John 18:28-19:16

Main Point: The actions of Pilate, the crowd, and Jesus reveal that Jesus is the long-awaited King of the Jews

What would you say is the main theme throughout the Book of John?

John’s main theme throughout this Gospel is- Belief.

Believe that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and is King of the Jews. Belief.

We see this in John 20:30-31

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This is the theme of John- Believe

Last week we read about Jesus’s arrest and sham trial.

We saw how Jesus is orchestrating the whole event.

He had opportunities to flee, hide, fight back, but instead he knows his “hour” has come.

Now Jesus is being escorted to the Roman authorities...

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which constitutes blasphemy.

In Jewish culture, blasphemers deserve death.

Let’s read John 18:28-32.

John 18:28–32 ESV

28 Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

What is Passover?

-The cleansing process was intense. It took time and cost a lot of money to use the right soaps to cleanse themselves. They did not want to become defiled the day before Passover.

Pilate gives Jesus a fair hearing

Surely Pilate had already been in communication with the Jewish authorities over this matter, but he still gave Jesus a fair trial.

***Imagine being in the Florida Supreme Court

Pilate thought it was silly that they accused Jesus of doing evil. This is no big deal to him.

The Jewish people had the authority to prosecute themselves, but since this was a capital punishment case, they had to submit to the Romans to do so.

I believe the Jews could have killed Jesus, but that wasn’t part of God’s plan.

What is meant by verse 32?

All throughout John, Jesus hinted how he would die.

John 3:14 ESV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

John 8:28 ESV

28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

John 12:32–33 ESV

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

I doubt the disciples knew what Jesus meant by these words at the time he said them.

When I read these verses, I think of how Jesus will one day be glorified.

But he was in fact talking about his crucifixion on the cross.

I think that the Jews could have killed Jesus, just as they were going to kill Mary Magdalene and how they killed Stephen.

Why do you think they didn’t end up killing him?

Perhaps it’s because they weren’t able to because the Roman guards were with them at the time of the arrest, so from that point on they had to do everything in accordance to Roman law.

But I think that God providentially controlled all of these political procedures to assure that, when Jesus’ sentence was finally passed, He would be crucified on a cross by the Romans.

If the Jews were to kill Jesus, they would have thrown him down and stoned him.

The Romans were going to lift Jesus up on a cross.

God was orchestrating this whole procedure.

Let’s read John 18:33-40

John 18:33–40 ESV

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Notice Pilate’s question, recognizing the possibility that Jesus is King of the Jews.

How does Jesus respond? With a question.

Jesus is very strategic whenever he is asked a question. Many times his response is another question. This allows him to hear from the person asking the question what their intention and knowledge of the situation is.

Jesus’s questions are strategic. He wants to know what Pilate really thinks of Him.

Pilate cuts to the chase, he just wants to know what Jesus has done to tick off the Jews.

What’s Jesus’s response? He talks about His Kingdom. It is not from this world.

What Kingdom is Jesus talking about here?

I think that His Kingdom pertains to both a present and future reality.

Another way of saying His Kingdom, is by calling it His reign.

We are born of this world. We are citizens of this world. This world is rebellious to all things of God.

But when we become believers in Jesus Christ, we also become citizens of God’s Kingdom, the realm where He reigns.

As part of God’s Kingdom, we are on mission with Him and we are to be light amongst darkness. We do things that the world doesn’t understand.

We are citizens of His Kingdom now in the present, but the fullness of His Kingdom won’t be revealed until Jesus returns and establishes the Kingdom in full as the New Heaven and New Earth.

So here, we see that Jesus’s Kingdom is not connected to any earthly/political entities, nor does it have its origin in the evil world system that is in rebellion against God.

An earthly Kingdom would have defended itself. That’s the only way it would survive by defending itself and fighting.

Jesus explains to Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world, but if it was he would have been delivered.

So Pilate says, “so you are a King?”- still trying to find fault in Jesus

Jesus responds with You say I am a King…I’ve come into the world to bear witness to the truth.

Pilate shrugs the response off with, “what is truth?”

I think that Pilate is under the impression that Jesus is not a threat to the Roman government, he is just a philosopher who is causing problems.

But here we see that 2,000 years ago, people struggled with what truth was, like we do today.

I don’t know what to believe any more.

Pluto

Genders

The issue isn’t everyone thinks everything is false, but they think everything can be seen as truth.

Oprah kind of glorified this in our culture. She wanted people just to believe. It didn’t matter what they believed, it didn’t matter if it was true, she just wanted people to believe to believe.

Now too long ago Joel Osteen was on Larry King Live, you can Youtube his interview, and he said, as long as you believe in something God will bless you and will accept you into Heaven.

How are we as the Church supposed to understand truth when the world is telling us everything is true?!?

This week is the Spring Festival in Asia. They celebrate the Lunar New Year. People are going to the temples to ask Buddha and their ancestors to bless them this year. They don’t even know if they will hear their prayers, but they do it because that is their truth.

Here, Jesus says that he has come to bear witness to the truth.

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

That is truth!

We know truth when we listen to God’s word.

The Bible is God-breathed, God-inspired, trustworthy.

Pilate’s cynical question, “What is truth?” reveals his true position, that he cannot recognize the things of God.

He is not amongst those given to Jesus by God, that we saw in John 17:6

John 17:6 ESV

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

Pilate decides that Jesus is a teacher of abstract philosophy and poses no threat to the Roman government.

We see this as he responds to the Jews in verses 38-40.

Now we see Pilate wanting to wash his hands of any guilt associated with putting Jesus to death. He has a scheme to see what the Jews prefer to do.

The Jews choose Barabbas over Jesus.

Barabbas was a robber, Greek is “lestes”

Lestes has a greater meaning that robber, it could also be translated into violent, fighting in uprisings, a terrorist.

The Jews chose a man who robs people of their joy over the one who gives man joy.

Read John 19:1-16

John 19:1–16 ESV

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,

The last several weeks the theme of the story has been:

the sorrow of Jesus’ departure

his rejection by many

the dismay of the disciples

the betrayal of Judas

the denials of Peter

and now Jesus’ imminent death

Each of these are part of the “hour”that beats its way through virtually every chapter of the Gospel.

But notice this theme, the hour doesn’t belong to the Jews, the High Priest, or Pilate

The Hour belongs to Jesus. He is in full control of the situation.

In this passage we are seeing a literal view of humanity’s rebellion against God himself.

In this whole passage we see Pilate state 3 times his belief that Jesus is innocent, and yet, under extensive pressure, he sentences Jesus to death.

Again Pilate looks to find guilt in Jesus. He even reaches out to Jesus and tells him he could help him get out of this, but how does Jesus respond?

You would not have authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.

What is going on here?

Pilate is being reminded that his ultimate power does not come from the empire at all, but from God.

It is not as if the work of the state enjoys a divine approval, but that the representatives of the state are being put on notice.

Pilate thus must choose to follow either the truth revealed by Christ or he must choose the world and its devices.

Choose Christ or Caesar.

19:11 understands that God is indeed at work within the work of the state (Romans 13:1), but this is not said in order to provide an endorsement of God-given rights for the governor; its to check the governor, to make him alert to the limitations of the excessive power he thinks he already owns.

He too is accountable to God and subject to God’s work in the world.

“In fact, from John’s point of view, the best example of God’s power at work is found in the role he has given Pilate in the “hour”. Pilate has been assigned a task in the redemptive plan of God, whether he knows it or not...The hour seems dark, and it is. The darkest hour in history, but if God could transform this “hour” with glory, so too he can transform any hour.”

Next week we will be studying the crucifixion, but even here we can see some of the brutality Jesus was enduring:

the mockery-crown of thorns, purple robe

the beating-the flogging

Jesus could have made it stop, but he endured this for you and me. He stayed the course, lived out what was necessary to redeem His people.

God was in control. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. These words that we read tonight are trustworthy.

We should believe and place our faith in Jesus.

Amen?