John 19:19-22
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
John has a distinct sense of irony. In this case, the man who gives the order for execution – Pontius Pilate – is the one who acknowledges Jesus as king. In doing so, he both condemns himself and elevates Jesus. Irony, indeed.
Nor is this isn’t the first time one of Jesus’ opponents has spoken a truth with greater significance than the speaker realized. Earlier, the high priest Caiaphas had justified the plot against Jesus by saying that it was better for one person to die than a nation, with no idea that, indeed, Jesus would die to save all the nations (11:49-50). And now Pilate, whether mocking Jesus or antagonizing the Jewish religious authorities, proclaims him King in the three languages of the day so that all the world may witness Jesus’ coronation upon the throne of the cross.
In the end, of course, it hardly matters to us whether Pilate concedes Jesus is a king or Caiaphas perceives the significance of his sacrifice. What matters – and the whole point of John’s writing (as we’ll see) – is what we say about Jesus. Many have encountered him along the route of this story – Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the man born blind, Pilate – and each has had something to say. But what will we say? With our words? With our lives?
Prayer: Dear God, help us not only to confess faith in Jesus with our lips but also through our actions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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