19Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but rather, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" 22Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
John 19:19-22 (ESV)
The Jewish leaders came to Pilate to have Jesus killed telling him that by calling Himself King of the Jews, Jesus was an enemy to Ceasar. After speaking with Jesus, Pilate called Him the King of the Jews. The Jewish leaders didn't want to hear this since it threatened their roles as leaders of the people. They certainly didn't want to admit that they were wrong about Who Jesus was. These very words threatened the core of their existence. Yet, Pilate stuck to them. In my mind I can see Pilate played by Jack Nicholson with the expression on his face the same as in A Few Good Men when he delivered the line "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth." Pilate, not counting himself as a believer, is saying "I wrote what I wrote. I don't care if you're threatened by it. Deal with it!"
Truth be told, even today, there are proclamations about Jesus that are threatening. Savior we can sometimes handle, but Lord? You mean I'm giving up control of my life? That's sometimes a tough one. A good teacher. Yes, of course He was a good teacher. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36) That's a little tougher. If there are words about Jesus or from Jesus that we feel threatened by, we need to ask what is it that threatens us? Then we need to deal with it. As you read what God has written about His Son, picture Him saying "What I have written I have written." Why, because HE DID!
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