Read John 19:1-30
"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30
Here Is Your King
Jesus stands before Pilate beaten, mocked, and crowned with thorns. He looks nothing like a king. The soldiers dress Him in purple, strike Him, and laugh at His claim to authority. Pilate himself declares that Jesus is innocent, yet fear and pressure slowly bend his resolve. Truth is on trial, and convenience begins to win.
When Pilate says, “Here is your king,” (Jn 19:14) the words drip with irony. The leaders reject Jesus not because He lacks evidence of His Kingship, but because His Kingship threatens their control. Their final cry – “We have no king but Caesar” (Jn 19:15) – reveals how far their rejection of Jesus and God has gone. In rejecting Jesus, they choose power over truth and safety over salvation.
Yet Jesus is never a victim of circumstance. When Pilate boasts of his authority, Jesus calmly responds that all power comes from above. Even in silence, Jesus is in sovereign control. His path to the cross is not forced; it’s chosen. He carries His cross, stands between criminals, and fulfils Scripture in every detail. The sign above His head declares the truth the world refuses to see: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews (Jn 19:19).
At the cross, we glimpse the heart of King Jesus. He cares for His mother, providing her a new family even as He suffers. He speaks only when His work is complete. His final words “It is finished” (Jn 19:30) are not words of defeat, but of victory. Sin is paid for. The mission is accomplished. Jesus does not lose His life; He gives it to win forgiveness for all who will believe in Him – to all who believe in who He is and what He’s done.
This passage invites us to ask a searching question: Who is our king? Like Pilate, we may know the truth but hesitate to live by it. Like the crowds, we may reject Jesus when His rule challenges our loyalties. Jesus calls us to follow Him, to trust Him in all situations just as He trusted His Father in all situations.
Ian
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