Good Friday ---- 25 March 3026

Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

·        Pilate’s words… What did he write? ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ … in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.  Written in the languages of the Hebrew Scripture, of the imperial power, and of the common folk.

·        There in irony here and layers of meaning. The Pharisees wanted Pilate to change it to an accusation of claiming to be king. He refuses to change a word, symbolically thumbing his nose at the concerns of the Pharisees and in that, letting them know who was REALLY in charge. “If the forces of empire can crucify your king, what do you think I can do to YOU?”

·        John the Evangelist knows this. He’s lived under imperial rule all his life. He’s also a fine writer, so he uses Pilate’s words to convey the irony of the whole situation. What Pilate meant as a warning and an insult becomes a proclamation of who Jesus really is.

·        Once again we hear this story – because John’s Gospel is always used on Good Friday. We might wonder about the forces arrayed against Jesus on this day. The Pharisees and the elite of the people call for his arrest and execution because he claims to be the King of Israel. Pilate and the Roman Empire control everything – especially matters of life and death. Yet, in John’s Gospel, Jesus goes to the cross as a king going to his throne. The powerful of this world become instruments of the raising up of Jesus for the life of the world rather than simply serving their own agendas. They really do not know what they are doing, although they think they do. The people are saved but not by the actions of the leaders of the people. The new ruler of the ages is proclaimed but not by the power of the sword and the might of arms.

·        Pilate’s words - ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’  - are as true as can be. They are true even though he didn’t realize it. The high priest Caiaphas had said it was better to have one man die for the people and his words were true as well, although not in the way he understood.

·        In the final irony, we Christians call this day “Good Friday” in some languages or “Mourning Friday” in others. “Mourning Friday” would be appropriate considering the event we commemorate. “Good” would also be appropriate if we take “Good” mean “holy” or “God’s”, setting the day apart for God’s purpose. We mourn what happened even while we stand in awe of what the day’s events mean.

·        “What I have written I have written.”  ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ are the words of Pontius Pilate. He would not change his words then and there is no need to change them now.