It is somewhat unusual in reading through the four accounts of the life of Jesus (in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) to find an event or a detail in the life of Jesus recorded in all four accounts. Having four different writers to write from four different vantage points to four different audiences (obviously all by inspiration) enriches the single account of the life of Jesus so much. So, when we find a detail mentioned by all four writers, we ought to take special notice of it and see what we can learn.
The title that Pilate wrote in three languages and placed on the cross above the hanging body of Jesus is mentioned in all four accounts. The writing was: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” “Then many of the Jews read this title,” and “the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write [this] but [write this instead]’” (John 19:19-21). The Jewish leaders were not satisfied with what the governor had written, and they wanted him to write something different to make them feel more at ease. Look at Pilate’s response: “What I have written, I have written” (John 19:22).
Pilate’s answer, unbeknownst to him, is so powerful. Pilate reflected on what he had written; he was satisfied with what he had written; he was not willing to change what he had written; he was the only one who had control over what he had written. In the Greek language, the perfect tense emphasizes action that has been completed in the past and the results of that action are continuing and still abiding in full effect at the present time. Pilate used that tense with both verbs in John 19:22. “What I have written” (perfect tense, “I wrote in the past but the results are still abiding in full effect today), “I have written” (perfect tense, “still abiding in full effect today).
Think about all of this in relationship to the Word of God. Jesus and the New Testament writers, when referencing God’s Word, fondly and frequently said, “It is written” (a phrase often found in the Greek perfect tense). Like the Jews in Pilate’s day, many folks today look at Scripture and reply, “God, do not write [this] but [write this instead].” Through inspiration, when God reflected on what He had written, He was satisfied with what He had written; He was not willing to change what He had written; He was the only one who had control over what He had written. And, in the perfect tense (as Jesus used in Matthew 4:1-11), while the writing of God’s Word is an action completed in the past, the results of that writing are still very much abiding in full effect today.
Thank you, Pilate, for teaching us a valuable lesson about the abiding effect of the Written Word!