King of the Jews

In the end, the chief priests did what Herod couldn't do: they killed Jesus. In the name of their religion, which by that time was more about political power and nit-picky rules than about grace, they nailed an innocent man to a cross. And even as he died, they couldn't leave him alone.

John 19:19-22 tells us: “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, 'Do not write "The King of the Jews," but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.'

"Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'”

Here's the thing, though: they didn't get to decide. The chief priests were trying to manage the message, but their opinion counted for nothing. Pilate was trying to control the situation, but maybe saw closer to the truth than the Jews. Or maybe it was a tactic. But Jesus was who he was and whatever they thought made no difference. His death was necessary and it would prevail over everything evil.

We don’t get to decide either. We can make our choices and mouth our platitudes; we can make our Holy Week observances and then go back to our normal life on Monday. Whether that life acknowledges Jesus as lord or focuses on building an earthly empire doesn’t change who Jesus is. It just changes who we are.

He was the King of the Jews and is the Lord of all things. But not because of anything we say or do. Praise the lord, he rules. We follow, or we’ll be on the wrong side in the end.