“Some questions I ask may sound dumb, But I won’t learn as much if I act smart.” These words were written on a plaque above the door of my junior high school industrial arts class. I’ve never forgotten them.
Another plaque that I saw in numerous Christian homes after I became a believer impacted me. The inscription came from a poem by famous British missionary C.T. Studd: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
One other plaque immeasurably shaped my life. It still does today. Its caption was created not to inspire but to mock and inflame its readers. Although vindictively contrived, its simple declaration ironically has rung true for 2,000 years: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS“
Pontius Pilate, the 1st-century Roman governor, wrote these words in response to an uncomfortable conundrum in which he found himself. On one hand, the Jewish leaders, along with Passover pilgrims whom the leaders had whipped up into a mob, were crying for the Nazarene’s crucifixion. On the other hand, after interrogating Jesus, Pilate found no guilt in Him and wanted to release Him (Luke 23:14, 20; Acts 3:13).
Pilate’s Predicament
The Jewish leaders who brought Jesus to Pilate accused Him of claiming to be the Messiah, the Jewish king (Luke 23:1–2). That’s why Pilate’s very first words to Jesus were, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:33). Jesus answered affirmatively.
Subsequently, when Pilate addressed the raucous crowd, he frequently referred to Jesus as “King” (cf. John 18:39; 19:14–15), likely to show contempt for his Jewish audience and their allegations. This certainly fit Pilate’s personality, which his contemporary, Herod Agrippa, once described as inflexible, merciless, obstinate, corrupt, insolent, insulting, cruel, murderous, angry, ferocious, and inhumane.
In Jesus’ case, Pilate was pushed over the edge when the Jewish leaders cried out, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar” (19:12). Pilate’s conundrum, therefore, was whether he should risk his political career by not gratifying the crowd and displeasing Caesar or send an innocent Man to His death. Pilate capitulated and chose the latter (Mark 15:15).
A Spiteful Titulus
Perhaps as one final dig at the Jewish leaders, “Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). The word title is translated from the Greek word titlos, taken from the Latin titulus. A Roman titulus was an inscription, label, title, placard, or notice used in a variety of settings, such as on a tablet put above a pagan temple’s doors. Occasionally, as when Jesus was crucified, an inscription was placed upon a punished miscreant, announcing his offense. Jesus’ titulus was probably written on some form of plaque since it was written in three languages—Hebrew (i.e., Aramaic), Latin, and Greek (v. 20)—and it was placed above His head on the cross (Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38).
The Jewish leaders were repulsed by Jesus’ titulus. They wanted it rephrased to read, “He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’” (John 19:21). Pilate refused, answering, “What I have written, I have written” (v. 22), thus unwittingly affirming Jesus’ title for generations to come.
Israel’s Rejection of Its True King
Some wonder why the Jewish leaders disowned Israel’s true King (Acts 3:13) and proclaimed, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15). The Scriptures give several reasons, too many to explain in depth. Here are a few:
1. They acted in ignorance (Acts 3:17).
2. They were envious of Jesus (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10).
3. They were fearful—of Jesus (Mark 11:18), of the people (Matthew 21:26, 46), and of losing their Temple and nation (John 11:48).
Israel had rejected its king before. During the prophet Samuel’s time, Israel demanded a king so it could be like all the other nations (1 Samuel 8:20). God said to His prophet, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). What was true in King Jeroboam’s day became true in Jesus’ day: “So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day” (1 Kings 12:19).
“But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). Those ancient prophecies revealed that the King of the Jews would be “despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3).
And yet, what men meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:20). “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22).
Jesus is the King of the Jews, although most of our Jewish friends don’t believe this yet. One day, He will return to take His rightful place on the throne of David. On that day, when all the world “will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30), they will also notice a new and illustrious titulus, one written on His robe and thigh (Revelation 19:16), that reads, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.“
