King Jesus

They hung him on a cross to die. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: ‘Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews’ … 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.’” John 19:19-22

I wonder what Pilate was up to. There are so many reasons he could have done this. It could have been fear from the Roman government. After all, the Chief Priests had threatened him earlier by saying that he was not a friend of Caesar’s if they let Jesus go. He may have wanted to make sure that word got back to Caesar that he shut down the insurrection from the Jews.

Or, it could have been that he wanted to antagonize the Jews to make sure they understood that they were not in control, but he was. Or similarly, hanging someone on a cross was meant for people to walk by and see what happens to people who mess with them – to intimidate and keep more uprisings from happening.

Or, after his discussion with Jesus, Pilate may have wondered if Jesus really was who he said he was and while he hadn’t wanted to kill him, the people insisted, and this was his way of saying to Jesus, “I think they are wrong. I tried to let you go. You just might be the King of the Jews.”

One thing is clear. While Pilate and the Chief Priests seem to be in control of this situation, God is still in control. They are actually fulfilling prophecy – right down to dividing Jesus’ garments. “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” Psalm 22:18, John 19:24 God not only knew this was going to happen. It was a planned event. Jesus, the Passover Lamb, was being sacrificed to take away the sins of the world.

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved, standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” John 19:22-27 Other than this one, it doesn’t mention the disciples being there. I wonder if they were too afraid for their own lives to be there or if they could not bring themselves to look at their beloved teacher hanging on a cross. Or maybe standing at the cross is such an intense personal moment, there is not an awareness of others being there and since John wrote this, he is the only one there.

At any rate, in his final suffering, Jesus was aware of the needs of his mother and of this disciple. And he made sure that they were taken care of. Jesus apparently had been responsible for the care of his mother by then. Jesus had brothers and it seems that the normal way of things would have been for the next brother in line to care for Mary. But I think John and Mary needed each other. John needed to ask Mary questions about Jesus’ birth and about his growing up years. And Mary needed to hear John talk about what Jesus had done in the last three years. While she was there for some of it, she was not with him the way the disciples were. She needed to know that he was indeed the Christ. So John and Mary had three days to remember, cry and laugh together as they dealt with their pain.

I cannot imagine the pain either of them bore at this time. A mother watching a son be fully disgraced, hanging on a cross, and a young man whom Jesus had mentored for the last three years watching his hero, his Christ, his vision for what could be, dying at the hands of others. How they must have ached an inconsolable ache. Yes, Jesus knew that they needed each other to get through the next three days. So as his last duty as Mary’s son, he chose John to care for her. Even in the midst of her pain, that must have warmed her heart. And John must have felt special that Jesus chose him to care for his mother.

Once again I find myself struggling to leave things where they are at for today. I want to rush through this and not think about it too much. It is a dark time filled with true anguish and I like ‘And they lived happily ever after,’ endings. But if I don’t tarry here, if I don’t stand at the cross with Mary and John, I may take too lightly what God did for me through Jesus Christ. If I want to be a true disciple of Jesus, I need to stand here at the cross until I fully understand who he is and what he did for me. Then and only then can he truly be my Lord and my King – King Jesus.