The Universality of Jesus

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This is the King of the Jews. Lu. 23:38 It was the common custom in those days, when a criminal was executed, publicly to placard his crime.

As the man on the center Cross on Calvary had been condemned for claiming kingly rights for himself, a claim which obviously neither Caesar nor Judaism could tolerate, the words of the charge stood written above his head: “This is Jesus the King.” But why the three languages?

No doubt they were used, in the first instance, to make sure that everyone in the crowd—for Jerusalem in that Passover time was packed with visitors from all parts of the world—should be able to read and understand. But another hand than Pilate’s had been working there.

Providence had a hand in it. For Greek, Latin, and Hebrew were the three great languages of the world. Each of them represented a whole panorama of history. Each was the vehicle and expression of a great world movement.

Each stood for a different, dominant idea, each was the servant of that idea. Each was a tide which carried the spirits of men. And each was at the Cross to proclaim it: “This is Jesus the King.” Do you see what providence was intending?

Everything that the Greek idea in history stood for—Jesus was king there. Everything that the Roman idea in history stood for—Jesus was king there. Everything that the Hebrew idea in history stood for—Jesus was king there. Verily, on his head are many crowns! ere One reason why the Cross of Christ has so wrought on the conscience of men is that it exhibits the true character of moral evil by expressing it in terms of suffering, which all can understand.

The sins of men actually crucified Jesus—the sins of the Jewish Sanhedrin, which were jealousy and prejudice, the sin of Judas, who betrayed him, the sin of Peter, who denied him, the sin of Pontius Pilate, who found injustice easier than justice, the sin of Roman soldiers, who added mocking to his scourging and crucifixion. These are our sins as much as theirs—jealousy, prejudice, disloyalty, time-serving, pitilessness— though the consequences are not so clearly seen, when we are the sinners.

Yet, in similar circumstances, without the light that history has flung upon the Cross, any of us might do like deeds. But just because the result of those ancient sins is revealed in the suffering of the Cross, we are made to see what sin really is Sin is something that can do things like that.