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?” (John 18:33-38a ESV).
In our study of the Gospel of Matthew’s record of the Passion Week of the Lord Jesus Christ, it has been necessary, and insightful, to examine all four Gospel accounts. This discipline provides us understanding of all the events and encounters which took place during those hours and days.
With this in mind, the Apostle John’s narrative of Pontius Pilate’s second encounter with Jesus is important to examine. Therefore, we deviate from Matthew’s Gospel at this time to exclusively focus on John’s.
Pontius Pilate’s second interrogation of Jesus regarded crimes the Sanhedrin accused the Lord of conducting against Rome (Luke 23:1-2). It also included Jesus’ statement to the Roman governor about Jesus’ kingdom not being of this world. Upon hearing Jesus claim to have a kingdom not of this world, Pilate asked, “So you are a king?” Remember, Pilate was a secular man with no concept of the eternal and spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom. Pilate wanted to know if Jesus was a king. However, his perspective of kings and kingdoms belonged to this world’s existence.
“Although the charge against Jesus, representing him as a seditionist, had not arisen in the heart of Pilate, nevertheless he cannot understand how a man can talk about his kingship, if he be not an earthly king. Pilate, therefore, wishes to know whether this prisoner is really a king,” poses Dr. William Hendriksen.
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.”
By answering Pilate, “You say that I am a king,” Jesus was not being evasive or noncommittal in acknowledging His kingship.
“The words, ‘You say it (namely, that I am a king),’ should not sound strange to people who so often use the very similar expression, ‘You said it!’ This, of course, means, ‘Yes, indeed; it is even as you have just now affirmed,’ ” explains Dr. Hendriksen.
Jesus also affirmed He was born a king (Matt. 2:1-2; Luke 1:30-33). Additionally, He revealed His purpose in being a king was not solely to wield authority, but also to bear witness to objective and biblical truth. This truth regarded the existence and nature of God, the existence and nature of sin, the existence and nature of deliverance from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin, and the existence and nature of the sole Savior who would provide such deliverance by grace alone through faith alone.
“He (Jesus) came, moreover, in order to give competent testimony concerning that which he had himself heard from the Father respecting man’s salvation. For the idea that Jesus came to testify to the things which he had seen and heard while in the Father’s presence see John 3:11, 32; 8:28, 38; 12:49; 14:10; 17:8. He had come, therefore, to testify to the truth with respect to man’s salvation unto the glory of God,” states Dr. Hendriksen.
Echoing His earlier statements in John 10 that those who belong to Him hear, listen and understand His voice (John 10:14-16), Jesus said, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
“This was, of course, an implied invitation that Pilate, too, might listen! Now, everyone, whether Jew or Gentile does not matter at all—see John 1:29; 3:16, 17; 4:42; 6:33, 51; 8:12; 9:5; 10:16; 11:52; 12:32—who owes his spiritual origin to him who is the truth, is eager to listen to this voice of the truth,” explains Dr. Hendriksen.
Tragically, Pilate rejected Jesus’ invitation. He cynically responded, “What is truth?”
“When Pilate hears this remark about the truth, he shrugs his shoulders. Skeptic that he is, this subject no longer holds any interest for him. It must be borne in mind, in this connection, that many leading Romans had by this time given up all the traditional pagan beliefs with respect to the gods. O surely, the gods might exist after all, and might take revenge if one should offend them. Hence, many of these people, including those of the family of Pilate (Matt. 19:7–9; 27:19), were filled with superstitious fears; but as to any settled conviction or deeply rooted faith with respect to God or basic realities it just did not exist for them. It is in that spirit of extreme skepticism and cynicism that Pilate blurts out: “What is truth,” not realizing that the answer was standing in front of him (John 14:6),” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.
The question of truth remains crucial today. The truth of the Gospel remains true today.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 