What does it mean that Jesus is the King of the Jews?

This title means that He is the divine, incarnate King, that all power and majesty and dominion on earth belong to Him. The Old Testament glows with many prophecies and promises as to peace and blessing upon earth, and every one of them shall be fulfilled when He reigns in righteousness. He is the One who made the promises, for He is the root of David, and He is the One who will fulfil every promise He has made, for He is David's Son. It was of Him that David thought when he sang: "David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was in my tongue The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel speaks to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth after rain. Although my house be not so with God, yet has He made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things, and sure, for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He makes it not to grow" (2 Sam 23).

The religious authorities had now handed Jesus over to the civil governor, and verses 11-26 relate what transpired before him. When examined by Pilate before the multitude Jesus only uttered two words, "Thou sayest," the equivalent of one English word, "Yes," He confessed that He indeed was the King of the Jews, which was the specific charge laid at His door in the presence of the Roman power. The three Synoptic Gospels agree on this point. John records other questions raised by Pilate and answered by the Lord in the comparative privacy of the judgment hall, and three times he records Pilate going out from thence to the people. As far as the public examination was concerned Jesus "answered nothing," for there was really nothing to answer; as Pilate very soon perceived, though he marvelled greatly. He was well versed in the subtle ways of the Jews and his acute legal mind soon discerned that envy was at the bottom of the prosecution. On the other hand he feared the people and wished to stand well with them.

“I am the Root and Offspring of David.” The “I” is emphatic. His connection with Israel in royalty is here asserted. As divine He is the Root of David’s house. As man He is the Offspring of David. He is David’s Lord and David’s Son. The crown of Israel is His in virtue of Who He is, and His, too, by promise and prophecy. He was born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2). He died as King of the Jews (Matt. 27:37). He shall reign as King of the Jews (Zech. 9:9).

Matthew 2. Thus born, thus characterised by the angel and fulfilling the prophecies that announced the presence of Emmanuel, He is formally acknowledged King of the Jews by the Gentiles, who are guided by the will of God acting on the hearts of their wise men*. That is to say, we find the Lord, Emmanuel, the Son of David, Jehovah the Saviour, the Son of God, born King of the Jews, recognised by the heads of the Gentiles. This is the testimony of God in Matthew's Gospel, and the character in which Jesus is there presented. Afterwards, in the presence of Jesus thus revealed, we see the leaders of the Jews in connection with a foreign king, knowing however as a system the revelations of God in His word, but wholly indifferent to Him who was their object; and this king, the fierce enemy of the Lord, the true King and Messiah, seeking to put Him to death.

Although it was motivated by a desire to mock the accused who had been before him and to antagonise His accusers, Pilate’s designation of the Lord Jesus as the King of the Jews (John 19:19) was accurate, as the Lord Himself had confirmed earlier (Luke 23:3; see also Matt. 2:2). He was of the royal line (Luke 1:32) and, as one of our hymns says, great David’s greater son (Spiritual Songs hymn 256). Although His own did not, as a nation, receive Him (John 1:11), the small number who followed Him realised that He was the one who would redeem the nation (Luke 24:21). Nevertheless, as the nation publicly declared that He was not their King (John 19:15), Christ is yet to take up His position as Israel’s King.

However, God has already anointed Him as King (Ps. 2:6), and what God has purposed in this appointment will come to pass. When the Jews feel their distress at the end of the tribulation, the Lord Jesus will, in grace, come as their King and deliver them from their enemies (Jer. 23:5–6). He will also establish Himself as King over all the earth (Zech. 14:9; Dan. 7:14; Rev. 11:15).

In the next place the superscription is mentioned. "And they set over His head His accusation written: "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." A board on which the crime of the condemned was written was generally carried before the criminal, who was led forth to the place of execution through the crowded streets. This custom was most likely followed with our Lord. Pilate himself had the superscription drawn up and it was written in three languages: Latin, Greek and the Aramaean dialect of Hebrew. We can not follow here the report of the different Gospel records about the writing above the cross. The one here in Matthew was undoubtedly the Latin inscription, while the fullest, as reported by John "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" was written in Aramean and the one in Mark "The King of the Jews" is the Greek inscription. Pilate could not help himself, he had to write as he did, though he may have had the thought in mind to avenge himself and to mock the Jews. In spite of the hating Jews He received His true title and that from the Gentile. There it stood written and could not be changed; so it is still. Jesus of Nazareth, the despised, the rejected One, is the King of the Jews, one of His titles; the throne of His Father David is His and in the wider sense He will be the King of kings.

This is not connected here with the fact, "for he shall save his people from their sins," as in Matthew, where it was the manifestation to Israel of the power of Jehovah, of their God, in fulfilment of the promises made to that people. Here we see that He has a right to this name; but this divine title lies hidden under the form of a personal name; for it is the Son of man who is presented in this Gospel, whatever His divine power might be. Here we are told, "He" — the One who should be born — "should be great," and (born into this world) "should be called the Son of the Highest." He had been the Son of the Father before the world was; but this child, born on earth, should be called — such as He was down here — the Son of the Highest: a title to which He would thoroughly prove His right by His acts, and by all that manifested what He was. A precious thought to us and full of glory, a child born of a woman legitimately bears this name, "Son of the Highest" — supremely glorious for One who is in the position of a man and really was such before God.

But other things still were connected with the One that should be born. God would give Him the throne of His father David. Here again we plainly see that He is considered as born, as man, in this world. The throne of His father David belongs to Him. God will give it Him. By right of birth He is heir to the promises, to the earthly promises which, as to the kingdom appertained to the family of David; but it should be according to the counsels and the power of God. He should reign over the house of Jacob — not only over Judah, and in the weakness of a transitory power and an ephemeral life, but throughout the ages; and of His kingdom there should be no end. As indeed Daniel had predicted, it should never be taken by another. It should never be transferred to another people. It should be established according to the counsels of God which are unchangeable, and His power which never fails. Until He delivered up the kingdom to God the Father, He should exercise a royalty that nothing could dispute; which He would deliver up (all things being fulfilled) to God, but the royal glory of which should never be tarnished in His hands.

He who is to reign as king is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ps. 2:69; Ps. 24; Ps. 45; Ps. 72; Ps. 110; Ps. 118:22-26. Isa. 4:6-7; Isa. 11:1-5, and 10; Isa. 32:1-2. Jer. 23:5-6; Jer. 33:14-17. Ezek. 34:23-24; Ezek. 37:22-25. Dan. 7:13-14. Micah 5:2-4. Zech. 6:12-13; Zech. 9:9-10). All these passages, and many more, under various names and titles, set forth our Lord Jesus Christ as the One who is to reign in Israel and over all the earth.

First however, we are given a sight of the fearful hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. To have walked inside the judgment hall would have defiled them, so they felt. Yet they had no scruple as to committing themselves to murder, and hunting for liars in order to give some semblance of decency to their action. Alas! Alas! to such lengths will religious flesh proceed. Pilate rightly desired a definite accusation, but, having none to offer, they attempted in the first place to rush Pilate into a verdict on the general plea that He was an evildoer. To denounce on general grounds, whilst avoiding any specific charge, is a common trick of the religious persecutor. This irregularity made Pilate wish to throw the case back on their hands. Their answer showed that they were determined upon His death, yet it led to the fulfilment of the Lord's own predictions as to the death He should die — see, John 3:14; John 8:28; John 12:32. However, they eventually fixed on the charge that He sought to make Himself a King. The Lord's question in verse 34 infers this; and it comes clearly to light in the next chapter, verse 12.

The "good confession" before Pilate covered at least four great points. First, the Lord boldly confessed that He was a King. The context shows that in saying this He referred not merely to the fact that He was the true Son of David according to the flesh, but that He held the place as Son of God, just as Psalm 2 predicted.

But secondly, He affirmed that His kingdom was neither "of this world," nor "from hence." It does not bear the character or stamp of this world nor does it derive its authority and power from this place. His Kingdom of course derives all its authority and power from Heaven, and it bears the heavenly character; but instead of stating this positively He put the matter in that negative light which tacitly put a sentence of condemnation and repudiation upon this world and this place. It was a bold statement to make in the presence of the man who represented the greatest existing earthly power.

Jesus, humbled and bearing His cross, takes His place with the transgressors. Nevertheless He who would that all should be fulfilled ordained that a testimony should be rendered to His dignity; and Pilate (perhaps to vex the Jews, certainly to accomplish the purposes of God) affixes to the cross as the Lord's title, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews": the twofold truth — the despised Nazarene is the true Messiah. Here, then, as throughout this Gospel, the Jews take their place as cast off by God.