John 19:16-22

John 19:16-22 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

We have seen Christ take the final steps to Golgotha quickly. No jury of his peers debates his fate; no governor ponders long a pardon to free him from an undeserved death on a cross between two criminals. When Jesus tells Pilate he has no power over him except what is given to him from above, Pilate tries to free Jesus. But when Pilate hears the people say, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar," he sits down on his judge's seat and says, "Here is your king." The people do not see a king before them: they shout, "Take him away! Crucify him!" When Pilate asks if he should crucify their king, the chief priests declare, "We have no king but Caesar." Now almost as if he must make a statement contrary to the evidence at hand, Pilate commands that a notice be prepared in three languages that all might know and be fastened to the cross where Jesus will suffer and die, a proclamation he refuses to change even when the chief priests protest yet again. Pilate posts the powerful words: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. How the words must have angered those who cried out against that notice. Pilate may have wanted to ease his conscience a bit or he may have had a sense of wanting to show his authority in the situation by standing firm, saying almost as a prophet, “What I have written, I have written.” Human motivations matter little in eternity except as they line up with the plan and the will of God. What mattered then and remains of eternal significance is that God had the last word. He spoke last as He always does: Behold, my Son; Behold, the Lamb; Behold, THE KING OF THE JEWS! Jesus faced the cross, but He faced it as He was, as the King of kings!

At times believers face trials: difficult circumstances may momentarily dim our focus or draw us away from the Lord or make us wonder why events happen as they do. During the ups and downs of living, we must remember who is in control, where we are heading, and why we are alive. If we read the Bible, countless scriptures tell us life is difficult; regardless, we have a higher purpose than earthly satisfaction and carefree living. We act surprised by trials, but Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Peter wrote to the church: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:12-14) Under house arrest, Paul told the church to rejoice always and not to focus on earthly things. As he said, Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:8-11) If we are totally cast down and despairing over the trials and struggles of daily living, we need to practice the presence of Jesus. In him is fullness of joy, peace, and all we need to overcome.

We do sorrow and grieve, yet we do not despair as do the rest [of the world] who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) We know Jesus overcame when He went to the cross for us. We have a King who paid a tremendous price that we might have eternal life: his name is Jesus. We are reminded of his faithfulness in little and large situations. Over the past months, we have struggled with Mom's illnesses and the added stress of PTSD. This past week, her second cataract surgery went well. She is seeing better than she has in years; working at the computer today without making the letters large. This is a tremendous blessing! But other than Mom learning coping and processing methods, God has not taken away the daily pressures of dealing with PTSD. She still has flashbacks that torment her when she is awake and asleep. God has provided a wonderful Christian counselor, and Mom relies upon the Word and the blessed Holy Spirit (the Wonderful Counselor); but God has allowed this affliction to remain. She often describes this disorder as the feeling of losing her essential self and continually drowning with the water lapping at her chin. She knows she is making progress but often feels as if she is treading water rather than making progress toward a distant shore. BUT ALL OF THE TIME, JESUS IS THERE. The tormenters speak lies, BUT JESUS HAS THE LAST WORD, and He says: "I am with you, Jacqueline. I am above you, below you, beside you, behind you. I cover you, hover over you. You can trust me: I will never leave you or forsake you. You will not perish. You will not drown in the deep waters. I will bear you up on eagle's wings. I am the God who heals you; I am your Healer. I am your Strength, your Song, your Joy, your Peace, your Everything, Enough. Abide in me: I am your Dwelling Place, your Shelter in the time of storm." He is always speaking, but we have to believe that He has the words of life, the final words, for He is the King of kings!