He Knew It Was Coming
Month 11: The Cross & the Empty Tomb · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Luke 22:37 & Isaiah 53:7-8
37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.” — Luke 22:37
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people. — Isaiah 53:7-8
Memory Verse
“Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.””— Matthew 26:39 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Luke 12-14
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Jesus warns against worry, calls us to count the cost, and welcomes the lost.)The Heart of It
Jesus was not a victim of bad luck. On the night He was arrested, He told His friends plainly, "I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors'" (). That line is a direct quote from . That chapter was written about seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Isaiah had described a "Suffering Servant." This Servant would be led "as a lamb to the slaughter." He would stay silent before His accusers. He would be "cut off from the land of the living" for the sins of His people (). Jesus read those ancient words about Himself and said, in effect, "Tonight, this comes true."
This changes everything about how we read the cross. Think of the arrest, the trial, and the nails. None of it caught God by surprise. None of it was outside His plan. From the very beginning, God had promised a Rescuer (). Then prophet after prophet filled in the picture. He would be born in Bethlehem (). He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (). He would be pierced (). He would be buried with the rich (). Jesus stepped into every detail with open eyes. He could have called legions of angels (). But He chose to go. The cross was not Plan B. It was the rescue God had been promising and preparing for all of history.
Around the Table
A long, long time before Jesus came, God told His helpers the prophets exactly what Jesus would do to save us. Jesus knew the whole plan. And He chose to do it because He loves us!
Let's do it: Hold up seven fingers for the "seven hundred years" before Jesus, then say, "God planned to rescue us a long time ago!"
Isaiah described the Suffering Servant hundreds of years before Jesus came. He would be silent like a lamb, and He would suffer for our sins. Jesus said, "This is about Me, and it comes true tonight."
Let's talk: God planned the rescue hundreds of years ahead of time. What does that tell you about how much He wanted to save us?
was written hundreds of years before the cross. Yet it reads like an eyewitness report. A promise kept that exactly is one of the Bible's strongest fingerprints. Jesus stepped right into it to show He is the promised One.
Let's go deeper: Jesus chose the cross, even though He knew it was coming. He was not trapped by it. Why does that matter?
💬 Conversation Starter
What is the longest you have ever waited and planned for something?— God planned our rescue for thousands of years, and He kept every promise.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Jesus' followers just made up the cross story afterward to fit old prophecies": Kindly point out two things. First, was written hundreds of years before Christ. We have a Dead Sea Scrolls copy of Isaiah dated long before Jesus. So no one could have written it after the fact. Second, much of what came true was completely out of the control of Jesus or His followers. They could not control who would betray Him. They could not make soldiers gamble for His clothing, or keep a bone from being broken, or arrange for Him to be buried in a rich man's tomb. You cannot "arrange" your enemies' choices, or a Roman execution, to match a script. The simpler explanation is the one Jesus gave. God said it would happen, and it did. Then offer it warmly, not as a trap. Say something like, "I'd love to read with you sometime and let you decide for yourself" (, "with gentleness and respect").
For Dad · Go Deeper
is sometimes called "the fifth Gospel" because it tells the story of the atonement with such precision. It shows substitution ("He was wounded for our transgressions"). It shows the silent willingness of the Servant. It shows His vindication after death. For our purposes, lean on its apologetic weight. The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran (1QIsaᵃ) predates Jesus by at least a century, and it contains chapter 53 essentially as we have it. So the charge of after-the-fact editing collapses. But do not let it stay a debate. The deepest reason this matters is pastoral. A cross that God foreknew and willed is a cross you can rest in. If even Calvary was inside His plan, then nothing about your hardest day is outside His reach (, "delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God"). Hold both truths your children need. God's plan was sovereign and sure. And wicked men freely chose their evil and are accountable for it. God did not force Judas. He wove even free human sin into a redemption He had promised from Eden.
Draws on: Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the cross was never an accident. You planned to rescue us long ago. Jesus knew it was coming, and He chose it because He loves us. Help us trust You. You are the God who keeps every promise. In Jesus' name, amen."
The cross was no accident. God promised our Rescuer long ago, and Jesus came to keep that promise.