And set over His head His accusation, written, This is Jesus the King of the Jews. Matthew 27:37
During the history of Israel and Judah, there were 42 kings, including the three kings – Saul, David, and Solomon – who ruled over the united kingdom, the 20 kings of Judah, and the 19 kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. Of these, all of the rulers of the northern kingdom were evil men, as were twelve of the kings of Judah (eleven if you consider the repentance of Manasseh). That means in the history of the children of Israel, they had only eleven good kings – ten if you discount Saul. That is not a good record for a nation that was supposed to be living according to the Word of God. Mind you, some of the good kings were excellent rulers and had a good testimony for God. But all of them had their faults and failures, and their reigns all ended in death. Against that questionable backdrop, we see one addressed as the King of the Jews lifted up, not in regal spendour and glory but in mockery, rejection, and shame. But that will all be changed someday.
Pilate wrote the accusation against the Lord Jesus as a nasty dig at the Jewish leaders. The scoffers that gathered used the accusation as the punchline of their jokes and jeers. One of the malefactors accepted the accusation as truth, and entered into the kingdom. So have all the Christians who have viewed that scene by faith and have trusted in the work that our King accomplished on that cross. Not yet recognized as the King of the Jews, the Lord Jesus is recognized as King by a scattered few who recognize that His coming kingdom will be far greater than that of any of the 42 kings of the Jews in the Old Testament.
The kings and rulers of the earth have no appeal to the Lord’s people. We have come to know, love, and honour the King of Kings. We submit to His will and seek the furtherance of His kingdom and His righteous rule in our lives. We recognize His program for the coming ages, taking our place in a world that rejects our King now, and will continue to reject Him until He takes us to Glory. We read of His coming kingdom, when all of earth will be under His righteous rule, and rejoice that He will be given the recognition that He deserves. But for now, until He is recognized as the true King of the Jews, we crown Him King of our lives.
The world still places a sign of mockery over the head of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps if we live as our King desires us to, our testimony will cause some to recognize that He truly is the King. -Jim MacIntosh