"The Accusation: King of the Jews"

 

Matthew 27:36-37: Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

the 36th verse refers to the hardhearted, indifferent soldiers who were to watch or guard Jesus while He was on the cross. What must have been in their thoughts that day. Perhaps we all may benefit by sitting down, and watching the Holy Son of God suffering unspeakably at the hands of men whose very lives depended upon His mighty power. We may learn much as we sit down and behold Him there, bleeding and dying for sins not His own.

Thursday, I spent several hours sitting in a county hospital waiting room for one of our church folks. The guards were talking loudly to each other about issues of faith. One guard told the other that her gambling problem was not that bad since Jesus died for all her sins. He admitted to a drinking problem that also was not that bad as long as he did it in moderation. Finally, I went over and mentioned that I was employed by the One who they were talking about, and I had an observation. Gambling and drinking to excess do not cancel salvation, that is true, but think about what Jesus did for us on the cross. He did not mean for his suffering and death to just make it acceptable for us to live like the world. The reaction that we have to Christ's love really demonstrates how much we love Him in return. This is vital, as it indicates the level of our understanding of exactly why Jesus willingly went to the Cross. When I finished, the other guard said, "That is just what I was going to say." She knew the truth, but then still try to bargain so we don't have to give up everything. It is like the diabetic looking at a large chocolate cake, and saying: "It's OK, It won't kill me. I can always take more medicine tomorrow."

It was customary to indicate by a placard the crime for which one was being punished. Executions in the Middle East today still have an accusation written attached to the person being put to death. The effect was to strike fear and awe in the rest of the populace being held in oppression by that government--this is what will happen to you should you resist!

Pilate had the inscription written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. All four Gospels mention the inscription, but do not record the same words. Putting all four together, we get THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Why is there a variation? Each writer might have been looking at one of the three translations of what Pilate wrote. We know that the Jewish leaders wanted Pilate to change the inscription to say, "He said that He was the King of the Jews. Pilate would not bow to them.