{"id":40875,"date":"2025-12-19T12:30:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T12:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldchallenge.kinsta.cloud\/devotion\/handed-over-death\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T17:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T17:56:28","slug":"handed-over-death","status":"publish","type":"devotion","link":"https:\/\/worldchallenge.kinsta.cloud\/ru\/devotion\/handed-over-death\/","title":{"rendered":"Handed over to Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared to the crowds in Jerusalem, \u201cJesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know\u2014him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death\u201d (Acts 2:22-23, NKJV).<\/em><\/p>\n

What did Peter mean by saying this? One Greek dictionary translates his words this way: \u201cJesus was handed over to enemies, given over to death according to the predetermined plan of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

What a strange, incomprehensible act by a supposedly loving heavenly Father. God deliberately handed over his Son to death. It was as if he purposely led Jesus into the hands of his worst enemies and said, \u201cHere\u2019s my Son. Do with him what you will.\u201d Then he stood by, doing nothing to stop his Son\u2019s wicked enemies from killing him.<\/p>\n

What kind of predetermined plan was this? Why would God hand over his own beloved Son to death? Peter gives us the answer in the very next verse: \u201c\u2026because it was not possible that he should be held by it\u201d (Acts 2:24).<\/em><\/p>\n

God knew it was impossible for Jesus to be held permanently in death\u2019s grip. So there was no risk for him in handing his Son over to death because he knew Jesus would come out of the grave a glorious victor over death, raised up by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit!<\/p>\n

It is important, however, to understand the times in which Peter spoke these words. Up until Calvary, death was a very fearful thing to humankind. It was still the devil\u2019s domain, under his rule and lordship, and therefore an enemy to be feared.<\/p>\n

God knew this power of death had to be broken, and that is why he handed over his Son to death. \u201cInasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil\u201d (Hebrews 2:14). <\/em>God wanted to remove death\u2019s sting, to break Satan\u2019s power over death once and for all, so he allowed Jesus to go down into death in order to swallow it up. <\/p>\n

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