At the end of Genesis, having been betrayed by his brothers but then given power in Egypt to save thousands of lives, Joseph tells his brothers, “what you intended for evil, God intended for good.” This little statement seems to describe much of how God’s sovereignty works in the world throughout the biblical narrative. Though people corrupt the world with evil, God ingeniously spins it into glory and redemption in the end. And that’s just what he did with the evil that surrounded Christ Jesus on the cross.
Pontius Pilate couldn’t care less about who Jesus actually was, and yet he accidentally proclaimed the truth. He was a stubborn and insecure man, and his intent was simply to mock the Jews who had manipulated him, and so he called his prisoner the “King of the Jews” just to belittle them. But God works in mysterious ways, and Pilate spoke better than he knew. Because in fact the man he had just put on a cross, and had carelessly called King, was in fact the true King. Through Pilate’s obstinance, God proclaimed the kingship of Christ to the world.
On top of that, he was the King of the Jews whose death fulfilled all Jewish prophecy. Even the detail of the soldiers’ selfishness fulfilled the oft-overlooked hint God had given in Psalm 22:18. God displayed his sovereignty through every detail of this process. But better yet, what does the very next verse in the psalm say? “But you, Lord, do not be far from me! You are my strength; come quickly to help me!” Not only was God sovereign throughout his Son’s crucifixion, but he was also making it clear to anyone paying attention that he was still working out this evil thing for an ultimate good.
The last place we would expect to find a glorious king is a cross. But such was the brilliance of the triumph of the Son of God; it came through humility. As Pilate sought to establish his rule in Judea, Jesus established his rule over the Earth. As nails fastened him to the cross, he fastened his people to the Father. And as he struggled for final breaths, He breathed new life into his church. No truer words have ever been spoken: Jesus of Nazareth is the king of the Jews.
