When anyone was to be crucified, under Roman law, they were marched through as many streets as possible on the way to the place of execution in order that the people might see the victim. In front of the victim there was a man who carried a placard. On the placard was written the crime for which the individual was to be crucified. However, in the case of Jesus there was no crime because He had committed no crime. Pilate had repeatedly made the statement, "...I find no fault in Him." Since there was no crime for Pilate to put on the placard, he uses this opportunity to throw a cynical, sarcastic, bitter barb at the Jews by placing a superscription on the cross that read; “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Lk. 23:38.
Pilate, in obvious and insidious cynicism, put up on the title, "JESUS, OF NAZARETH...," knowing that the Jews had a saying, "...Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?..." (Jn. 1:46).
Pilate hung a beaten, bloody, body on a cross, and then announced to the world that this man was "THE KING OF THE JEWS." If He was their king, then what did that make them? So, for a king he gave them a crucified criminal. He knew that they had said, "...We have no king but Caesar" (Jn. 19:15).
The hill of Calvary was just above a highway and just outside the city wall. It could easily be seen from the edge of the city, and it certainly could be seen by all the people on the paths and walkways outside the city. High and lifted into the sky was the cross, and on the top the superscription: "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Every Jew that went by saw it. "...for the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city, and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin." Everyone could read it. So, in the three languages of the ancient world--Hebrew, the language of religion; Greek, the language of culture; and Latin, the language of power-- Pilate wrote, "...THE KING OF THE JEWS."
So Pilate, witless in his cynicism, announces to the world for all time the absolute truth that Jesus is "THE KING OF THE JEWS." The Jews had in fact killed their King.
The whole point of the book of Matthew is to present Jesus as King. Before He was ever born, the angel announced to Mary that He would have a Kingdom (Lk. 1:33). The Wise Men came from the East heralding Him as King of the Jews (Mt. 2:2). At the beginning of His last week alive, Jesus came riding into the city of Jerusalem and the people said, "...Blessed is the King of Israel..." (Jn. 12:13). "Pilate, therefore, said unto Him, Art Thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world..." (Jn. 18:37). He was a King; He was the true King. He was born of the seed of David--He was the King. So Pilate, in cynicism, announced the truth to the world.
Previous to the execution at Calvary, Caiaphas, a man with a dement mind but with a divine edict on his lips (howbeit unknown to him). This man, though a high priest, was a scheming politician. In John 11, he came up with the idea to get rid of Jesus. The leaders were afraid that Jesus was going to stir up the people. In verse 48, they reasoned, "If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." They were afraid to lose their political positions. So, Caiaphas says to them, "...consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (v. 50). Verse 51 says, "And this spoke he not of himself; but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation." Caiaphas was high priest, so God just spoke a prophecy through his mouth. Caiaphas didn’t even know what he was saying. He thought he had a great plot to kill Jesus in order to stop a Roman persecution, but in effect he was predicting the death of Jesus Christ on behalf of the nation.
"Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate..." They were no longer the chief priests of God. They had forfeited that title. They now had a new title--the chief priests of the Jews. There was One soon to become “The Great High Priest!”
"...Write not, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am King of the Jews." That change makes a difference. One says He is King of the Jews, the other says He is an impostor--just faking or making a ridiculous claim. They had screamed, "...We will not have this man to reign over us" (Lk. 19:14). They wanted Pilate to change the wording so that Christ would appear to be nothing more than an impostor. "Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written."
The miracle of all this is that God controlled the superscription. It said exactly what God wanted it to say. The royal title of Jesus is affixed on the cross for all the ages, and nobody can change it. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews and of the whole earth. Philippians 2:10 -- "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." . Revelation 19:16 -- "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Perhaps the superscription was what prompted the thief on the cross to make a request of Jesus. That thief looked over at Jesus, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Lk. 23:42). "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Jesus later, after being crucified, exclaims with a loud voice, “It is finished!”
"It is finished!" was not the cry of a helpless martyr, but rather the declaration of the Divine Redeemer. All for which He came to earth to do was now done. All that the law had required for sinners to be saved had now been performed. The full price of our redemption had now been paid. The purpose of God had now been fully accomplished. "It is finished!" refers to the completion of His sacrificial work. The only act left undone was His immediate death.
"It is finished!" With these words is the fulfillment of all prophecies concerning Christ. Such prophecies as: He was the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). He was the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18). He was the seed of David (II Samuel 7:12,13). His name was given before birth (Isaiah 49:1). The place of His birth was Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The sceptre shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come (Genesis 49:10). He went into Egypt and returned (Hosea 11:1). The forerunner prepared His way (Malachi 3:1).
Prophecy tells us that the eyes of the blind shall see, the ears of the deaf will hear, the tongue of the dumb shall speak, and the lame shall leap as a hart (Isaiah 35:5,6). He would still the storm. He would be despised and rejected of men (Isaiah 53:3). He would be hated without a cause (Psalm 69:4). Prophecy painted the whole scene of His degradation and crucifixion. He was betrayed by a friend, forsaken by His disciples, led as a lamb to slaughter, falsely accused, unjustly condemned, punished cruelly by the piercing of His hands and feet, numbered with the transgressors, mocked by the crowd. His garments were a prize for which to gamble. The entire prophetic word declared the scope of the full realization of the words: "It is finished!"
"It is finished!" With these words redemption has been accomplished. "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10) "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15). Jesus came to redeem those who were condemned by the law (Galatians 4:4,5). He was "Manifested to take away sin" (I John 3:5). The "lost" could only be found at the cross. The sinner could only be saved by His bearing the sins and iniquities to Calvary. Those sold under sin could only be set free by His shed blood.
The types of the Old Testament pointed to the finished work of the cross. For instance: the coats of skin in the garden, Abel’s lamb, Noah’s ark, the offering of Isaac, the passover lamb in Egypt, the tabernacle and it service, the rock of Horeb where Israel drank from a fountain of water, the serpent on a pole in the desert. All speak of the complete work of Calvary—of the King of the Jews.
"It is finished!" is the word "Teleo" which means "to make an end." What was ended? The price of our redemption. What was performed? All the requirements of the law. There are at least four proofs of the finished work of Christ. The veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead . He was exalted as the Lamb. He sent the Holy Ghost to indwell those that obeys Acts 2:38—the church on the earth.
This “King” will once again be recognized by the very ones that rejected Him. Bearing the marks of the cross He shall be looked upon by the ones (not the individuals that were then present but that same people—the Jews) who crucified the Lord of Glory! "...consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not."
Never underestimate the power of CALVARY the place of the crucifixion of the “KING OF THE JEWS!” Because YOU must never forget that it was YOUR sins that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. Rightly deserving hell fire for our own sins, “The soul that sinneth—shall die,” yet , thanks be unto God, that provided an escape through the precious blood of Jesus Christ—the KING OF THE JEWS!
=========================================
THE KING OF THE JEWS
When anyone was to be crucified, under Roman law, they were marched through as many streets as possible on the way to the place of execution in order that the people might see the victim. In front of the victim there was a man who carried a placard. On the placard was written the crime for which the individual was to be crucified.
However, in the case of Jesus there was no crime because He had committed no crime. Pilate had repeatedly made the statement, "...I find no fault in Him." Since there was no crime for Pilate to put on the placard, so he uses this opportunity to throw a cynical, sarcastic, bitter barb at the Jews by placing a superscription on the cross that read; “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Lk. 23:38.
Pilate, in obvious and insidious cynicism, put up on the title, "JESUS, OF NAZARETH...," knowing that the Jews had a saying, "...Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?..." (Jn. 1:46).
Pilate hung a beaten, bloody, body on a cross, and then announced to the world that this man was "THE KING OF THE JEWS." If He was their king, then what did that make them? So, for a king he gave them a crucified criminal. He knew that they had said, "...We have no king but Caesar" (Jn. 19:15).
The hill of Calvary was just above a highway and just outside the city wall. It could easily be seen from the edge of the city, and it certainly could be seen by all the people on the paths and walkways outside the city. High and lifted into the sky was the cross, and on the top the superscription: "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Every Jew that went by saw it. "...for the place where Jesus was crucified was near to the city, and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin." Everyone could read it. So, in the three languages of the ancient world--Hebrew, the language of religion; Greek, the language of culture; and Latin, the language of power-- Pilate wrote, "...THE KING OF THE JEWS."
So Pilate, witless in his cynicism, announces to the world for all time the absolute truth that Jesus is "THE KING OF THE JEWS." The Jews had in fact killed their King.
The whole point of the book of Matthew is to present Jesus as King. Before He was ever born, the angel announced to Mary that He would have a Kingdom (Lk. 1:33). The Wise Men came from the East heralding Him as King of the Jews (Mt. 2:2). At the beginning of His last week alive, Jesus came riding into the city of Jerusalem and the people said, "...Blessed is the King of Israel..." (Jn. 12:13). "Pilate, therefore, said unto Him, Art Thou a king, then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world..." (Jn. 18:37). He was a King; He was the true King. He was born of the seed of David--He was the King. So Pilate, in cynicism, announced the truth to the world.
Previous to the execution at Calvary, Caiaphas, a man with a dement mind but with a divine edict on his lips (howbeit unknown to him). This man, though a high priest, was a scheming politician. In John 11, he came up with the idea to get rid of Jesus. The leaders were afraid that Jesus was going to stir up the people. In verse 48, they reasoned, "If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him; and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." They were afraid to lose their political positions. So, Caiaphas says to them, "...consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not" (v. 50). Verse 51 says, "And this spoke he not of himself; but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation." Caiaphas was high priest, so God just spoke a prophecy through his mouth. Caiaphas didn’t even know what he was saying. He thought he had a great plot to kill Jesus in order to stop a Roman persecution, but in effect he was predicting the death of Jesus Christ on behalf of the nation.
"Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate..." They were no longer the chief priests of God. They had forfeited that title. They now had a new title--the chief priests of the Jews. There was One soon to become “The Great High Priest!”
"...Write not, The King of the Jews, but, He said, I am King of the Jews." That change makes a difference. One says He is King of the Jews, the other says He is an impostor--just faking or making a ridiculous claim. They had screamed, "...We will not have this man to reign over us" (Lk. 19:14). They wanted Pilate to change the wording so that Christ would appear to be nothing more than an impostor. "Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written."
The miracle of all this is that God controlled the superscription. It said exactly what God wanted it to say. The royal title of Jesus is affixed on the cross for all the ages, and nobody can change it. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews and of the whole earth. Philippians 2:10 -- "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." . Revelation 19:16 -- "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Perhaps the superscription was what prompted the thief on the cross to make a request of Jesus. That thief looked over at Jesus, "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Lk. 23:42). "JESUS, OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Jesus later, after being crucified, exclaims with a loud voice, “It is finished!”
"It is finished!" was not the cry of a helpless martyr, but rather the declaration of the Divine Redeemer. All for which He came to earth to do was now done. All that the law had required for sinners to be saved had now been performed. The full price of our redemption had now been paid. The purpose of God had now been fully accomplished. "It is finished!" refers to the completion of His sacrificial work. The only act left undone was His immediate death.
"It is finished!" With these words is the fulfillment of all prophecies concerning Christ. Such prophecies as: He was the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). He was the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18). He was the seed of David (II Samuel 7:12,13). His name was given before birth (Isaiah 49:1). The place of His birth was Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). The sceptre shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come (Genesis 49:10). He went into Egypt and returned (Hosea 11:1). The forerunner prepared His way (Malachi 3:1).
Prophecy tells us that the eyes of the blind shall see, the ears of the deaf will hear, the tongue of the dumb shall speak, and the lame shall leap as a hart (Isaiah 35:5,6). He would still the storm. He would be despised and rejected of men (Isaiah 53:3). He would be hated without a cause (Psalm 69:4). Prophecy painted the whole scene of His degradation and crucifixion. He was betrayed by a friend, forsaken by His disciples, led as a lamb to slaughter, falsely accused, unjustly condemned, punished cruelly by the piercing of His hands and feet, numbered with the transgressors, mocked by the crowd. His garments were a prize for which to gamble. The entire prophetic word declared the scope of the full realization of the words: "It is finished!"
"It is finished!" With these words redemption has been accomplished. "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10) "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (I Timothy 1:15). Jesus came to redeem those who were condemned by the law (Galatians 4:4,5). He was "Manifested to take away sin" (I John 3:5). The "lost" could only be found at the cross. The sinner could only be saved by His bearing the sins and iniquities to Calvary. Those sold under sin could only be set free by His shed blood. "There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood." Read Acts 2:38--the only New Testament verse that declares HOW sin is REMITTED.
The types of the Old Testament pointed to the finished work of the cross. For instance: the coats of skin in the garden, Abel’s lamb, Noah’s ark, the offering of Isaac, the passover lamb in Egypt, the tabernacle and it service, the rock of Horeb where Israel drank from a fountain of water, the serpent on a pole in the desert. All speak of the complete work of Calvary—of the King of the Jews.
"It is finished!" is the word "Teleo" which means "to make an end." What was ended? The price of our redemption. What was performed? All the requirements of the law. There are at least four proofs of the finished work of Christ. The veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead . He was exalted as the Lamb. He sent the Holy Ghost to indwell those that obeys Acts 2:38—the church on the earth.
This “King” will once again be recognized by the very ones that rejected Him. Bearing the marks of the cross He shall be looked upon by the ones (not the individuals that were then present but that same people—the Jews) who crucified the Lord of Glory! "...consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not"
Never underestimate the power of CALVARY the place of the crucifixion of the “KING OF THE JEWS!” Because YOU must never forget that it was YOUR sins that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. Rightly deserving hell fire for our own sins, “The soul that sinneth—shall die,” yet , thanks be unto God, that provided an escape through the precious blood of Jesus Christ—the KING OF THE JEWS!
"GLORY TO THE THE LAMB THAT IS WORTHY..."
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