted to sin, why can we always run to Jesus? My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. 1 John 2:1 (CSB)

READ: ISAIAH 53:3-12; MATTHEW 27:15-26; ROMANS 5:6-11; 8:15 I love names. I’m a fiction writer, and every time I start a new book, I have to choose character names. Sometimes one just lands on the character from the very beginning and sticks, but other times I have to do in-depth research about name meanings to pinpoint the name that’s just right. God also likes using names with meanings! The Bible often outright tells us what people’s names mean, but sometimes it doesn’t, even when a name is significant. So it’s left to us to pay attention—and do some research. And that’s the case with today’s passage. You may have heard about Barabbas—he might even make it into your church’s yearly Easter service. When Jesus was taken to be crucified, the governor offered to release one prisoner to the people, as was his tradition during Passover. The people opted for Barabbas—a revolutionary and rebel—to be released instead of Jesus. Barabbas, who had actually committed a crime worthy of crucifixion according to Roman law. Barabbas, who deserved to die. Barabbas’s name is pretty simple to break down: bar and abbas. In Hebrew, bar means “son of,” and you may have heard abba before—it means father. Put it together, and Barabbas means “son of the father,” or even “son of a father.” Every son is a son of a father, meaning Barabbas is…anyone. And if we look at his story, it’s true—Barabbas is like every single one of us. Barabbas sinned, and he deserved death, just as we do. But Jesus, through God’s great mercy for us, took the penalty for our crimes. Though He did no wrong, the Son of God died in Barabbas’s place…and my place, and your place. Then He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death to save us and adopt us into God’s family. Barabbas lived out our story. He walked away, set free by the Son. And if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, that’s who we are: beloved sons and daughters of the Father, set free from the power of sin and death, forever. • Hannah Ruth Johnson • Consider taking some time to read Barabbas’s story slowly, and imagine yourself in his shoes. What do you notice? How do you feel? • If you know Jesus, you have a new identity—you are a son or daughter of the Father, beloved and free. When do you struggle to remember your true identity? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about this. Additionally, who is a trusted Christian in your life you could talk with? Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:24 (NLT)

READ: EZEKIEL 36:26-27; ROMANS 7:14–8:2; PHILIPPIANS 1:6 I’d been looking forward to the slumber party at our Sunday school teacher’s house for weeks. It was a rite of passage for girls at our church entering middle school. Little did I know the party included a surprise. After living in a rundown house with a leaky roof in almost every room, our family built a new home. For the party, our teacher asked the girls in our class to bring a present for me to decorate the new bedroom I’d share with my sister. I felt so loved opening the unexpected gifts! One girl, who I’ll call Nettie (I’ve changed all their names in this story) brought me a painting of a purple balloon with my name emblazoned across it. Carlotta and Lori gave me presents too. Then Kathleen arrived. She didn’t bring a present, and even though I hadn’t anticipated any gifts when I arrived, I suddenly felt cheated by Kathleen. I didn’t like this self-centered demand I sensed stirring in my heart. I liked Kathleen and didn’t want to hold this against her—after all, Jesus doesn’t hold anything against me. I never asked about the lack of a gift, and we all moved on with the party. But I felt confused by my greedy attitude. Even though we often desire to do the right thing, it’s hard to be consistently loving and kind. None of us can do it perfectly. We need Jesus to provide forgiveness because we continually miss the mark of righteousness. We also need His Spirit, guiding us in the rhythm of repentance and faith so that we can live in God’s good ways. Trusting in Christ, we receive both. He loves us so much that He lived a sinless life on our behalf, then died on the cross and rose from the grave to make the way for us to be forgiven and be part of His family forever. But, like the apostle Paul, we often find ourselves struggling with ungodly thoughts or actions—even after we’ve put our trust in Jesus (Romans 7:21-25). It’s part of living in a broken world. We can be confident, though, that Jesus rescued us from the penalty of sin and has also promised to purify us through and through, making us more Christlike until He returns and makes us whole— never to wrestle with greedy or selfish impulses again. • Allison Wilson Lee • As believers, we shouldn’t be comfortable with our sin. And, because of Jesus, we can experience complete forgiveness. How do these two truths exist together? • Have you ever been surprised by sin? We can bring these confusing and discouraging moments to Jesus in prayer, lay it all out before Him, and rest in His sure forgiveness and great love for us. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 2:1-18; 27:27-54 Two hills stood in ancient Israel. One was the highest peak in the Judean desert where King Herod the Great built his Herodium Palace, a lavish monument to his own fame and military triumphs. The other hill was Golgotha, the “Place of the Skull,” where Jesus—mockingly called the “king of the Jews” was crucified (Matthew 27:29, 33). The Herodium was so massive it took 200 white marble steps to reach the top. Designed for the king’s enjoyment, it was fitted with Roman baths, a theatre, and other comforts fit for royalty. Herod built more grandiose palaces and fortresses in Caesarea Maritima, Jericho, Masada and other places. He craved the opulence, power, and control that he believed would earn him the world’s admiration and respect. Herod was successful in many ways, but in his megalomaniac paranoia, he put to death anyone he perceived to be a threat to his rule: his own family members, Jewish religious leaders, and even innocent infant boys. Herod just had to be number one. In stark contrast, just outside Jerusalem’s city gates, the execution hill of Golgotha was likely plain and barren, except perhaps for scattered skulls and bones—and three crosses. The middle cross held the bleeding body of Jesus, on the day He gave up His life for ours. Herod pampered himself with luxuries. Jesus didn’t even own a pillow for His head. Herod mingled with kings and generals. Jesus ate with outcasts and sinners. Herod surrounded himself with vast armies. Jesus invested in simple folk, changing the history and destiny of humanity. Herod sought to be served and exalted. Jesus served in humility to the point of self-sacrifice. Herod magnified himself on a hill of self-glory. Jesus humbled and gave Himself, and was crucified on an undeserved hill of shame so that we could be forgiven. Herod’s abandoned monuments are in ruins. Jesus’s kingdom endures forever. Two hills, two kings. Which one do you want to follow? • L. C. Nuttall • Jesus is a good king because He leads from a place of self-sacrificial love and humility. Every decision He makes flows from His perfect love for us, even when it costs Him greatly. Consider taking some time to praise Jesus for His kind and gentle leadership. (Matthew 11:28-30) • In what situations are you most tempted to put yourself first at the expense of others? This is something we all struggle with, but the good news is, Jesus wants us to bring Him our struggles. [Jesus said,] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (CSB)

READ: JOHN 11:1-44 When I was little, I would talk with God, praying, “God, if you’re really up there, please show me a sign!” I think my prayer is one that, at one point or another, we all pray. We want to know if God is there. But we also want to know, “Is He here? Does He care about my thoughts and situations?” In John 11, Jesus’s close friends, Mary and Martha, sent a message asking Jesus to come to their house: their brother, Lazarus, was dying. They sought Jesus’s help and comfort during this difficult time, but Jesus delayed coming. When Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus was dead, and the sisters asked Jesus why He didn’t prevent this. They wanted to know: “Don’t you care about us and what happens to us?” Then Jesus went to Lazarus’s tomb and wept. Jesus knew He Himself was the Resurrection and the Life, and that, in a few minutes, He would raise Lazarus from the dead. So why did He weep? The simple answer is Jesus grieves over the things we grieve. He grieves over sin and the hurt it causes—including death. He grieves over the fact that the people He made often reject Him. Jesus wants to rescue us from all that is broken, and He knows He’s the only one who can. When we are hurt by the sin and brokenness in the world, it’s as if Jesus goes to the “tombs” in our lives and weeps along with us. Jesus is Immanuel, meaning “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Be encouraged because God has become one of us. God became a human to end sin and the brokenness it causes (John 1:1-14). Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God is here with us even now. He cares deeply about all the details of our lives. And He promises that we will one day dwell with Him in renewed creation, where we will forever be free from tears (Revelation 21:1-5). • Susan Grant • What specific things in your life have you wondered if God really cares about? • Jesus weeps over the things that have hurt you. He weeps over sin and all the brokenness it causes. Have you ever pictured Jesus weeping? How might this help us come to Him in our grief? Jesus wept. John 11:35 (CSB)

READ: GENESIS 3:1-15 The sign of the serpent had been engraved on the doors for as long as anyone could remember. Every time she went past, she was reminded of their enslavement. It was carved into the wood deeper than the ocean itself, a writhing ribbon of sickening green. One could almost imagine it was moving, undulating toward them with a rasping tongue and obsidian black eyes that were slits in the emerald irises. All who passed by were to bow before it. And then one day, a man defied it. Denied it. The people were amazed, and so was she. Who was dumb enough to ignore the mark of the serpent, the captor of their people? He did it every time he went by, this strange man. Walking as if the green worm upon the doors was invisible. And of course, the inevitable happened. The serpent kings were displeased. They arrested the man and killed him. In her heart, she sorrowed, for she had begun to hope that their slavery was over. There was no hope now, for it was buried with a dead man. The third day after his death, she made her way to the market, heavy inside. As she passed the gates, she dared to look up. Her heart swelled even as the awe of what she was seeing made her gasp. It was impossible. And yet there it was. The snake on the door was gone. The only thing that remained was a small portion of its head, scarred as if an ax had slashed through the image. Her eyes filled with tears. This was no mere man. Somehow, she knew he had done more than just destroy their captors. This freedom was unlike anything she had ever known. And she needed to know more. Hope swelled again, and she turned, running for the place where he had been buried. Something told her she wouldn’t find it occupied anymore. • Macy Walts • Today’s allegorical story echoes Bible passages like Genesis 3:14-15 and Hebrews 2:14-15. When the first humans gave in to the serpent’s temptation, sin and death entered the good world God had made. The serpent—Satan—became the ruler of this world, and we became slaves to sin. But God loved us so much, He was determined to rescue His people and restore His creation. That’s why Jesus, God in flesh, came and lived among us. When Jesus gave up His life on the cross, and then rose from the grave, He crushed the serpent’s head and set us free from sin and death! If you want to dig deeper, read Matthew 4:1-11; 11:28-30; 28:1-10; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9-11 • Satan—who is also called the tempter, deceiver, or accuser—has already been defeated, yet today we are still waiting for Jesus to return and destroy him forever. In what ways have you seen Satan’s influence in your life or in the world? Are there any sins or lies that you feel enslaved to? • As Christians, we are free from the power of sin. The Holy Spirit empowers us to say no to any temptation—what a relief! And when we do sin, the Holy Spirit helps us repent—to turn away from sin and back toward Jesus. What questions do you have about temptation, sin, and forgiveness? Who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk to about this? • Jesus paid the price for our forgiveness with His own blood. Consider taking a moment to thank Him for the ultimate sacrifice, dying for us needy sinners that we might be restored to relationship with God and live with Him forever in renewed creation. (Revelation 21:1-5) Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death— that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 8:14-17; GALATIANS 3:26-28 Liar. Drunk. Adulterer. Coward. Scroll through the news on any given day, and chances are you’ll find individuals who have been assigned disparaging labels. These labels are not new. In the Bible, we find that Jacob was a liar, Noah was a drunk, David was an adulterer, and Jonah was a coward. And yet, God worked in and through each of them in mighty ways. What labels do you hear in a day? Theater kid, athlete, gamer? Labels can be positive: all-star, honor student, hard worker. Or negative: loser, cheater, troublemaker. Problems occur when we let labels define us and those around us. We might try to steer clear of people with negative labels to avoid being associated with them, or we might try to befriend those with positive labels to elevate ourselves. However, God is concerned with only one label. Are you His child? Have you received the label of believer by putting your trust in Jesus? If so, in the new creation you will be surrounded by people who were given many different labels while on earth, but in eternity, none of those matter. And today, God helps us treat each other in light of eternity (Romans 12:16; James 2:1-9). Maybe you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, but you messed up big-time. That still doesn’t change who you are in Christ. Our mistakes don’t define us. Sin may have consequences, but it doesn’t change who we are. That’s the beauty and power of forgiveness. God does not look at our mistakes and label us accordingly. Because our sins are forgiven, He looks at us as His unblemished, holy, beloved children. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He took all the labels and sins and threw them away. The only label we need to be concerned with is the one He gives us: child of God—loved, forgiven, and adopted into His eternal family. • Erin Nestico • If you have some time, consider taking a piece of paper and dividing it into three columns. In the first column, list all the labels you think other people give you. In the middle column, list all the labels you give yourself. In the third column, list all the labels God gives you (to get a few ideas, read Genesis 1:27; John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:9). As you look at each column, how do you feel? Consider spending some time in prayer, talking to Jesus about the labels in each column and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees you. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:27; PSALM 139:13; MATTHEW 5:14-16 Bullying. It’s painful to experience. But here’s the thing: I don’t know bullying’s pain because I’ve been bullied. I know its pain because I have been the bully. I’ve made fun of people. I’ve gossiped about people I didn’t like. I’ve secretly judged the so-called “losers.” But I’d been trying to live my life for Jesus and be different. I wasn’t one of those people, right? But I was one of those people. I was a bully. It took a long week—full of conviction, tears, and prayer—for Jesus to help me see that reality, changing my life and outlook. I realized I wasn’t just hurting the people I was mocking, teasing, gossiping about, and hating. I was hurting Jesus, the one who loved me so much He died so I could be forgiven for my sins, including bullying (Matthew 25:31-46; Ephesians 4:29-32). I was not acting like I belonged to Him. I was taking God’s creations, made after His own image, and raising myself above them. Like I was better than them. But I’m not. I need Jesus’s grace—just like everyone else. Bullying is a sin because it forgets that every person was created in God’s image. Basically, making fun of other people is hating on God and His good creation. As I sought to turn away from the sin of bullying, Jesus was with me— working in me to make me more like Himself. I apologized to the people I hurt. God was humbling me so I didn’t see myself as better than others, but equal to them in His eyes. I started to see people as wonderful, interesting creations of God Himself, even becoming friends with people who were still being hated on by others. No matter how badly we’ve messed up, Jesus can forgive, restore, and transform us (Luke 23:34). We can even become a light to others who are struggling. He redeems us from our brokenness and gives us the opportunity to share His love and truth with others. • Natalie Gilkinson • Why is it important that (1) God created all people in His image, and (2) we are all sinners in need of Jesus? How might these truths affect the way we see those around us? (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:11-12, 23-24; 6:23) • If you are bullying others, are being bullied, or are seeing bullying happen, who is a trusted adult you can talk to about it? Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2 (NIV)