THE INSCRIPTION ON THE CROSS | JESUS IS THE SAVIOR

1. The Inscription On The Cross

a) Pilate wrote an inscription, and put it on the cross of Jesus. Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city.

b) The inscription was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (John 19:19-20). 

JESUS THE NAZARENE,
THE KING OF THE JEWS

c) There is perhaps much more in this inscription than meets the eye. It seems that Pilate intended more to be read into it than he actually wrote. And more still can properly be read into it, than even Pilate might have intended. Of course the five truths below cannot be deduced from the sign on the cross. However, when these truths are revealed to us in the gospel, then we are able to see them embedded in the words on the sign.

2. Jesus Is The Savior

a) No doubt Pilate wrote the name "JESUS" because that was the name of the one being crucified. But this name was given by God at Jesus's birth because it meant something - Savior (Matthew 1:21). And now, at his death, it has by no means lost significance, but rather gained the more. The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew Jehoshua, meaning Jehovah saves. The first word in the inscription tells us that the death of this man is the means of salvation from sin.