There was a sign on the cross

Mark 15:25
Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

John 19:20
Therefore, many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and in Greek.

It is not at all surprising that there would be a sign on Jesus’ cross explaining why He was killed.

After all, there was some contention as to whether He had to die at all. The religious leaders insisted on it. Jesus had embarrassed them in front of the people, weakening their authority and dishonoring the cultural and societal roles they held.

But they also knew that Jesus was extremely popular with the people, and they could not afford to have been held directly guilty for His death. On the surface, this was a Roman decision. But they managed to couch their charges against Jesus in language that would paint Him as a threat to the Roman political machine. When Pilate waffled and tried to release Jesus, they threatened to report the Governor to Rome: “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar” (John 19:12). Pilate’s position and political career depended on his being “a friend of Caesar.”

 
And so, the sign on the cross represented different things to the many different people passing by. Perhaps this is why Pilate had the sign translated into Latin (the language of political power), Greek (the language of business and culture) and Hebrew (the language of the regional religion).

For the Romans, the sign was a political message. This is what happens to anyone who thinks of themselves as king. Caesar was their ultimate ruler. To the business community, it was a reassurance of business as usual, the end to those who threaten the status quo. To the religious leaders, it was a satirical affront, reminding them who was in charge.

 
To those who had followed Jesus and had hoped that He was the anointed one, the Messiah who was to lead them to victory over their Roman masters, the sign was a crushing disappointment. This was not how the story was supposed to end.

It took some time and the power of the Holy Spirit for them to begin to remember that this was what Jesus had been teaching them all along. The Kingdom He was bringing to earth was different than what they expected. “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

When we proclaim Jesus as our Lord we underscore the words of David, “The Kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). He is the King over our political machines, our business and markets, our religious systems, and even our expectations about what following Him means.

Are we prepared to surrender our expectations, our notions of safety and security, and follow where He leads?

“In Thee our fathers trusted, they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them” (Psalm 22:4).