When Jesus was crucified, a sign was nailed above His head, declaring Him to be the “King of the Jews”.  It was a proclamation that served to announce His identity and proclaim his death sentence.  The official crime for His punishment was treason against Rome.

Ordered by Pilate, the Roman governor who sentenced Jesus to death, the placard was challenged by the religious leaders who had turned Jesus over for sentencing.  They wanted the sign to read, Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews.  But, despite their protests, Pilate rejected the alteration and the sign remained.

Ever since then, mankind has edited the sign, posting what we would prefer Jesus to be, than who He really was and is.  Even today, we would rather replace the assertion with titles like “Great Teacher”, “Good Moral Man” or “Ancient Myth”.  We have trouble accepting Him as God’s only true Son, the promised Savior to the world.  To do so subjects us to a higher expectation than we are willing to fulfill.  So, if we change His identity, we believe we can change our responsibility toward Him.

However, changing Jesus identity does not work.  As savage as Rome was, it is doubtful they would have executed a man for being a good teacher, moral individual or even an ancient object of some misguided people’s imagination.  His claim to being God’s promised King must be retained to validate Pilate’s sentence.

Likewise, changing the sign contradicts Jesus’ claims.  Jesus taught that He was the promised Messiah.  If we edit the sign to anything less, we make him a mad man.  A sane person would not make the assertions He did, unless they were true.  Jesus’ identity allows no other options.  He must be who He claimed He was, or we must label Him a lunatic.

By editing Jesus’ sign, we miss the purpose of the cross.  The cross is about His identity and ours.  Above each of us is a figurative notice defining our self and sentence.  It reads either “Sinner” or “Child of God”.  Our faith in the true identity of Jesus determines what our placard states.   So, what’s your sign?

Pastor Mark