Tag Archives: King of the Jews

Wise Men from the East

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Journey of the Magi

Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. On Sundays, I do not publish supplemental material, but I do include a suggested Scripture reading for the day. Please be sure to subscribe to this page so you can follow along every day. We are currently focused on the Christmas season and the events surrounding Jesus’ birth.

Reading the Word

Matthew 2:1–2 (ESV)

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 

He Cannot Save Himself

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Reading the Word

Matthew 27:33–44 (ESV)

33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Parallel Texts: Mark 15:22-32; Luke 23:33-38

Understanding and Applying the Word

As Jesus hung on the cross, the mocking and verbal abuse continued. The religious leaders were offended that Pilate had placed a sign above Jesus that read “King of the Jews.” However, Pilate would not remove or change it. Instead, many made fun of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah by telling him to “come down from the cross” with a promise to believe if he did so.

The religious leaders mocked because they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God. But they were wrong. Jesus was who he claimed to be. He could not come down from the cross because his death was needed to bring salvation to the world. However, in just a couple of days, he was going to do something greater than coming down from the cross. Jesus was going to rise from the grave. Yet, even with the miracle of the resurrection, many would refuse to believe.

Jesus made many grand claims while he was on this earth. He claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God. Such claims are difficult to believe, but the resurrection is the evidence of the truth of his claims. However, even with this evidence, many continue to reject Jesus. Why? Because if he is who he claimed to be, then our lives can never be the same. Our sin must be dealt with. We must repent and turn to Jesus for forgiveness.

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Who Is Your King?

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Kingdom of God Title

Reading the Word

John 19:1–15 (ESV)

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.”

Understanding and Applying the Word

The situation quickly spun out of control for Pilate. He sought to appease the bloodthirsty crowd, but could not. Then he was told that Jesus was not just a man, but one who claimed to be the Son of God. At this revelation, Pilate questioned Jesus and declared his authority over Jesus. However, Jesus told Pilate plainly that his authority was only what had been given to him from above. Pilate again sought to release Jesus, but the crowd would not allow him. It was very clear that Pilate had little or no authority over anyone or anything surrounding this situation. Finally, Pilate asked the Jewish people if he should crucify their King. Shockingly, the chief priests cried out, “We have no king but Caesar.”

After years and years of waiting for the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah, he finally came. However, when he came, rather than a grand welcome, he was largely rejected. Ultimately, he was sent to a cross to be crucified. In the end, the King of the Jews was rejected in favor of Caesar. The kingdom of man was chosen over the kingdom of God. We have the same choice before us. Will we choose Christ and his kingdom or the kingdom of man and its rebellion against God. Who is our king?

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Hail, King of the Jews!

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Matthew 2729 [widescreen]

Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. I publish a suggested Scripture reading each day along with some devotional thoughts on the passage. However, on Sundays I only post a suggested reading. Please be sure to subscribe to this page so you can follow along. We are currently reading through the life of Christ.

Reading the Word

Matthew 27:27–31 (ESV)

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

Parallel Text: Mark 15:17-20

So You Are a King?

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John 1837 [widescreen]

Reading the Word

John 18:29–38 (ESV)

29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of claiming to be king. The Jewish leaders said this because of Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. They rejected Jesus’ claim and when they brought him before Pilate, they knew that such a claim would not sit well with the Romans because it would be a power grab. The leaders were hoping that such an accusation would make the Romans want to execute Jesus.

Pilate asked Jesus if he was “King of the Jews.” In response, Jesus explained that his kingdom was not a worldly kingdom. It is not made up of geographic borders and military strength. Jesus’ kingdom is made up of all who believe in him and his truth. When Pilate realized that Jesus was not a threat to Rome, he went out and told the religious leaders that he did not find any reason that Jesus should be condemned.

When we read this, it is clear that Jesus was going to the cross even though he was guilty of no crime. The reason the Jewish leaders wanted him put to death was because they had rejected him as their Messiah, even though he was the fulfillment of all that God had promised. But we see how we might be a part of Jesus’ kingdom. When we recognize the truth of Jesus’ words and turn to him in faith, we enter the kingdom of the Messiah, the kingdom of God. And the King in this kingdom is Christ, who laid down his life in love for his people, so that they could have life. What a great King!

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King of the Jews

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Mark 152 [widescreen]

Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. I do not publish devotional insights on Sundays, but I do include a suggested Scripture reading. Please be sure to subscribe to this page so you can follow along each day. We are reading through the life of Christ in 2019. Thanks for reading!

Reading the Word

Mark 15:1–5 (ESV)

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.