Joh 18:36-37 | KingComments | STEP | John omits many details from Pilate’s interrogation that we find in the other Gospels. He mentions only those words and events that show certain aspects of the glory of the Son. Pilate interrogates Him again and asks about His kingship over the Jews. This questioning takes place in the Praetorium, that is, without the Jews being present. For Pilate as Roman governor the important question is whether he indeed has to do with Someone Who presents Himself as the King of the Jews. Here the representative of world power stands opposite Him Who governs the universe and Who, as God’s King, rules over everything and will rule publicly. God’s King will put an end to all worldly power by crushing as a stone those world powers ( ). The Lord Jesus responds to Pilate’s question with the same calmness and submission as He did when questioned by the high priest. Here again He turns the situation around and becomes from the One being questioned, to the Interrogator. He questions Pilate in a way that confronts Pilate with the truth. Pilate thinks he is dealing with ‘a case’, but is suddenly confronted with the truth by the Lord’s questions. The question forces him to think about his attitude toward Him. Pilate avoids the question. He does not want to answer it and evades it by saying that the question does not concern him because he is not a Jew. In his voice a certain contempt for the Jews can also be heard. Although he himself has asked about the kingship of the Lord Jesus, by the Lord’s asking him personally, he suddenly makes his question about kingship a typically Jewish matter. In addition to saying that he is not a Jew, he points out to the Lord Jesus that He has been handed over to Him by His own people and their religious leaders. Then, when the Lord does not answer the question whether He is a King, His next question is what He has done, what is the reason for them to deliver Him to him. To the question “what have You done?” we can say that every word of His and every act, yes, His entire way is one great testimony of Who God is in love and mercy to man. He has placed man in the presence of God and with that also their sins. They cannot escape the testimony of that, except by rejecting Him, they think. The Lord also does not enter into the question of what He has done. He only reacts on what Pilate has said that He was handed over to him. Pilate must not think that He is now in his power. He has to do with One Who possesses a kingdom. Only it is not a kingdom of this world, just as He is not of this world ( ) nor do His own belong to it ( ). It is a kingdom established in the hearts of those who have accepted Him as their Lord ( ). If His kingdom did belong to the world, and if as King He asserted His power in and over the world, He would have commanded His servants to fight for Him ( ). Then He would not have been handed over, neither to the Jews nor to Pilate. But now was not the time for such action. That time will surely come, but first the whole work of the Father must be accomplished. That means He must first go the way of suffering and rejection and death ( ). With what the Lord says here, He testifies the good confession before Pontius Pilate ( ). Paul insists to Timothy – and to us as well – that this is also his and our task. Fulfilling that task means that in our lives we consider and speak of a Lord Who determines our lives. We are subject to Him and not to human powers. If we submit to human institutions, it is because it is the Lord’s will ( ; ). He is that other King than the emperor ( ). This King is not visible now, but we do submit to Him. In doing so, He also determines our place on earth. The kingdom to which we belong is still not from here. Therefore, it is also against God’s thoughts to in any way establish a kingdom on earth anyway or even to influence the government with the goal of establishing a government that applies God’s standards. All such efforts are rejected by God’s Word, as we can read, among other things, in Paul’s admonitions to the Corinthians on this subject ( ).

‏ John 18:36-37

The Good Confession

John omits many details from Pilate’s interrogation that we find in the other Gospels. He mentions only those words and events that show certain aspects of the glory of the Son. Pilate interrogates Him again and asks about His kingship over the Jews. This questioning takes place in the Praetorium, that is, without the Jews being present. For Pilate as Roman governor the important question is whether he indeed has to do with Someone Who presents Himself as the King of the Jews.

Here the representative of world power stands opposite Him Who governs the universe and Who, as God’s King, rules over everything and will rule publicly. God’s King will put an end to all worldly power by crushing as a stone those world powers (Dan 2:34). The Lord Jesus responds to Pilate’s question with the same calmness and submission as He did when questioned by the high priest. Here again He turns the situation around and becomes from the One being questioned, to the Interrogator. He questions Pilate in a way that confronts Pilate with the truth.

Pilate thinks he is dealing with ‘a case’, but is suddenly confronted with the truth by the Lord’s questions. The question forces him to think about his attitude toward Him. Pilate avoids the question. He does not want to answer it and evades it by saying that the question does not concern him because he is not a Jew. In his voice a certain contempt for the Jews can also be heard. Although he himself has asked about the kingship of the Lord Jesus, by the Lord’s asking him personally, he suddenly makes his question about kingship a typically Jewish matter. In addition to saying that he is not a Jew, he points out to the Lord Jesus that He has been handed over to Him by His own people and their religious leaders.

Then, when the Lord does not answer the question whether He is a King, His next question is what He has done, what is the reason for them to deliver Him to him. To the question “what have You done?” we can say that every word of His and every act, yes, His entire way is one great testimony of Who God is in love and mercy to man. He has placed man in the presence of God and with that also their sins. They cannot escape the testimony of that, except by rejecting Him, they think.

The Lord also does not enter into the question of what He has done. He only reacts on what Pilate has said that He was handed over to him. Pilate must not think that He is now in his power. He has to do with One Who possesses a kingdom. Only it is not a kingdom of this world, just as He is not of this world (Jn 8:23 ; Jn 17:14 ; 16) nor do His own belong to it (Jn 17:14 ; 16). It is a kingdom established in the hearts of those who have accepted Him as their Lord (Rom 14:17).

If His kingdom did belong to the world, and if as King He asserted His power in and over the world, He would have commanded His servants to fight for Him (Mt 26:53). Then He would not have been handed over, neither to the Jews nor to Pilate. But now was not the time for such action. That time will surely come, but first the whole work of the Father must be accomplished. That means He must first go the way of suffering and rejection and death (Lk 24:26).

With what the Lord says here, He testifies the good confession before Pontius Pilate (1Tim 6:13). Paul insists to Timothy – and to us as well – that this is also his and our task. Fulfilling that task means that in our lives we consider and speak of a Lord Who determines our lives. We are subject to Him and not to human powers. If we submit to human institutions, it is because it is the Lord’s will (1Pet 2:13; Rom 13:1). He is that other King than the emperor (Acts 17:7). This King is not visible now, but we do submit to Him. In doing so, He also determines our place on earth.

The kingdom to which we belong is still not from here. Therefore, it is also against God’s thoughts to in any way establish a kingdom on earth anyway or even to influence the government with the goal of establishing a government that applies God’s standards. All such efforts are rejected by God’s Word, as we can read, among other things, in Paul’s admonitions to the Corinthians on this subject (1Cor 4:8-9).

Testimony to the Truth

Pilate believes that he has now received an answer to his earlier question about the kingship of the Lord Jesus, although he now asks if He is “a” King, that is, King in a general sense. The Lord confirms his conclusion.

He adds that His birth and His coming into the world do not have as their sole purpose that He will be King. That He has been “born” indicates that He became Man; that He “has come into the world” indicates His existence before He came into the world. The great, so to speak, overarching purpose of His birth and His coming into the world is to bear witness to the truth. He became Man to testify to men about the Father from Whom He came and Whom He knows eternally as the eternal Son.

Through His testimony of the truth, His kingdom is expanded. Truth means that the true character of something or someone is seen in His light, with His eyes. Then it becomes visible Who God is, but also who man is and likewise what the authority of a government is. Everything the Lord has said and done is one great testimony of the truth. To hear His voice, one must be “of the truth” (1Jn 3:19).

Earlier He said that His sheep hear His voice (Jn 10:16). To be “of the truth” means that a person has come to new life by acknowledging the truth and thus has become one of His sheep. One who is of the truth has first acknowledged the truth about himself as a sinner. He has heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of his salvation (Eph 1:13) and has been given new life. This also enables such a person to receive every truth that the Son makes known.

As a Roman judge, for Pilate to find out the truth is the same as pursuing a mirage. For Pilate, there is no such thing as truth. It makes it clear that he does not want the Son as the truth and rejects Him. Yet he wants to justify himself by pretending to the Jews that he finds no guilt in the Lord Jesus.