KING JESUS

Matthew 27:37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Jesus is King and never does he deserve the title King more than at that moment of being crucified, for this is the battle for which he has come.

This is the battle for the liberation of his people. No greater battle has ever taken place and no greater warrior has ever fought.Remember this. Jesus is not the captured prisoner of the Jews. It is not against them or their leaders that he has contended.

He is not the victim handed over into the power of the Romans. Neither Pilate nor the soldiers are the enemies that he engages. No one has “got Jesus now.” Jesus stands on the field of battle in the exact spot to his advantage. He has, through his years of perfect obedience to his Father, prepared himself for this occasion to bring the redemption that he alone is able to accomplish.

The joke is on the Great Enemy, Satan, and all the fools that he has deceived into believing that Jesus is a failure. The atonement for the sins of all God’s elect – the past, the present, and the future; the Jew and the Gentile – the atonement for their sins is at this moment being accomplished and there is nothing the enemy can do about it. Satan tried.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, Satan tried to tempt him – sometimes by offering fame and glory; sometimes through his friends such as Peter offering a way out of suffering; sometimes through abandonment of friends discouraging him. One sin – that was all Satan needed. One little sin – one moment of doubt or resentment, one indiscretion, one blemish that would disqualify his sacrifice.

The constant slander and criticisms of the religious leaders should have brought out one ill-advised remark or thought. The foolish behavior and remarks of the disciples ought to have elicited some hasty unwise reaction. Maybe even now with the physical barbarity Jesus will give in. But no, every attack of the enemy is thwarted, and now the Great King hangs on the cross for the deliverance of his people. What a magnificent king!