Daily Thought

Four times over in this section the Lord Jesus is called the ‘King of the Jews’. As David’s descendent, He was ‘born King of the Jews’, rightful heir to Israel’s throne, Matt. 1. 1; 2. 2. The angel Gabriel had promised Mary before she conceived that the son whom she would bear would be great and ‘called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David’, Luke 1. 32. This promise is yet to be realized when He returns from an opened heaven with ‘his eyes as a flame of fire, and on his head many crowns . . . And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword . . . And he hath on is vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’, Rev. 19. 11-16.

Whether He stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin who envied Him, Mark 15. 10, Pilate who feared Him, John 19. 8, or the Roman soldiers who mocked Him, Mark 15. 20, the Lord Jesus acted with the majesty and authority of a King. He clearly affirmed His royalty with the words, ‘Thou sayest it’, v. 2. His dignified silence before aggressive accusation caused Pilate to marvel; it also fulfilled the scripture, ‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth’, Isa. 53. 7. With disdain these Gentile soldiers ‘bowing their knees worshipped him’. In the future‘the Lord shall be king over all the earth . . . And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King’, Zech. 14. 9, 16.

How people responded to the King of the Jews said a lot about them. Israel’s leaders had witnessed His powerful miracles and listened to His authoritative teaching, Mark 1. 27, but instead of acknowledging His claims, they were determined to kill Him, 12. 7. Pilate found no fault with Him but for political expediency delivered Him to be crucified. Even though many Israelites had benefited from His powerful miracles, the crowd ‘cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him’, v. 14.