Message Three: “The King of the Jews”

Considering the Death & Resurrection of Jesus Christ – 2005 – “The Death of A King”

TEXT: John 19:17-24 – Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee – March 25, 2005

John 19:17-24 ^ESV

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷ and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

¹⁹ Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" ²² Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴ so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, "They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did these things.

The King’s Good Confession:

1) I am a King. 2) My Kingdom is not of this world. 3) I was sent here to bear witness to the truth. 4) Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. 5) All power/authority is from above, therefore the events of the cross are according to the express and foreknowledge of God.

What kind of kingdom is the Kingdom of God? We are looking at four different passages as we consider together the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Any kingdom where we expect God to be a mere ceremonial monarch is not a kingdom worthy of the Son of God. Any “slice of life” approach to the reign of Christ is an insult to Him. The Kingdom that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus is bigger than that. In our first message we saw that the kingdom of Jesus is a Kingdom of Truth. The truth that Jesus brings is truth for all time – truth that touches all of life. Last Sunday we embraced the wonder that the Kingdom of Jesus is a Kingdom of Power. He rules over all, and He brings the permanence of healing in body and soul in the resurrection of the dead. We have a taste of that victory even now as the Lord brings us new spiritual life. This evening we will see that the kingdom of Christ is a Kingdom of Redemptive Suffering unto Glory.

The fact of the cross:

they took Jesus… Though Jesus is the King of all Creation and the King of Glory, He is in the hands of some Roman soldiers and is surrounded by a mob of enemies. This is the ironic reality of God’s kingdom in the present age. God truly is in charge, but His Kingdom is firmly set in place not with the death of His enemies, but with the death of His own dear Son. This is what the Son and the Father are both firmly committed to. If you are a part of this Kingdom, you willingly sign up for a Kingdom where the greatest leader was crucified.

bearing his own cross… Jesus is bearing His own cross at this point in the story. Of course the truth is that He is bearing the cross (that is, the deadly punishment) that we deserve. He has taken the wrath of His Father that by right belongs to us and He calls this His own. This is a suffering that only He can do for us. He prepared His disciples for this by taking the form of the lowest house slave in John 13 and washing their feet. With even greater clarity He plainly says to them in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.” In His death He has done something for us, and that something is the most amazing love that could ever be displayed.

they crucified him… Again we see that there is no horrid description of the brutal facts of death on a Roman cross. Instead we have a simple statement of the fact. They crucified him. The most descriptive passage in all of Scripture about crucifixion is actually contained in the Old Testament, written as a prophecy hundreds of years before crucifixion had even been invented. Interestingly it is that passage (Psalm 22) that is quoted in the verses below in reference to the disposition of the Lord’s garments. Before we consider that, John draws our attention to a matter of controversy concerning the title Pilate has put on the cross.

The words on the cross:

Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews… As we have seen in our prior messages, Pilate acts almost as an evangelist in these events. Though he himself questioned the existence of truth, he has been given certain lines in this drama written by God – lines that are loaded with truth. Not the least of these is the title that he has inscribed on the top of this Roman instrument of death, reserved for the worst capital criminals. Here is Jesus, whose name means Jehovah saves, or Jehovah is salvation. Yet here is not only the very God who saves, but also the man who lived in a Jewish town, Nazareth. This was not a place of prestige, but a place of the lowly. Earlier in John’s gospel, a man who will be one of the disciples of this Jesus asks this honest question: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Yet here also is a King. He is the One who has all power and authority. And most particularly, He is the King of the Jews. The Jews are the covenant people of God. They are the church of the Old Testament. Of all the human beings that lived in that day, they are the ones God had set aside to stand for His redeemed people that would ultimately come from every nation. This Suffering Servant, the God/Man on a Roman cross, is the Lord of all the Elect of God. He is in this fullest sense the King of the Jews.

What I have written I have written.… “King of the Jews” – This title is on the cross of a man who appears to be a poster child for unjust human suffering and brutal human hopelessness and failure. It may have been intended as a mockery, but whatever reason may be behind these words, they provoke great disappointment in the hearts of those Jewish leaders who would like to distance themselves from this man. They want the words changed. They say that it should make clear His offense. They utterly reject any notion that Jesus is rightly a king over God’s people. They want a longer message identifying Jesus as an imposter. The point of the sign was to be a lesson to passers-by. This is what happens to the man who commits thus and such heinous crime. Instead it serves as a placard announcing the truth. This is King Jesus, crucified by the hands of lawless men, but still through it all the King of the Jews. Pilate will not budge on this one. What He has written He has written.

The impact of the cross:

his garments… These are the brute facts presented to us of the cross of Christ. But what is the deeper story? What is this cross really about? What does it accomplish? The answer comes to us in a surprising way in these verses. Details about the distribution of our Savior’s humble garments are given to us. On one level, these details show us the depth of the Lord’s suffering. It is not enough that he is mocked and hung on tree as a display of what is to be despised. Now even His remaining garments are distributed. There is the Son of God in naked humiliation. What suffering love! But there is more here. It is apparent that these details are included to show us that everything is happening according to the age-old prophesies that are recorded in Psalm 22.

to fulfill the Scripture… The specific verses are quoted for us in the passage. They are very intriguing since the words first indicate dividing of garments, and then the casting of lots, which would have suggested that the winner would get everything. And this was precisely fulfilled since some of his clothing was split among the soldiers, but the one tunic was given to one of them through casting lots. What an amazing fulfillment of Jewish prophecy by these Gentile soldiers! But now read all of Psalm 22 and you will see much more. You will hear the very words of Christ on the cross. You will be given the most detailed description of the horror of this kind of death that we have anywhere in the Bible. But you will also be given the assurance that the One who suffers in this way is suffering for a people. He will die and yet live. He will cause His people, “my brethren” as he calls them, to live though they die. He will offer them up to the Father as a living offering. Future and past generations will serve the Lord in holiness as a result of the suffering and death of this One great Man. What a King! What a Savior! What a God!

A Kingdom of Redemptive Suffering Unto Glory:

You don’t have to be a Christian to know that all of life is about love. You do have to be a Christian to know the Love that is beyond all other loves. Love hurts. Sometimes love hurts so much that we don’t want to risk it. The story of this greatest love must not be missed. Jesus told us that through His death on the cross He atoned for our sins. He also set a pattern for us who would have a part in His great Kingdom. Like Him, we are called to suffering love. Like Him, suffering is not the final chapter of our story. As with His suffering, our suffering is unto glory. God will have His kingdom! This suffering Messiah King will reign in us. And we will glorify Him forever.