John 19 When the Israelites cried for a king, Samuel reminded them that if they chose an earthly king he would take their lands, sons, and money. And as predicted, it happened under Saul, David and Solomon and other kings who followed. Not having learned from the past we hear the religious leaders cry “we have no king except Caesar!” And then with swirling minds we recall Caiaphas saying “it is to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” But Pilate understood their mindset; it was because of envy. This King Jesus had performed miracles such as healing the blind man and raising Lazarus from the dead yet they cried CRUCIFY HIM! They would have no righteous king but a faltering man of human frailties, Caesar.
And so with hardened hearts and stubborn spirits they got what they asked for; the crucifixion of this man who called himself the Son of God; the King of the Jews. The soldiers may have done the nailing but the religious leaders’ hypocrisy pounded each nail along with them.
In the stillness of the two men emerge from the shadows to redeem his crucified body. With great tenderness they remove it and wrap it with aromatic spices before they laid him in a tomb. Unlike the crowd or Caiaphas, they as silent disciples, revealed their hearts by how they responded; Jesus was their king.