Scripture:

So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 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. 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.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

(John 19:16-22 ESV)

Observation:

What the Jews thought was a mistake in the sign above Jesus name was the giant reality that they missed - and indeed what so many are missing. Jesus didn't just say he was king, as so many have claimed before him. He was - he is - the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS. He was there before creation, alongside the Father and the Spirit, speaking all things into existence. An earthly ruler speaks edicts and laws, but this King spoke the universe into existence from nothing, and they nailed him to a tree. They didn't see it. They missed it.

Application:

Jesus is King over everything whether we acknowledge him or not. His kingship, his monarchy, is not determined by my submission - it exists without me. Will I bend the knee willingly or will I stand against the one who breathes out stars - the all consuming fire - with a sharpened stick, utterly oblivious to my own frailty? Will you honor the risen King? He conquered death and now he reigns above it.

Prayer:

Lord, make me a submissive, surrendered man. Strip me of my proud, rebellious heart.