John 19:21-22 says, “Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but, “He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.'” Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.'”‘” Jesus hangs on the cross, giving the Jewish leaders what they wanted…sort of. Revealing Jesus’ charges while mocking the Jews, Pilate’s sign read, “The King of the Jews.” The leaders wanted it to read Jesus only said he was their king. This distinction is important: he was either their king or a vocal imposter. While Pilate declared Jesus’ innocence three times (18:38, 19:4,6), he didn’t believe for a nanosecond that Jesus was any king at all. But his sign legally verifies Jesus’ claim. We know what Pilate didn’t: Jesus is King of the Jews and King of Kings (Revelation 17:14, 19:16)! Let’s serve him as his grateful and loyal subjects today.