So they took Jesus ... [and] they crucified him ... Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” ... written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.
(John 19:16-20 ESV)
I am thoroughly enjoying reading Tim Keller's King's Cross. In his chapter called The Turn, this sentence caught my attention, "In condemning Jesus, the world was condemning itself" (102). This got me thinking.
When Jesus was crucified, the inscription posted above Jesus head was meant to be ironic. We don't know why Pilate posted it - was it Pilate's way of trying to completely humiliate Jesus? Was it Pilate's tribute to Jesus, a man he knew was innocent but thought was insane? Was it a passive-aggressive dig at the Jewish leadership for cornering him into crucifying Jesus out of self-preservation - an act he otherwise didn't want to do? Who knows.
While we can't say why Pilate hung that sign, we can say that his action had meaning far beyond anything he anticipated. When he posted that inscription above Jesus, he did it in the three languages that dominated his world: Aramaic, the language of the Jewish religion; Greek, the language of the culture makers; and Latin, the language of the Roman political state.
The self-discipline and morality of religion, the advancement and achievement of human culture, and the power and influence of political power - three forces designed to advance human good and save us from ourselves - came together in unity to reject the claim of kingship from this lowly carpenter. The inscription stood above the condemned and crucified king as a declaration of rejected authority.
And, as Keller states, "In condemning Jesus, the world was condemning itself."
Humanity's best efforts to improve, mature, and protect itself are contained these three fields: religion, culture, and politics. And yet, all three have failed to save humanity from itself. We are as big of a mess as we have ever been.
But Jesus, in being rejected by all three, actually won us an acceptance with God that we were unable to gain for ourselves through our best efforts. As a perfect man, he wasn't just rejected by humans - he stepped into humanity's rejection of God and the judgment we then deserved from God. He stood in our place as our substitute and bore God's rejection for us.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he didn't just rise in his own victory. He rose in victory for all who would trust in him as their substitute. Beyond that, he didn't just rise to take those who would trust him to heaven and away from this earth. He rose to bring heaven back to earth - to re-establish his glory in the created order.
When this risen King brings his restoration project to completion, his glory will once again be evident in all human endeavors. And that means that there's hope - even for religion, culture, and politics.
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