Day 27 :: Truly Sovereign
Pilate also had a sign made and put on the cross. It said: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek.
John 19:19-20(19-22)
Billy Graham travelled the world preaching the Gospel at countless crusades to countless millions of people. He saw many people respond to Christ in many ways. Some rejected, some rejected for a time before the Lord softened their hearts, some appeared to embrace but later fell away and some truly embraced Christ. Our passage today deals with two different responses to Christ, one of Pontius Pilate and the other of the Chief Priests. While their responses were wrong, their responses can still point us to who Christ really is.
Pontius Pilate, the Roman tyrant, decided to mock our Lord by hanging a sign above His head reading ‘King of the Jews.’ Jesus doesn’t look like much of a King dying in excruciating pain.
Just as it would have been ludicrous to describe King Charles the 1st as sovereign while Oliver Cromwell frog-marched him to the executioner’s block, Pilate, as he surveys this scene, thinks the same of Christ.
This reminds of the Rikki Fulton sketch, guest-starring Glasgow’s famous detective, D.C.I. Jim Taggart. Fulton’s signature Traffic Policeman mocked Taggart for claiming to be a policeman. ‘A Polisman? Don’t make me laugh!’ Fulton exclaimed before being silenced by the sight of Taggart’s ID badge.
In his arrogance Pilate mocked Jesus, not knowing that he too will one day stand silent before Jesus as Judge.
The Chief Priests on the other hand responded in anger at the suggestion that Jesus ruled over them. They demanded the sign be changed to say Jesus merely claimed to be their King. Those who claimed to represent God refused to submit to God when he presented himself before them in human form. Instead, handing him over to their pagan oppressors to be slain.
In claiming to be God’s Priests then refusing to submit to God, they revealed themselves as no better than cheap confidence tricksters, taking advantage of the people of Israel. Scripture tells us that one day all will bow the knee to King Jesus.
“At the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Philippians 2:10)
While Pilate was mocking and the Chief Priests were bitterly rejecting, the truth remained unaffected – Christ is indeed the King of the Jews, the Son of David. But that’s not all, Jesus does not merely take His place amount the great Kings of history - Alfred the Great, Robert the Bruce, William the Conqueror, the Caesars, the Pharaohs, the Tsars and Jesus. No, Jesus is greater and higher than all the great Monarchs of the world.
Billy Graham once said, in reference to a certain musical, “‘Jesus Christ Superstar, do you think you are, what they say you are?’ Yes, and more, 10,000 times more!” Scripture tells us that Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the Creator, the Son of God and the incarnate Word of God. So, while the thought of Jesus being in any sense a King while He hung on that cross was laughable to Pilate, the truth is Christ was sovereign over it all and He had voluntarily submitted to this end.
The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Christ chose to take on flesh, live a life of faithful obedience to God’s law and die under the wrath of God against sin. Without sin, He became the perfect Sacrifice, the Lamb without spot or blemish, who look the punishment that we, rebellious sinners deserved. Christ demonstrated He is all these things and more when He rose from the slumber of death, having satisfied God’s justice, and returned to the Father to be our Advocate.
The reality is, Christ the King had ordained all of this before the foundation of the world, even using the scoffing Pilate and the unruly priests in His eternal plan. The Psalmist was right all along, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22).
Passages to read: John 19:19-22, Matthew 27:37, Mark 15:25-26, Luke 22:38
A thought to remember: Jesus is sovereign, whether we accept it or not.
A question to ask: How does the authority of Christ affect your life?
A song to sing: Crown Him With Many Crowns