Weekly devotion
On March 15, 44 B.C. the leader of Rome, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by his own Senators and friends. Nearly sixteen hundred years later the impactful event was dramatized in William Shakespeare’s play titled The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. A scene in the play, which is known by many even today, has a soothsayer warning Caesar on his way to the capitol the day of his death. Immortalized in screenplays and folklore, the fateful words “Beware the ides of March” (Ides of March = 15th of March) spoken as an omen of the things to come, were not heeded by the great ruler of Rome. Whether or not Caesar was given such a warning nobody will ever know; however, what is known is the impact that his death had on Rome, and subsequently much of the world.
The assassins believed they were saving Rome from a tyrant. Unbeknownst to them was that Caesar’s death would also bring the death of the Republic and would usher in what we recognize today as the Roman Empire ruled by emperors. This one death, which may or may not have been foretold, would change many peoples’ lives for centuries. Less than a hundred years later there would be a death which was foreseen and documented by multiple people, which revolutionized the world even to this day.
In the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah, we have recorded the words of the prophet concerning the death of the “servant” of God some 700 hundred years before it happened. Details are given of how and why it would happen, such as “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (53:5). As sad as it is, the prophecy also tells us that “the Lord was pleased” that it would happen, because His “Servant will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities” (53:10-11). This “Servant” is Christ, and His prophesied death and resurrection would forever change the world.
It brought forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7). It brings us to God (1 Peter 3:18) and reconciles us with Him (Romans 5:10). It allows us to live with Him, in life and in death (1 Thessalonians 5:10). It gives us the promise of an eternal inheritance with God (Hebrews 9:15). Caesar’s death on the ides of March changed many things, but Christ’s death on the cross changed everything! How has it changed you?