With Dale Ratzlaff
John 18:33-40
Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him. “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Some of the statements in this passage may be taken in more than one way. What took place between Pilate and Jesus is best understood by referencing several Bible texts. In writing to Timothy, Paul stated this:
I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate (1 Tim. 6:13).
In the book of Revelation, Jesus is called the faithful and true witness:
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this (Rev. 3:14).
Therefore, let us discover what Jesus “testified” and what was the “good confession” Jesus made before Pilate.
33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Was this question sarcasm? Jesus is bound in humble attire and certainly does not look like a king. How would Pilate have understood “the King of the Jews?” Was he thinking of someone likely to cause an insurrection, gather soldiers and try to rebel against Rome? Or was he thinking that Jesus might be the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews? Did he even know the Jews were expecting a Messiah, and if he did, he probably would have had the same idea as the Jews—someone to deliver them from Roman oppression? Jesus’ answer to Pilate is somewhat shrouded in mystery.
34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
It seems Jesus in His lowly majesty is confronting the pompous Pilate with the truth of who Jesus is. In essence, then, Jesus is asking Pilate, “Are you saying that I am the Messiah of the Jews?” However, it is not clear what Pilate would understand by the Messiah of the Jews. It is as if Jesus is asking Pilate, are you willing to be subject to my Kingdom? At this point, Pilate responds with disdain.
35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”
Pilate surely had heard about Jesus. After all, the Roman leaders had just sent out a sizable Roman cohort to arrest Jesus. This was done mainly on the recommendation of Judas and the Jewish chief priests.
Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons (Jn. 18:3).
Pilate is somewhat confused at this point. Therefore, he asked Jesus, “What have you done?” Jesus now gives the “good confession,” truly witnessing before Pontius Pilate.
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
At this point, Pilate knows that Jesus is not an insurrectionist, and he has nothing to worry about from that perspective. Now he is curious. What does Jesus mean, “My kingdom is not of this realm?”
37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
In just these few words, Jesus summarizes what is taught in the Gospel of John: “You say correctly that I am a king.” The way this written is somewhat vague, but it appears Pilate acknowledges Jesus as some kind of a King. Next, Jesus puts him on the spot where he needs to make a decision. In essence, Jesus says, “Is this your conclusion, Pilate, that I am a king, or is this what others have told you about me?” It appears that Jesus was looking for some evidence of personal belief, a key theme in John.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:18).
“For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world.” This statement points both to Jesus’ preexistence and the incarnation. The eternal I AM becoming a human being in space and time.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (Jn. 1:1-3).
“To testify to the truth.” As we have seen throughout the Gospel of John, “testify” is a key theme.
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him (Jn. 1:7).
Testifying about the “light” is the same as to testify to the “truth.”
“Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Here “King Jesus” confronts Pilate with the truth. Will Pilate hear what Jesus is saying? Will this arrogant Roman ruler humble himself and listen to “King Jesus”?
We can only surmise what was going through Pilate’s mind. Notice the abrupt end to this interrogation.
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
In just a few words, Jesus pointed Pilate to the truth of who He is. Pilate was at least interested to know what was “truth.” He now knows that Jesus is an innocent person, and he should release him.
And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.”
Here we have another witness to the sinlessness of Jesus. “I find no guilt in Him.”
I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me (Jn. 14:30).
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).
Pilate now knows Jesus is innocent. He knows that Jesus is a King, and truth-seeking people will be drawn to Jesus. He wants to let Jesus go. Pilate hates the Jews, yet at the same time, he must pander to them to keep them in control. To demonstrate the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders, Pilate gives them a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, who was a robber, led an insurrection, and committed murder (see Lk. 23:19). Pilate did Jesus a great injustice in comparing Jesus, whom he had just acquitted, with Barabbas. The just thing would be to release Jesus and given Him protection. But Pilate was more interested in his reputation and self-preservation than justice. Thus, when confronted with the truth, Pilate turns it down.
39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.
By presenting Jesus as “the King of the Jews,” it only infuriated the Jewish leaders. Here again, they were rejecting their Messiah. They would not even take the name of Jesus on their lips; they just said, “Not this man, but Barabbas.”
It is a spiritual law that when one rejects the truth, he or she chooses error.
For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (Jn. 3:20).
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (Lk. 16:13).
Application
- When we interact with others, there is often an opportunity to testify to the truth. Let us pray for wisdom and the Spirit’s guidance. Jesus asked questions seeking out a desire in the other person to know the truth. Let us seek to follow the same example.
- Pilate rejected Jesus, knowing that there was no fault in Him. Because of Pilate’s standing and reputation in his community, he chose to do the convenient thing and go along with the crowd and condemn an innocent man who just told him the truth. Today, we live in a rapidly changing culture. Truth is no longer defined by historical and biblical moral principles, but by a mob-like frenzy, each selfishly seeking their own pleasure. Anyone who goes against the grain of their liberal and sinful practices is castigated, marginalized, and even assaulted. We must be very careful not to let the customs of our society divert us from standing for truth.
Prayer
Father, I thank you for the example of Jesus as He gave the good confession before Pilate. Help me to be wise and listen to the Spirit’s leading as I interact with others. Help me to be able to stand alone for the principles of truth when surrounded by those who wish to impose their values on me. May I react in such a way that makes them want to know what is the truth.
In Jesus name.
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