“This wasn’t just a death. It was a coronation. Here hangs the glory of God – arms outstretched; heart laid bare.” – Jason Hubbard
 
As Good Friday approached this year, I felt the Lord leading me to portray His often-used title in Scripture: “The King of the Jews.” At the beginning of His earthly life, it is the Magi of the East who call Him by this name, and at the end of His earthly life it is used again by Pontius Pilate. The first was title of honor, the latter a title used with disdain. And yet, both were a prophetic annunciation of who Jesus is – not just a baby born in obscurity, not only a carpenter from Nazareth, not just a lonely Rabbi, or wrongly convicted miracle worker – but the King of the Jews and of all mankind.
Now what is interesting is that Jesus never called Himself a King, and yet this is exactly what the pharisees used to accuse Him of sedition in order to have Him crucified. To Pilate these accusations must have seemed absurd, but to every Jew who knew the Scriptures, the actions of Jesus spoke loudly that He was claiming the title of their prophesied Messiah and King. However, He was not the King they wanted.
The king the Jews were hoping for was one of retribution –a conquering king who would set them free from Rome. They did not see their need to be set free from sin, and yet this was exactly the reason why Jesus came. He came as a lamb, led to the slaughter—a perfect sacrifice which would be made once and for all. 
They could not see the beauty of the One who came to give them life as He hung upon the cross with His arms stretched wide in love, compassion and humility. In painful irony, the sign hung upon His cross declaring Him to be “The King of the Jews” was all too accurate. But as my friend so poignantly stated in the quote above, this wasn’t just His death, but also His coronation.
As I was painting this imagery of Jesus pouring out His life on the cross, I could not stop weeping with gratitude. It was then that I saw in the background the shadow of His head lifted high as He wears the crown of glory that only a few at the time could truly see. 
Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain. From whom people hid their faces, He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem.”
For those who have eyes to see, Jesus is the fulfillment of a perfect King. Unlike earthly kings, his reign is just and will have no end! Fortunately for those of us who are not Jewish, the rule and reign of King Jesus is extended to the whole earth. He is the King of Israel, and King of all the Earth!