So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, “I am King of the Jews.”’”Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but, that he said, I am King of the Jews.
3 sermons cite this verse
… Verse 21. Therefore the chief priest of the Jews said to Pilate, do not write the King of the Jews. But he said, I am King of the Jews. And they were upset about that. Don't put that on there. That makes the whole case. But isn't it amazing? I'm sure Pilate didn't even know what he was doing. Pilate just, have them write this. This is what he's being crucified for, that he's the king of the Jews. Isn't that amazing? I don't think he knew what he was doing. Translation. Did he not say earlier, a few hours earlier, I find no fault with this man. the Roman Empire reviewed the life of Jesus Christ and after investigation concluded, Rome finds nothing wrong with this man. But the religious leaders wanted him dead. Why? The Bible says they killed him because of envy. Envy is a huge motivator, you know. It's a sick motivator. When you envy somebody else's stuff, the Bible says thou shalt not covet. You know, somebody might say pride is the route to like murder. …
as I've been stating over and over again, it's not your only hope in the sense that there's nothing else, and I guess we've been reduced down to this final choice. The fact of the matter is, what's transpiring this day, this night in history, is our only hope of eternal life and salvation because of what was written, because of who Jesus Christ is and was and is again. The one who gave his life, who willingly gave his life, who the prophets foretold would do exactly that. You just read eyewitness accounts of events that are in complete correlation with those of the Roman Empire and their subsequent investigation of the crucifixion of Christ and how it was handled. This is something that transcends religion. The fact that Jesus Christ came into this world as the prophets foretold, but all with a mission. Jesus said regarding this day, for this reason came I into the world. It's absolutely awesome. And so as we look at these things very quickly, friends, with the time that we have together, I want you to consider seven things very quickly. …
IT was the usual custom of the Romans, when a man was put to death by crucifixion to affix to the cross, somewhere where it might be read, an account of his crime. His name and title would be given and the accusation that had been brought against him so that all who passed by might read the reason why he had been put to such an ignominious death. Our Savior, therefore, being numbered with the transgressors, must be treated in all respects as they were. If their accusations were published, so must He have His accusation published among the sons of men. How wondrous was the condescension that He, whom all Heaven adored as the ever-blessed Son of the Highest, should be hanged upon a tree and that He should have His accusation written up over His head just as if He had been a common malefactor! I wish we could realize both the dignity of His Person and the shame to which He was exposed. If we could realize this we would be filled with grief for Him and with thankfulness to Him that He condescended to die the death of the Cross. I wish it were possible for us to now stand at the foot of the Cross with Mary and John and the other disciples, and to hear the ribaldry and scorn for a moment—and then to look up and see that sorrowful face and that tortured body— and to read in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." It was a very remarkable thing that Pilate should have written, as Matthew and Luke say that he did, "This is the King of the Jews," and we do not at all wonder that the chief priests said to Pilate, "Write not, the King of the Jews, but that He said, I am King of the Jews." But Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." Divine Providence always has its way! It matters not who may be the persons concerned, God knows how to work His own will with them. It was His purpose that His Son should not die upon the Cross without a public proclamation of His innocence and an official recognition that He was what He had said He was, namely, the King of the Jews! Who was to put up such a notice over His head as He hung there? Peter might have been bold enough to attempt to do it, but he would certainly not have succeeded, for the Roman legionaries jealously guarded every place of execution. Even John, daring as he might have been in such a crisis, could not have achieved the task! It was best that it should be done by authority, done by the Roman governor, done with an official pen and so secured that no envious chief priest dared to pluck it down and no hand of a scoffer could be lifted up to blot out its testimony. It was privileged writing because it was written by the pen of a Roman official—and there it must stay, under the authority of the Roman Law as long as the body of Jesus hung upon the Cross. See what God can do! He can make the vacillating Pilate to become stubborn and He can make him resolve to do what one would have thought would have been the last thing he would have done! Though his motive probably was to ridicule the Savior, yet the thing was done as God would have it—and Jesus on the Cross hung there proclaimed by Roman authority as "the King of the Jews." …