the ruler of the world is coming

A minor in yesterday's reading of John19 caught my eye: Pilate. Many would not call someone who sentenced Christ to die a thief's death a minor; many see him as an archvillain too weak to stand up to the lunatic ravings of a mob. There are different accounts of whether or not he was a cruel Roman leader, or a pushover. I'm not taking either side.

I do, however, see faith in one of his actions. After raising the Messiah on Calvary's Hill, Pilate himself wrote an inscription which he affixed to the cross (v19). The inscription is a clear expression of the identity of Christ, King of the Jews. When the Jews complain that their beef was not that He was king but that He claimed to be king, Pilate replies "What I have written, I have written."

You can see in that an act of defiance to the mob for the first time possibly ever. I see in it a declaration of what he had seen when he brushed greatness. I've heard many folks talk about a time they saw a celebrity in person, and in every account, these witnesses discuss the presence of the person. Greatness is often this tangible thing.

And imagine Pilate's conversations with Christ. Imagine his asking Jesus if He was a king. Imagine this small part of him already knowing that answer. Imagine the hands on his ears as Christ suffers in the courtyard. Imagine looking up that hill and witnessing the grandest event of all time. Imagine, imagine that a sliver of fear and awe and regret and wonder resided in this little part of him -- enough to drive him to jot down an observation that was ringing in his ears: King of the Jews.