Glorious Mud

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...

I am a huge fan of the preaching, writing, and church planting activities of Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. I find that Keller can say complex, paradigm-shifting things in simple, memorable ways. That is good for a simpleton like me. Needless to say I was thrilled to find that another Keller fan has posted links to a ton of Tim Keller resources. Take a look - it is well worth your time. I posted a link to the Reformissionary blog on my links section. Check it out.