04/03/2026
Me and You on His Mind
Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He paid the full price for our sin on the cross of Calvary. And through every moment of suffering, every lash, every insult, every drop of blood, He had you on His mind, and He had me on His mind.
From the very beginning of His arrest, we see the weight of that love.
The Bible tells us that one of His own disciples betrayed Him.
Judas came with a great multitude, armed with swords and clubs, carrying torches and lanterns, short-burning lights and long-burning lights (John 18:3; Matthew 26:47-49).
They came for a man who had never sinned.
A man who had never harmed anyone.
He had only healed:
Blind eyes opened (John 9:6-7)
Deaf ears unstopped (Mark 7:32-35)
The mute speaking (Matthew 9:32-33)
The crippled walking (Matthew 11:5)
The broken restored (Luke 4:18)
When they approached Him, Jesus asked, “Whom are you seeking?”
They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
And He said, “I am He.”
At the power of His words alone, they drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:4-6).
They did not take His life. He willingly gave it.
They bound Him, but the ropes did not hold Him.
Love held Him (John 10:17-18).
And all the while, He had you on His mind, and He had me on His mind.
They led Him away to a trial in the night, an illegal trial by their own law (John 18:12-14, 19-24).
They struck Him with the palms of their hands (John 18:22).
They mocked Him.
They falsely accused Him (Mark 14:55-59).
And He endured it all silently and patiently:
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth…” (Isaiah 53:7)
They plucked His beard from His face (Isaiah 50:6).
They spit on Him.
They humiliated Him.
Still, He had you on His mind, and He had me on His mind.
They twisted together a crown of thorns and pressed it into His head.
Blood ran down His face, into His eyes, and through His beard (Matthew 27:29-30).
They mocked Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Then they led Him to the whipping post.
He was scourged, brutally beaten beyond recognition:
“His visage was marred more than any man…” (Isaiah 52:14)
“By His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
His flesh was torn open.
His back was shredded.
His bones were exposed.
The blood loss alone should have killed Him.
But it did not, because there was still a cross to carry.
And through it all, He had you on His mind, and He had me on His mind.
Weak, bleeding, and broken, He carried His crossbeam toward Golgotha (John 19:17).
They struck Him again.
They mocked Him again.
They blasphemed Him (Matthew 27:39-44).
Yet He continued forward.
He could have stopped it all at any moment.
Jesus Himself said:
“Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)
In the Old Testament, one angel struck down 185,000 men in a single night (2 Kings 19:35).
Twelve legions, 72,000 angels, could have brought unimaginable destruction.
But He did not call them.
Because He had you on His mind, and He had me on His mind.
They nailed Him to the cross.
Hands pierced.
Feet pierced.
Lifted up between heaven and earth.
And even then, He spoke words of mercy:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
He bore our sin:
“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree…” (1 Peter 2:24)
He became the sacrifice:
“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
And when it was finished, He cried:
“It is finished!” (John 19:30)
And gave up His spirit.
All for us.
All for you.
All for me.
They laid Him in a borrowed tomb (Matthew 27:59-60).
But the story did not end there.
Three days later, He rose again.
Victory over sin.
Victory over death.
Victory over the grave.
“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” (Matthew 28:6)
Final Truth
He was betrayed.
He was beaten.
He was mocked.
He was scourged.
He was crucified.
He was buried.
He rose again as the King He truly is.
And through every moment of it all,
He had you on His mind.
He had me on His mind.
Reflection
If He loved you enough to endure the cross, will you trust Him with your life?
If He gave everything for you, will you give yourself fully to Him?
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
