JESUS BEFORE PILATE – MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD – JOHN 18:28-40 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We claim these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. Here they are, about to kill the Son of God, yet worrying about defiling themselves by stepping on Gentile territory. Jesus said it’s crazy how people will strain at gnats but swallow camels (Matthew 23:24). And yet we do the same thing in religious circles. We are so careful about certain issues, but we risk missing the big picture altogether. John 18:29 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? When Herod the Great died, his three sons became Tetrarchs, ruling over Israel. So lousy a ruler was Herod Archelaus, however, that the Jews appealed to Rome to send someone else to reign in his place. Rome answered with Pontius Pilate—a former slave who, through marriage and political maneuvering, became a Procurator, or overseer. The first time he came to Jerusalem, Pilate made a big mistake by bringing with him soldiers carrying busts of the emperor. As they approached the temple area with what the Jews considered to be idols, a riot broke out, and blood was shed. Rome sent a warning to Pilate, saying, “Get it together. We don’t want this kind of ruckus.” Thinking he could appease the people by building them an aqueduct, Pilate diverted funds from the temple treasury to finance the project. The Jews were infuriated. Rome heard about it and issued yet another warning: “You have two strikes against you, Pontius. One more and you’re out.” So Pilate, already on the political hot seat, goes out to survey the situation. John 18:30, 31 (a) They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. Hoping to ward off yet another outburst, Pilate puts the ball back in the court of the religious leaders. John 18:31 (b) The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death. In the year A.D. 30—two years prior to these events—the Romans took away the Jewish right of capital punishment. In response, the rabbis ripped their clothes, donned sackcloth, threw dirt on their heads, and said, “God has failed us. God has failed us,” as they marched through the streets of Jerusalem. Why did they cry, “God has failed us”? Because in the Book of Genesis, the promise was given that the scepter would not depart from Judah until Messiah came (49:10). But the basic foundation of government was the ability to deal with lawbreakers, so the scepter had, indeed, departed—with Messiah seemingly nowhere in sight. Oh, but Messiah was there—right in their midst. They just didn’t recognize Him. John 18:32–34 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? “Do you really want to know?” asked Jesus. As we have all discovered, a lot of times people ask questions without really wanting to know the answer. They just want to argue. You would be wise to learn whether people are asking for answers or asking to argue. If they’re asking to argue, don’t cast your pearls before swine. That way, you’ll avoid endless hours of argumentation that will get you nowhere. John 18:35–37 (a) Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. In other words, Jesus said, “You’re right, Pilate. John 18:37 (b) To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. No matter where they live, no matter when they live, every person who wants to know the truth will hear God’s voice. “God’s not fair in choosing some and not choosing others,” some protest. Not true. Jesus said every one who wants to know the truth will hear His voice. John 18:38 (a) Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews…Notice that Pilate asks, “What is truth?”—but doesn’t even stick around to hear the answer. How many of our prayers are like that? John 18:38 (b) …and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. Finding Jesus faultless, Pilate yet hopes to appease the crowd… John 18:39, 40 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. “Barabbas” means “son of the father.” History tells us that his first name was Jesus. “Who do you want released,” asked Pilate, “Jesus Bar-Abbas—Jesus, son of the father—or Jesus the Christ?” Barabbas will be set free because Jesus would go to the Cross in his place. And Jesus went to the Cross in my place as well. We’re all a bunch of sinners, beloved. But the good news is that Jesus Christ truly went through all of this in our place. Therefore, there is no condemnation, no record kept of our sins or failures (Romans 8:1). This leaves us free to bask in God’s grace and express our appreciation to the One who was bound with cords of love. Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 13:28:32 +0000