John 18:33-36 33Then Pilate entered the praetorian again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own, or did others say it to you about me?” 35Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, so that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from here.”
Pilate took Jesus inside the praetorian to interrogate Jesus privately, away from the Jews who remained outside because they did not want to be defiled. He repeats clearly the Jews’ accusation against Jesus. His statement in verse 33 is important for the readers of John’s Gospel because it identifies Jesus’ position as the sovereign King. Although the Jewish leaders would not accept it, the crucial decision for the readers to is believe in Jesus as the Messiah, the longed-for King of the Jews. This designation was given early by Nathanael in 1:49.
Jesus’ response in verse 34 is curious. It could be interpreted as an opportunity for Pilate to acknowledge and believe in Jesus. Was Pilate sincere in his question or mocking? Was there any hint of curiosity that could grow to faith, or was he simply restating what he had heard from the Jews? Did he arrive at this conclusion from his own observations, or was he quoting the latest gossip in order to illicit a response from Jesus? Jesus flipped the interrogation around and confronted Pilate with the most crucial question of all: would he accept Jesus as King?
Pilate’s response is non-committal, but he still was curious and at least intrigued by the man standing before him. He realized that this was a major situation since the high priest and Sanhedrin were involved, especially on the holy day of the Passover. He needed to get down to the issue and find a solution. Pilate’s motives come out in his response in verse 35. He did not get involved in internal Jewish affairs and did not want anything to do with their theological squabbles. Yet, he needed to do something, and so wants to know more about Jesus. He was not willing to move into the realm of faith.
Jesus then responds to Pilate’s question from verse 33 since it is clear Pilate was not interested in faith but in political power. Indeed Jesus is the King of the Jews, but his kingdom was not what the Jews thought or a threat to the Romans’ power. Both Jews and Romans thought of kingship in worldly terms. Jesus’ kingdom was not of the world but of heaven. He then gives proof of this by claiming that his followers would have physically fought if his kingdom had been earthly. He could have easily gathered thousands of people to him and created a new Jewish kingdom. Instead, he never raised any issues in his previous visits and peacefully presented himself in the garden. There were two different kingdoms warring against each other. The kingdoms of the world of darkness would not accept the kingdom of the Light that came into the world with the message of truth, hope, love, and forgiveness. The war between these kingdoms will one day end when “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
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