John’s Gospel is the only one out of the four which tells us that there was a fuss over the notice Pilate attached to our Lord’s Cross. All four Gospels mention the inscription but John’s Gospel is the only one that tells us that the chief priests objected and wanted it changed from Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews to ‘this man said I am king of the Jews’. But Pilate wasn’t going to give way this time – ‘what I have written I have written,’ he declared (John 19v22).
There is a double irony here – first of all, against his better judgement Pilate had given into the demands of the Jews to have Jesus killed. He knew Jesus was innocent yet he rolled over to the pressure of public opinion. ‘I find no crime in him’, he said to the crowd in front of the Praetorium. ‘But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?’ ‘Not this man but Barabbas,’ the crowd demanded (John 18v40).
They wanted Barabbas the criminal, Barabbas the terrorist! He’s the one they’re voting for on the 0800 number for freedom and celebrity status. And Pilate gave into them against his better judgement. But here he is standing firm on the inscription. How ironic.
The second irony here is the fact that Pilate was a man who was very uncertain about truth. ‘What is truth?’ he famously said to Jesus when Jesus told him that ‘everyone who is of the truth hears my voice’ (John 18v37-38). Like many people in his own day and like many people in ours, Pilate was deeply uncertain about the truth, about whether there are universal, God-given principles to guide us in our beliefs and actions as men and women. What is truth? Pilate’s uncertainty led him to give into the pressure to crucify the Lord of glory. But here he is sticking with what he’s written which happens to be the truth. How ironic.
Jesus is the King of the Jews. He is the rescuing King of Old Testament promise and expectation. He is indeed the Christ, the Messiah God had promised to send to save not only his chosen people, the Jews, but people from any and from every nation who come faithfully and humbly to God for salvation and forgiveness. Pilate could have been included but for his proud refusal to face the truth. Ironic that here Pilate, unknowingly it seems, tells the truth - Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
So, John is the only evangelist who uncovers the irony of this whole argument about Jesus’ inscription. The point John is bringing home with brilliant clarity is that that broken man on the Cross is still God’s King. He’s still ruling, he’s still in charge, he’s still God’s King because he’s doing the work his Father God gave him to do. He’s bringing glory to his Father God by finishing the work of salvation God the Father sent him into the world to accomplish. ‘It is finished’ is Jesus’ final word from the Cross (John 19v30).
Unfortunately, the uncertainty of Pilate with his ‘what is truth?’ is the blurred vision of many people today who don’t believe that there is Truth, capital T. There may be my truth, there may be your truth, little t, but there’s no capital T Truth for everyone everywhere. The Gospel says different. The Gospel says there is Truth and it’s the King hanging on the Cross who reveals that Truth, the Truth that you and I need saving from our sins and the devastating consequences of them. The Christ reveals that Truth as he hangs absorbing the wrath of God in himself upon the Cross. And the Christ hanging on the Cross reveals the Truth that it is he and he alone who saves - Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Hanging alone on the Cross, he achieves our salvation not we ourselves. Our response is to look with the eyes of faith, not uncertainty, and to give him all the glory. That is the way of salvation.
A very happy Easter to you and your loved ones,
Julian Mann
Vicar