Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."
John 19:19-22
On Sunday I was looking at the paraments in church. I noticed the one on the altar had letters above it, and I wondered what they stood for. So at the end of the service, I asked VA Moyer, the pastor who had preached that day. He told me it was the Latin letters that had been written on the cross. So I looked it up.
Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum
Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews
So often we see symbols and don't know what they mean. It was interesting to find out why those letters were on the parament. As I was looking up the Bible verse, I read the next few verses as well, which are included above. I find it fascinating that Pilate, who crucified Christ because he was afraid of the people, also feared God. I may be reading a lot into these two verses, but Pilate was willing to admit that Jesus was who he said he was. If a man that was not a Christian can do that, cannot we as well?
http://kairosverse.blogspot.com
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