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On April 14, 1936 in Owensboro ,
Kentucky Owensboro
to witness the first ever public execution carried out by a woman, Sheriff
Florence Thompson. It didn’t actually happen, though, because Sheriff Thompson
for some unknown reason decided to give the responsibility of springing the
gallows trap to a police officer from Louisville
who, like many in the crowd, was intoxicated. In fact, leading up to the event,
“hanging parties” were taking place all over town, and vendors were selling hot
dogs and beverages throughout the crowd. When convicted rapist and murderer
Rainey Bethea dropped from the gallows, reports indicate that the mob charged
toward him, tearing the hood from his head and taking for themselves souvenirs
from the occasion. Many historians suggest that the raucous spectacle of the
event made Bethea’s hanging the last public execution in our country.[1]
From the beginning of its institution in human history,
capital punishment had always been intended as more than a punishment of the
guilty. It was also to serve as a warning to others. If you commit certain
crimes, this will be your end. And in order to have that effect, it was
necessary for executions to be public. It was certainly that way in the first
century Roman Empire . Executions have always
been able to draw a crowd, owing to the morbidity of man’s fallen nature, but
crucifixions proved to be exceptionally popular. In Jesus’ case, it was a
perfect storm. He was a well known figure. The drama of His final hours had
been played out before the watching public. There were multitudes coming and
going from Jerusalem ,
owing to Passover week, and the place where He was crucified was near to the
city. The Roman and Jewish authorities wouldn’t have wanted it to be any
different. For the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus was Public Enemy Number One,
and they were glad to publicly display His battered body on the cross. For the
Roman establishment, it provided a good opportunity to warn the discontented
Jews of what happens to those who are suspected of insurrection against the
Empire.
Our text tells us that Pilate wrote an inscription. It was
customary for a condemned criminal to have his crimes written for all to see
upon a placard of wood that had been whitewashed with gypsum. This placard
would be hung around his neck or paraded before him in the streets during the
death march. Upon execution, it would hang from his neck, or in what was
apparently a rare case, be affixed to the cross, as was done here with Jesus.
But there are several things about this that were not customary. First, not
customary is what was written. Ordinarily one would find a criminal charge
written. Pilate writes a title: “Jesus the Nazarene: King of the Jews.” It was
not a crime to be the King of the Jews. It was a crime to claim to be the King
of the Jews, if one was in fact not actually the King of the Jews. That is why,
upon seeing it, the chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of
the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” The Greek verb tense
there in verse 21 suggests that they repeatedly asked him to change it. Previously,
they were able to pressure Pilate into cowering to their demands, but this time
they are met with obstinate resolve. Perhaps feeling some tinge of shame or
embarrassment for how he let them get the best of him before, he is determined
to hold his ground here. As for what he has written, he was never really
convinced that Jesus was guilty of a crime in the first place. For all he knew
or cared, Jesus might as well have been the King of the Jews. He wouldn’t have
understood the spiritual implications of that anyway, and as for the political
ones, he could not have cared less. Whether Jesus was actually the King or just
claimed to be King, either way it was sedition, and either way Rome would demand crucifixion. But also, the
placard was meant to have a sting in it for the Jews. Twice before they led
Jesus to Golgotha , Pilate had goaded the Jews
with taunts about Jesus being their king. The placard on the cross was the
final jab. Everything about it was an affront to the Jews. Here was a bloody
and battered Jesus, a Man they despised, and a Nazarene of all things. Remember
what was said about Nazareth : “Can anything good
come out of Nazareth ?”
(Jn 1:46). And He was hanging from a cross, shameful and disgraceful as that
was. Pilate’s words on the placard were meant to indicate that such an
individual as this was the only kind of King they deserved, and this is what Rome thought of their
nation, their people, and their King.
Secondly, however, it would not have been customary for
Pilate, or any other high-ranking political leader, to actually write the
charges on the placard. There are those who suggest that the Greek wording
could allow for us to understand it as though Pilate “had the inscription
written,” rather than actually taking the stylus in his own hand to write it
himself. At the very least, the wording here insists that Pilate chose the
words and demanded them to be recorded exactly as he stated. Or, it is not
impossible that in this rarest of cases, he actually wrote it out himself. And
here is where we come to the unwitting testimony of the cross. Though, from a
human perspective, it was Pilate who chose the words and ordered the
inscription, there was a Higher Power orchestrating it all. The God who is
meticulously sovereign over all things that take place in the world and in our
lives was invisibly choreographing this scene to accomplish His greater
purposes. And so, as the patriarch Joseph was able to say regarding the
treacherous deeds of his brothers (cf. Gen 50:20), we can say here that what
Pilate intended for evil, God intended for good. God sovereignly moved Pilate’s
mind to settle obstinately on the wording of this placard, and the hand of
Pilate or whoever took up the stylus, to inscribe this testimony to the true
identity of the One on the cross. So what does this unwitting testimony of the
cross declare?
I. It declares an unintended testimony to the truth of who
Jesus is. (v19)
I think most of us are familiar with the story of
Cinderella, the peasant girl who goes to the ball and enamors the prince, and
runs away before the magic spell ends at midnight. She left a shoe behind – a
glass slipper in the famous Disney version of the story – prompting a search of
the whole kingdom to find the girl whose foot fits the shoe. The great thing
about fairy tales is that no one ever stops to ask logical questions. Doesn’t
it seem remotely possible that more than one woman in the kingdom wore the same
size shoe? But, nevermind that, the search proceeds until Cinderella’s foot
fits perfectly in the glass slipper, and she and the prince live happily ever
after. We’ve discovered in teaching our children literature that this story is
found in many diverse cultures of the world, with various details modified. But
it may have been the popularity of the version of the story involving the lost
shoe which caused an old English saying about a cap and a head to be changed to
the more familiar saying, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”
And friends, if there is a sign that is inscribed with the
words “King of the Jews,” then Jesus Christ is fit to wear it! Pilate had no
intention of declaring that Jesus was actually the King of the Jews, and the
Jews had no intention of ratifying such a declaration, but the eternal and
undeniable truth of heaven is that Jesus the Nazarene is indeed the King of the
Jews. But what does this statement even mean? King of the Jews? The hope of Israel , set forth
in the Old Testament, included a vision for a descendant of David who would
come to establish and reign over an everlasting kingdom. God promised this to
David, ensuring him that his throne would be established forever, and occupied
by David’s son, who would also be God’s son (2 Sam 7:8-16). This king would be
“the anointed one,” the translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Isaiah spoke of this Messiah who would come, indicating
that He would suffer for the sins of His people as a substitute to save them
from divine judgment (cf. Isa 53). Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled these Old
Testament promises of an anointed King who descended from David’s lineage. “The
theme of Jesus as King, Ruler, or Lord dominates the New Testament from
beginning to end.” But it is here at the cross where Jesus “established His
kingship through His sacrificial death.”[2]
As F. F. Bruce so beautifully stated it, “The Crucified One
is the true king, the kingliest king of all; because it is He who is stretched
on the cross, He turns an obscene instrument of torture into a throne of glory
and ‘reigns from the tree.’”[3]
Augustine wrote, “The title placed over his cross … showed that they could not
keep Him from being their king even by His death.”[4]
Indeed, by His resurrection and ascension, and in the sure and certain promise
of His return, God’s promise that He will reign over a kingdom that has no end
has come to pass and will be fully consummated. And then, the book of
Revelation declares, we will behold Him wearing a new and different placard
that reads, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev 19:16). Yes, not the King of
the Jews alone, but King of all Kings, and King over every nation, tribe,
people, and tongue (5:9; 13:7; 14:6). And this brings us to the second
unwitting testimony of the cross.
II. It announces an unusual message for the whole world to
receive. (v20)
If you travel internationally much, you will encounter many
signs that you do not understand. They are written in strange languages, some
with an alphabet of symbols and characters that are completely unrecognizable
to us. But in a lot of places, at least the really important signs are written
both in the local language and in English. It ensures that the message is
clearly understood by the most people possible.
Notice here in our text that Pilate’s placard which he
prepared and affixed to the cross was written in three languages: Hebrew,
Latin, and Greek. Whether the Hebrew was actually Hebrew or Aramaic, the point
is that the average Jew of Jerusalem and Judea
could understand the message on the sign. Not only this, but because Latin was
the official language of the Roman Empire, every Roman official and Roman
soldier stationed in the area (and there were plenty) could understand the
message on this sign. But also notice that it was written in Greek. For
centuries, since the days of Alexander the Great, Greek had been the common
language of the majority of the world.
The significance of this has to do as well with the timing
of it. During the Passover feast, Jerusalem ’s
population swelled to many times its normal size. Pilgrims came from far and
wide to observe Passover in Jerusalem .
Tradition made it mandatory annually for all Jews, but logistics made it more
practically a once-in-a-lifetime desire for most. And many came. They came from
across the world. Remember that, just as is true today, following the return of
the exiles from Babylon ,
more Jews lived outside of the Promised Land than inside of it. Jewish
population in Palestine
during Jesus’ lifetime may have been five or six hundred thousand. Elsewhere in
the Roman Empire , there were perhaps up to
eight million Jews.[5] Many of
those were coming in, and a few days later, they would go out. On their way in
or out of Jerusalem , many of them would have
undoubtedly walked past Golgotha , which John
says was “near the city” (v20). Those who didn’t see the crucified Jesus for
themselves would have likely heard about it. And all who were able to read
(which would have been a surprisingly high percentage), no matter what language
they could read, could have understood the message inscribed here on the cross.
From Jerusalem ,
once the feast ended, they would depart and each one would return to his or her
homeland. Friends and loved ones would ask, “What did you see while you were
there?” Imagine how they might answer. “On the day of the sacrifices, we
happened to be coming into the city, and there by the road was a Nazarene named
Jesus who had been nailed to a cross. Above his head there was a sign which
read, “The King of the Jews.” And so this message began to spread around the
world as these travelers went back to their homelands. Soon, others would come
– missionary evangelists like the Apostle Paul, ordinary folks who had heard
the good news of Jesus and His salvation and believed – and they would share
the message of Jesus. These who first heard the report of the crucified King
would discover through the sharing of this Gospel that the King had suffered
and died for them, to bear the weight of their sins beneath the judgment of God
on their behalf, that they may be saved and reconciled to God by repentance and
faith in Him.
And so this message of the King of the Jews, who had been
crucified on Golgotha would soon sweep across the entire Roman
Empire and beyond. Surely Pilate did not intend to be a global
missionary for Jesus when he inscribed the words of this placard in three
languages, but the words he inscribed in the three major languages of the
Empire at that time certainly accomplished that in an unusual way. God providentially
ordered the events of that day in order that the whole world could understand
the significance of what was taking place there on the cross. The cross was an
unusual coronation ceremony by which the King of kings was establishing a
spiritual kingdom that transcends national borders and ethnic boundaries, a
kingdom for Jew and Gentile alike who come to God by faith in this crucified
King.
We see it taking shape already here on Golgotha .
The other Gospel writers tell us that there was a man named Simon from Cyrene (in modern day Libya ) who was coming into the city
as Jesus was being led to the cross. Maybe Simon was a Jew who lived in Cyrene . Maybe he was a
Gentile who had come to believe in the Jewish faith. Whichever the case, as he
drew near to Jerusalem
on his Passover pilgrimage, the soldiers compelled him to carry the cross of
Jesus for a portion of the distance. Mark tells us that this man was the father
of Alexander and Rufus, a detail which seems to have very little significance
until we come to Paul’s letter to the Romans. There Paul offers his greetings
to a member of the Roman church named Rufus and his mother. It seems natural to
understand that Simon returned to Cyrene
and told his family of his experience with Jesus, and they all became followers
of Jesus and citizens of His kingdom. We also see there on Golgotha
a Jewish criminal turning to Jesus from his own cross and asking Him to
remember him when He comes into His kingdom. And soon after, when Jesus had
breathed His last, we find a Gentile centurion recognizing that Jesus was
surely the Son of God. These three men – Simon of Cyrene, the repentant
criminal, and the Roman centurion – demonstrate that no matter who we are,
where we are from, or what we have done, God invites us all into the Kingdom of His Son
The trilingual placard that was affixed to the cross of
Jesus accomplished far more than Pilate ever intended. It was an unwitting
testimony for Jesus, unintentionally declaring the truth that He is the King,
and unusually announcing a message for the whole world to receive. But, here
and now, two millennia later, this placard continues to accomplish purposes for
which Pilate could have never intended, but which God has providentially
ordained. We come now the third unwitting testimony of the cross:
III. It proclaims an ironic lesson for the followers of
Jesus. (v22)
In Psalm 76:10, the Psalmist Asaph writes, “The wrath of man
shall praise You.” This means, at least in part, that God has the power to take
the evil schemes and deeds of man and completely subvert them into a means of
bringing glory to His name and furthering His purposes in the world. Make no
mistake about it, there is nothing commendable or worthy of our emulation in
the character of Pontius Pilate as he is recorded in Scripture or secular
history. But here in our text, there are at least two lessons that we can draw
from his intractability on the matter of the words inscribed on this placard.
Previously, when Jesus was on trial (if we may call it that,
for the outcome was settled before the whole process began), he was vacillating
and pliable, allowing himself to be pressured away from justice and truth in
violation of his own conscience and conviction for reasons of personal and
political pride. Now, he stands resolutely before the Jewish officials
declaring in no uncertain terms that he will not change what he has written.
Barclay is surely right when he says that it is “one of the paradoxical things
in life that we can be stubborn about things which do not matter and weak about
things of supreme importance.”[6]
Though the change of wording that the Jews are demanding would have no effect
on the outcome of events that day, their request is contrary to the high degree
of respect that Romans had for written documents. The wording on the placard,
for Pilate, represented a legally binding statement that could not be retracted
or revised. Therefore Pilate says, “What I have written I have written.”
This takes on a special significance for those of us who
understand that the words written on this placard originated in the mind of
God, who the Bible says, turns the hearts of earthly kings like water in His
hand. It was God Himself who installed this anointed King on the cross-shaped
throne by His eternal decree, and it is as though we perceive an inaudible
voice declaring from heaven, “What I have
written, I have written.” He has
declared from before the foundation of the world that Jesus is the Lamb of God
who would be slain to take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29). And that word,
like every other word of divine revelation that He has uttered is entirely
unalterable. Therefore, if a duplicitous man such as Pilate can say, “What I
have written, I have written,” we must not dare imagine that the holy God of
eternal glory has ever spoken any word that He intends to blot out from the
record of His divine revelation. When we open the Bible, we are reading God’s
very own Word. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, or as the NIV
renders it (quite literally), is God-breathed.
If Pilate is intractable concerning his word, our God is infinitely moreso, and
we must regard His Word as something from which, in the words of Jesus, not the
smallest letter or stroke shall pass from, until all is accomplished and until
heaven and earth pass away. We may find ourselves bickering with the Holy
Spirit as we come up against passages of Scripture that rub us the wrong way,
pleading with Him that His words might be altered to suit our tastes and
preferences. But the answer from heaven will always be, “What I have written, I
have written,” and our only recourse is to yield ourselves in full submission
to the gravity of His truth.
We find another ironic lesson here that certainly never
entered the heart of Pilate when these words were inscribed upon his placard.
John Calvin writes, “Pilate reminds us … that it is our duty to remain
steadfast in defending the truth. A heathen refuses to retract what he has
written truly about Christ, even though he did not understand what he was
doing. How great, then, our shame if we are terrified by threats or dangers and
we stop following his teaching which God has revealed in our hearts by His
Spirit.”[7] Like
the Jewish officials who badgered Pilate about the wording of this sign, we
will face increasing pressures from the world around us to soften our message
and modify our testimony for Christ. May God forbid that a convictionless pagan
might have more resolve concerning his testimony for Jesus than the blood-bought,
Spirit-led citizens of His own Kingdom! Our mandate in the world is to speak
the truth in love (Eph 4:15), but let us not allow this world’s corrupted
notion of love to prevent us from being bold with the truth. There is no love
where there is no telling of truth, and truth presented without love can be
toxic. But, when truth is uncompromisingly proclaimed in the context of
unconditional love, this world will see a profound a testimony for Christ
coming through His church. When truth is at stake, we must trust that the Lord
is our defender and declare with the Psalmist that we shall not be moved (Psa
62:6).
Shall we allow Pontius Pilate of all people to be a better
example of steadfastness to the truth of Christ than we are? Shall he have more
confidence in his own words than we have in the Word of God? May it never be!
Let us learn these ironic lessons in the unwitting testimony of the cross.
Looking up to the dying Savior from the ground of Golgotha , in whatever language one happens to speak,
there is a message unalterably emblazoned declaring that Christ is the King.
But looking down from heaven, God sees there another message inscribed on a
placard visible only to Him. Colossians 2:14 says that God has taken the
certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us,
and taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. That certificate of
debt was the inventory of all of our sin, and it was affixed to the cross for
the God of infinite justice and mercy alone to see. There above the sacred Head
now wounded was the placard of indictment – not of His crimes but of our sins.
And so in the outpouring of divine wrath that took place on the cross, causing
Jesus to cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, our sins
received the full measure of judgment they deserved in the person of our
substitute, King Jesus. And because of that, this King who overcame our sin and
its penalty through His resurrection from the dead, offers amnesty and welcome
to all who turn to Him and invite Him to be their King. No matter one’s
nationality, ethnicity, socio-economic standing, native dialect, or any other
factor, this King welcomes all who call upon Him as Savior and Lord to enter
into His everlasting Kingdom and have eternal life with Him. If you never have
before, today is the day of salvation if you will look to Him in repentance and
faith. May those of us who have publish the announcement far and wide, in every
language under heaven, that Christ crucified is Christ the King, and may we be
faithful and steadfast in the declaration of that good news!
[1] http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/July-August-08/On-this-Day--Kentucky-Holds-Final-Public-Execution-in-the-U-S-.html.
Accessed January 7, 2016.
[2] David
Dockery, “King, Christ as” in Holman
Bible Dictionary (gen. ed. Trent Butler; Nashville : Holman, 1991), 841-842.
[3] F. F.
Bruce, The Gospel and Epistles of John (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 1.369.
[4] Joel C.
Elowsky, John 11-21 (Ancient
Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament; vol. IVb.; Downers Grove , Ill.
[5] Thomas
Lea and David Alan Black, The New
Testament: Its Background and Message (2nd ed.; Nashville : Broadman &
Holman, 2003), 37.
[6] William
Barclay, The Gospel of John (Daily
Study Bible, rev. ed.; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975), 2.252.
[7] John
Calvin, John (Crossway Classic
Commentaries; Wheaton , Ill.
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