The Apostles’ Creed teaches, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”
As we remember that Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate,” let us take a look at two passages of Scripture: Psalm 2 and John 18:33-19:5:
Psalm 2:1-12 Why do the nations rage1 and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break1 them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
John 18:33 – 19:5 33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. ESV John 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
In these two passages of Scripture we have two kings who could not be more different. In Psalm 2 he is the anointed king over Israel; in John he is an esoteric Jewish peasant. In Psalm 2 he is the one who mocks the nations; in John he is the one who is mocked. In Psalm 2 he is the one who judges the kings of the earth; in John he is the one who stands under judgment. In Psalm 2, he breaks his enemies with a rod of iron; in John he himself is broken.
How could this be? If Psalm 2 speaks of this anointed king who rules over the earth, then what relation does this have to the broken Jewish man we know as Jesus? The answer is that Jesus Christ is the king of Psalm 2, he is God’s own Son who will one day “break the nations with a rod of iron.” But not this day. Not Good Friday. When Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, he exchanged his kingly honor for humiliation. He traded regality for disdain, heartbreak, and pain. Jesus Christ, the Heavenly King, was humiliated, mocked, and beaten by conspiring people, of whom you and I are a part. “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” (Psalm 2:11-12)
Jesus will return one day to rule the nations, and he will rule with justice and righteous fury. But on Good Friday, by his own suffering, he provided the only way that he could rule over us without destroying us. Jesus Christ suffered so that you would not suffer.
“Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:12)
