Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, \u201cAre you the king of the Jews?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cYes, it is as you say,\u201d Jesus replied. <\/p>\n
\tWhen he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, \u201cDon\u2019t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?\u201d But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge\u2014to the great amazement of the governor. <\/p>\n
\tNow it was the governor\u2019s custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, \u201cWhich one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?\u201d For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. <\/p>\n
\tWhile Pilate was sitting on the judge\u2019s seat, his wife sent him this message: \u201cDon\u2019t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.\u201d <\/p>\n
\tBut the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. (Matthew 27:11-20)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\tJesus told Pilate that he was the king of the Jews. What does that mean? He was the descendent of David and the rightful heir to the throne. He knew that. His genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke demonstrate that. But there was more to Jesus\u2019 kingship than simply being a descendent of David. Jesus wasn\u2019t just a man. Jesus was God. <\/p>\n
\tWhen the prophet Samuel became old, the people of Israel became dissatisfied with the political direction of their nation. They liked Samuel, but they had no confidence in his children. So they asked him to select someone to reign over them as their king. They had decided that they wanted to have a king just like all the other nations had. <\/p>\n
\tSamuel was disturbed, but God told him to go along with their request. \u201cAnd the Lord told him: \u201cListen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.\u201d (1 Samuel 1:8:7 NIV). Jesus was God. Just as the people in Samuel\u2019s day had rejected him as king, so they were once again rejecting him. <\/p>\n
\tAcknowledge or unacknowledged, Jesus is king, both of the Jews\u2014as Pilate accepted\u2014and of the world. He is God. We can choose to submit to him as our God and king or not. But our choice will not change reality.<\/p>\n
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