The Bible is an amazing book. It is a book that has God as his author, but also is spoken through man. There's a human drama in the pages of Scripture. It's amazing. At times, it's shocking what happens, because the Bible is not a novel. It's written to record what actually happened, what God has been doing through the years. The human drama recorded in Scripture is true history. Don't let all these specials confuse you. They get on and they act like they have some research that they've done and they get the Bible all wrong in many of these stories. Don't listen to that. The Bible is the eyewitness account. Why would you go to another account? It's brought out skillfully by the writers of Scripture. But it was written for our instruction. You know that, right? The Bible was written for our instruction. In the Bible, we read of men and women. They faced some different kinds of circumstances. Some of them you may immediately relate to, and others you will not. There's a whole variety of them that are there. And in the different examples, we all are taught from those examples, negative and positive examples. In these circumstances, these men and women made decisions. And their decisions had consequences. And we learn from their decisions because they are human beings too, and they have a human nature as we have a human nature. And we see human nature at work in different circumstances, and from that we learn to apply that to our present day. They are like us. They are men. They are women. They are humans. They are just like us. And God means for us to learn from them. He means for us to learn from their mistakes. Since we've returned to the Gospel of John, we've already beheld A man everyone would think is unique, Judas Iscariot, the traitor. And indeed he had a unique role in history, if we can even say it that way. And yet there are always many traitors who say that they are faithful to Christ and then turn their back on Christ and his people. And so that has something to say in an applicational way to people today. We've seen the cohort of arresting Roman soldiers that were manhandled, really, by Christ as he was in charge of everything. And we're reminded that earthly authorities, powers, soldiers who think they're in charge and flex their muscles and show their swords when they are in charge, there's something to learn there that no matter how powerful on earth people think that they are, they're not in real power. They have no real authority except God gives it to them. The fearful Peter we saw also in the courtyard, and we're reminded of our weaknesses. And we say, we're going to be so true to Christ, and we're going to do this for Christ and speak up for Christ. And all of a sudden, we're put in a fearful situation, and we're cowards like Peter. And we need to learn the forgiveness of Christ to let that strengthen us. So next time we get back out there, we can preach a sermon like Peter did on Acts 2, which was pretty powerful and bold. We met the conniving Annas, meeting his match really in the wisdom of Christ, trying to pin Christ in some self-incriminating testimony, and yet here this man with great power and great influence and probably a great intellect to go along with his position, a man of great wealth, he was not really in charge either. Today we're going to meet another man. I know you've read of him before, but we're going to meet him. We're going to take a good close look at him, this time and next time as well. A man that did not embrace the truth when it was presented to him, did not kiss the truth, did not see the truth. And we're going to see how there's parallels with him to people today also. People don't want to live by the truth. People say they want the truth. They get upset when they get lied to, but the truth is that they don't like the truth. That's the truth. The truth is they live their entire lives based on one lie piled on top of another lie, and they justify those lies. So when the truth is presented to them, they do not like it. They fight against it. They suppress it, even while claiming to be educated and scientific. No, they don't live by the truth. They don't let their minds be gripped by ultimate reality. The text we approach is John 18, verses 28 through the first part of 38. We're going to read it and talk about it. John 18, 28. Please follow along. You'll get so much more out of what God has to say to you. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium, and it was early, and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium, so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. So Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law. The Jews said to him, we are not permitted to put anyone to death, to fulfill the word of Jesus, which he spoke signifying by what kind of death he was about to die. Therefore Pilate entered again into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, are you the king of the Jews? Jesus answered, are you saying this on your own initiative or did others tell you about me? Pilate answered, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm. Therefore Pilate said to him, So you are a king. Jesus answered, You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. And Pilate said to him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him." And we're going to stop there. Now, the trial with Pilate goes on, but here we learn to be of the truth, one has to receive God's truth. John does not, just to back up a little bit, John does not tell us about the trial with Caiaphas and the whole Sanhedrin. These were covered by the other three gospel writers in detail, and so John writing after those three gospel writers fills in the gaps for us of things not reported by the others, things he was an eyewitness of. In the Jewish trial, Jesus was sent from Annas to Caiaphas, the official high priest who presided over the full Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin or Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin would include the high priests, the scribes, the elders, the chief priests there, all in all 70 men if they were all assembled. Then it was still very early on Friday morning. Of course, in thinking about a trial with the Jews and knowing their intent, as we've learned before, we might wonder why the Jews even bothered to have a trial at all, since they had already determined to put Jesus to death. When you know the outcome of the trial, why hold one? But they had to draw up formal charges against Jesus, both to discredit Jesus before the people and to persuade the governor that he would be executed. In the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew tells us that the Jewish trial started with testimony. They gave much effort to try to find some coherent testimony that would indict Christ, that would find Him guilty. But they didn't have a case, and they couldn't find witnesses who would agree. One after another they came up, but their testimonies did not match. And so those who were plotting against the life of Christ felt a measure of frustration at that point. Finally, though, they got two to agree. And they said, Jesus said, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it again, as if he would be able to build Herod's temple in three days. It was obvious he was speaking figuratively. In John chapter 2 it even says so, that he was referring to his resurrection, that he would raise the temple with his own body. But they tried to use that as the case against Christ. But that testimony really didn't quite do it either. And so the high priest, with a growing sense of frustration in that Jewish trial, directed two questions towards the Lord Jesus. One was, do you not answer? In other words, you've heard this charge against you, why are you not answering? And then when he didn't answer, the second question, what is it that these men are testifying against you? Can't you hear the witnesses? Don't you realize what kind of trouble you are in? It is your time to make your defense answer. They were trying to maneuver Jesus into speaking and saying something that would incriminate himself. Jesus knew what they were doing. He knew that no matter what he said, that they would twist it. So he remained silent. No defense, no explanation. He didn't speak because he had no reason to speak. He had done nothing wrong. He had done nothing hidden. All that he had taught had been out in the open. There was no reason for the trial in the first place. The questioning was out of place. The manner in which they did it was wrong. he knew that he was betrayed with blood money, and so by his silence he was exposing their mistreatment of him as a prisoner. It's obvious that the high priest himself was not all that impressed with the evidence against Jesus. And so in frustration, and I would say in quite a dramatic move, instead of letting the case rest, he sensed the need to draw something out of the mouth of Christ that would incriminate him. And so he put Christ under oath. He adjured him by the living God, a very serious and formal declaration. You tell us in front of the entire Jewish ruling body whether you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And having put him under oath, Matthew wrote his gospel to the Jews, and it is worded there that Christ responded, You have said it yourself. In other words, you have said, literally, you have said. That's a Hebrew idiom that essentially means, yes, it is as what you said, what came out of your mouth is true. Mark and Luke interpret that and they say in their gospels, Christ said, I am. Yes is the answer. Jesus gave a clear and a positive affirmation under oath before the entire ruling body of the Jews that he was the Messiah. He was the divine son of God. Publicly, officially, under oath, he was the king, the Messiah, the long-awaited son of David, the very son of the living God to rule over all of the nations of the earth. He was that man. And Jesus went further and he said, nevertheless hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. A Messianic claim. Only God rides the clouds and only God comes back with power. Well, Caiaphas finally had what he had so wanted in this whole trial. Also, very dramatically, he showed his indignation by ripping his garments and saying to all that were there, what further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard it yourself. You're the witnesses. He has spoken blasphemy. And with that charge of blasphemy, He asked for the council's verdict, and the verdict rang out, death. He deserves to die. And so the nation of Israel voted for the death of their king. Then they spat in his face. The greatest insult you can give to a person. They beat him with fists. They slapped him in an insulting manner. They mocked him. In Mark 14 it says they blindfolded Christ and they punched him and they said, prophesy to us and tell us who hit you. And having made sport of him and having degraded him, it picks up here in John's gospel that Jesus was taken by them to the Roman hegemon, the governor Pontius Pilate himself. And from Pilate we learn, We learn that Christ really is the King and that He is the truth. And everyone who does not acknowledge Him as the King and does not acknowledge Him as the truth, everyone who does not follow Him as King, everyone who will not accept what He says and His teaching will be rejected by God Almighty on Judgment Day. In fact, though He is the one going through the trials by God being put on trial, man is really the one who is on trial. To be of the truth, you must acknowledge the full divinity and kingship of Jesus Christ, His right to rule your life, and you must show that by following Him. To learn this lesson, we're going to go through the three parts of this trial here with Pilate. They're all centered on Pilate's actions as he is confronted with the truth himself. Pilate coming out to hear the accusation by the Jews in verses 28-32, and then he goes scurrying back in and he conducts the examination of Christ from verses 33 to the first part of 38, and then lastly he comes back outside and Pilate renders his verdict at the last part of 38. So the first scene is Pilate hears the accusation. Look at verses 28-32. Again, 28-32. Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the praetorium, and it was early, and they themselves did not enter into the praetorium, so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. So Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. And the Jews said to him, we are not permitted to put anyone to death to fulfill the word of Jesus, which he spoke signifying by what kind of death he was about to die. So Jesus is led from Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin to the Praetorium. Praetorium is a word that's borrowed from Latin. It refers to the headquarters for the Roman military man who is in charge. It was also his judgment seat and his command center. Originally the term was used for the general's tent in an army camp. So Pilate was that leader and his praetorium It's debated where it was actually. It was either in Herod's palace in Jerusalem or it was at the Antonio Fortress. Traditional view is that it was at the Antonio Fortress and if you go to old Jerusalem today and you walk the Via Dolorosa, that's where the way of Christ with his cross will come. But that probably is not correct. It's probably true that he had taken up his residence in Herod's palace near what is called the Jaffa Gate today. John notes here that it was still very early. The term early is a word, proi, that means that it could be a technical term that means during the watch from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., but often the term is used a little more generally. just for early, early morning. So if we were guessing, we'd say this is around 6 a.m., 6.30, maybe 7 a.m., not much later though, for Christ would hang on the cross from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. that very day. Roman officials, by the way, began their work very early. Trials in the Forum in Rome could begin just after sunrise, so it's not strange at all that Pilate made himself available to them so early. The Jewish leaders wanted to eat their Passover that day, But they would not be able to do that, according to Jewish law, if they had become ceremonially unclean, so they didn't want to enter into a Gentile's home. Evidently, the idea of becoming unclean by entering a Gentile's home originated with the belief that Gentiles would take their stillborns and their aborted babies and would put them down the drains in their homes. And so there would be dead bodies in a Gentile's home. And since a Jew would become unclean by even walking over a grave, the thought was, if they entered into the home, they would become unclean. In fact, the Mishnah, which is the oral law of the Jews that was compiled around 200 AD, adds evidence that this indeed was the practice of the Jews. The irony of all of this, though, is very, very great. And the irony is brought out by a quote from Dr. MacArthur. He writes, illustrative of the twisted devotion of religious legalists The Jewish leaders expected to please God through their legalism expressed in physical separation from a Gentile house, while at the same time illegally murdering God's Son. They fastidiously avoided any superficial ceremonial defilement, but cared nothing about the profound moral defilement they incurred from rejecting and condemning the Holy Son of God to death." Incredible irony here. Incredible hypocrisy. The chronological harmonization of this account with the three synoptics has been done by a number of scholars. One is a man named Dr. Harold Hoerner. who in his book, The Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, writes that the Jews had two different ways of looking at the way a day was counted and the way they would start the Passover day. Those in the north in Galilee would start from sunrise to sunrise and count that their Passover, another by those in the south in Judea from sunset to sunset. This has allowed Jesus to eat the Passover meal on the previous Thursday evening with his own disciples and the Judean priests then still be looking to kill their lambs and to eat their meal on Friday. And so that's one way of harmonizing these accounts from John and the Synoptics. So, these Judean priests do not want to be contaminated, and they don't go in. So, Pilate went out to them, verse 29, and he says to them, What accusation do you bring against this man? Pilate accommodates himself to their request. This was their great feast day, so he came out to them. John records this shuffling of Pilate back and forth inside and outside, which creates these three different scenes for us. John's the only one, by the way, to include this detail. By asking this question, what accusation do you bring against this man, Pilate was beginning the formal part of the trial. So some 70 men were there to bring accusations against Jesus. Probably a few less than 70, but a large number. Pilate's question, by the way, does not mean that Pilate was ignorant of what was going on in Jerusalem at that time in the arrest of Jesus. It simply was the official way of opening a Roman trial. What is the accusation you bring? Now, since Pontius Pilate is quite the center of attention in these verses, we should know a little bit more about this man. Pilate is described both inside the New Testament and outside as a very proud and ruthless kind of man, yet a man who was also weak and vacillating. He was appointed to his position as prefect by Emperor Tiberius in the year A.D. 26, and he served until about A.D. 36, about 10 years span. He was a married man. His wife was named Claudia. Roman governors and their positions had to be tough, but he was more than a tough ruler. He was a man who could keep the peace with a very firm hand, sometimes with brutality. For these Roman governors, as far as the religion of the people in whatever area they were overseeing went, they could care less about their religion, what their squabbles were. They just wanted to keep the peace, collect the taxes, make sure that Rome was honored. Pilate's normal headquarters was in Caesarea Maritime, that is, the Caesarea that's by the Mediterranean Sea. But he would move his headquarters to Jerusalem, up into the mountains, at these great feast times because of the flock of people that would be there and the fear of an insurrection starting. In a stone fragment which was excavated by an Italian archaeologist named Dr. Antonio Frova, At the theater there in Caesarea, in the second line of this stone, the name Pontius Pilate is clearly shown, and it is dated from 26 AD to 36 AD by archaeologists. In this very stone, Pilate is also connected with Emperor Tiberius. Just more archaeological confirmation of the historical accuracy of the details that the New Testament has passed down to us. We don't need those confirmations from archaeology, but indeed it's nice to have them. Pilate had four run-ins with the Jews during his tenure there, stirring up their ire even more against Rome. They hated Rome already. One of these run-ins is mentioned in Luke chapter 13 and verse 1, where he killed some of the Galileans while they had come up to Jerusalem to make their sacrifices, and he had mingled their blood with the sacrifices. Eventually he had done so many things wrong, and so many complaints came against him, that the complaint reached all the way to Rome to the emperor, and he was removed and he was sent back to Rome. What happens to Pilate at that point in time is really a matter of mystery. History doesn't know. There's one tradition that has him being banished and he ends up on some island and he commits suicide. That's possible but it's not certain. There's another even less reliable tradition that he and his wife eventually became Christians and converted to Christianity. We don't really know which is the truth, if either of them. Verse 30 says that they answered and said to him, If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. And so this is their response to Pilate's opening of the trial. By the way, that little, we would not have delivered him to you, that little theme of delivering Christ over is quite a theme in the Gospel of John and throughout all the Gospels. You see Christ being delivered, being delivered, being delivered. First Judas delivers Him through being a traitor, and then He's delivered to the Jews, He's delivered to Pilate, and Pilate then delivers Him to be crucified. And so that becomes a subplot all the way through that Christ is delivered over, showing guilt upon guilt upon guilt as Christ is delivered. It sort of accentuates the truth that we learned at the very beginning of this Gospel in chapter 1, verse 11, that Jesus came to His very own, and those who were His own did not receive him." They rejected him. It seems in this answer in verse 30 that the chief priests got a little bit defensive at this point. They may just have expected Pilate to have gone along with their plan, since the Roman soldiers were used in the very arrest of Jesus. But Pilate's demand for formal charges caught them a little off guard, and their response seems to be something like, just trust us, he's an evildoer. Now we wouldn't have given them to you if it wasn't a problem. Just take them." They did not want a trial. They wanted Pilate to rubber stamp their trial. The charge of being an evildoer, by the way, is a very general statement. It just would assault Christ's character, but it gave Pontius Pilate absolutely nothing specific to go on. All the Jews got, by the way, in their trial was that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Well, they knew that accusation wouldn't fly too far with Pilate. So verse 31, Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law. Here you see the glimpse of Rome's attitude towards religious squabbles within the empire. They didn't care about that. Romans didn't care about theological debates, and you don't like this one, and this one doesn't like you, and you're arguing about this and that. That's a headache. Take that all away from me. It was up to the Jews to punish for lesser crimes. Rome didn't do that. The Romans did, by the way, respect the people's rights to exercise a level of justice. This was just simply their way of being able to handle such a large empire. By the way, in Acts chapter 18, verses 12 through 16, we find a very similar position where Paul, in this case, is dragged before the Roman proconsul there, Gallio, and it picks up and it says that Gallio said to the Jews, if it were a matter of wrong or a vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you. But if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves. I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters." That was kind of Rome's attitude. Why should I mess with that? But the Jews answered, we are not permitted to put anyone to death. This was true. Though history and the relationship with Rome actually gets quite complicated, Josephus is an extra-biblical writer of evidence for this very truth. The Romans kept the power of capital punishment for themselves. They wanted that power to be in their hands and not in the hands of their territories. Now it seems in spontaneous crowds when there was an uproar, the Jews would pick up the stones and kill people anyways. We find that out with Stephen a little later. There had already been two attempts on Christ's life where stones were picked up to kill him. But if there was going to be a public trial, if there was going to be a capital offense in that way, that was not allowed. They were not allowed to do that. It looks like they got away with it from time to time with their spontaneous stoning. Well, the Jews just would not let themselves be dismissed, and so they pressed Pilate further. Luke records that they did come up with specific charges, and that the chief priests brought those charges. In Luke 23, 2, it says they began to accuse Christ, saying, We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar. That was a lie. He had already told them to render unto Caesar the things that were Caesar's, right? And unto God the things that were God's. and saying that He Himself is a Christ, that is, a King. The real truth is they wanted Christ crucified. They didn't want Him to die just anyway. They wanted Christ crucified. Why? To discredit Him. Christ would be lifted up on a tree in crucifixion. To be lifted up on a tree according to the law of God was to be cursed. Only those that were cursed were put on a tree. Deuteronomy 21, the law of God, verses 22 and 23. If a man is committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day. For he who is hanged is accursed of God, so that you do not defile your land, which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance. If he were crucified, he'd be lifted up publicly and everyone would see this prophet Jesus that so many of you followed. Look, he's accursed of God. He's to be rejected. You're a fool for following him. We, the leaders of Israel, were right all along. And that would end the movement as far as they were concerned. That would kill it right there. The whole thing would be over with. Go back to their money-making scheme and their power and their little dance with Rome and everything would be fine. Ah, but the Lord God in heaven outwitted these evil men, did He not? Galatians 3.13, write that down. Galatians 3.13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a what? A curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Now we go to verse 32. To fulfill the word of who? To fulfill the word of Jesus. Why did all of this happen? To fulfill the word of Jesus, which he spoke signifying by what kind of death he was about to die. He was not caught off guard. He planned it. He said, this is what's gonna happen. I'm gonna die this way. The Jews already twice tried to kill him by stoning. God would not allow it. Christ passed right through their midst. It did not happen by stoning. It would not happen by stoning. It had to happen by crucifixion. Jesus had to be lifted up. He said, when I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself. And so this exchange between Pilate as he's trying to decide as the governor and the man in charge, the man with the headquarters and the Jewish leaders, the ruling body, and they're trying to talk what's gonna happen here is just another example is how Jesus, the prisoner bound before them was in charge of the whole thing. The Jews and Pilate seemed to be making all the choices, but the choices were already made for them. The Bible was written, friends, that you may see that God's choices always trump the choices of man. Always. God directed their choices to be what he had already chosen. Christ himself had declared it would happen. There's no other way that it would happen. A prophecy is not right 99% of the time. It's right 100% of the time when it's from God. Christ is again seen as in charge. John puts that note to show Christ is in charge. He knew it all along. He's using their evil to bring about His own crucifixion to fulfill the Father's purpose and to drink the Father's cup to fulfill the Father's plan. He's not some wimpy victim. Poor little Jesus. Poor little Jesus. Let's feel sorry for Jesus. All is happening exactly as He said. Never, ever lose sight of that with your faith. Never lose sight of the fact that God is in control. God is in charge. Evil men are not in charge. Evil that is brought against you, hard things that are brought against you, they're not in charge. God is. Always remember that. And now we go to the second scene, and that is Pilate scurrying back inside to conduct the examination. He's heard that Jesus is a king, so he's heading back in. Verses 33 through 38. Verse 33 says, Therefore Pilate entered again into the praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? I wonder how he said that. So he's going to question the defendant, the next step in the trial. And he has Christ's phoneo called to him, summoned to him. Pilate's concern zeroes right in on Rome's concern. Are you the king of the Jews? The you is actually front, as if Pilate is looking at him like, you, you are the king of the Jews? How could it be that you are the king of the Jews? You don't look like the king of the Jews. Where's your army? You don't look like a fighting man. So this idea of kingship now takes center stage in the historical narrative of John. And this is the first of 12 times you will see or one of the 12 times that you will see this term, king, being used in John 18 and John 19. All four gospel writers agree on this specific point that the first question Pilate asked of Christ was, are you the king? Unlike Jewish proceedings, the Romans could and did address the defendant directly. By the way, Pilate would have spoken in Greek. Very few scholars believe that as much as Pilate disdained the Jews, that he would have taken time to learn their language, Aramaic. So he was speaking in Greek, and that likely means, since no interpreter has mentioned that Christ himself spoke Greek, as it was the business language of the day, the lingua franca of the empire. The question may take on an incredulous element, as I said. You are the king of the Jews? You sure don't look like it. Merrill Tenney writes this, Pilate may have been expressing a surprise that Jesus did not look like a pretender to the vacant throne of Judaism and seemed much less assertive than such persons usually are. Pilate had expected to meet a solemn or belligerent rebel and met instead the calm majesty of confident superiority. He could not reconcile the character of the prisoner with the charge that was brought against him. Well, how would Jesus respond to this charge? Would he plead guilty? Would he crumble? Would he say, I'm not guilty? Look at Jesus's response and learn from him again, people. He answered, are you saying this on your own initiative or did others tell you about me? He's already going for the heart of Pilate. He's going for the heart of this man. He already wants to reach this man. Really, Jesus does not answer the question directly. He wants Pilate to clarify the question, and therefore to reveal why he is asking that question. Does the source of this question come from you or from others who told you about me? If Pilate were asking from his own thoughts if Jesus was a king, he might be asking about, is he a political kingdom? And if he were asking that question, Christ would say, no. If Pilate were asking in a way that a Jew might ask it, in a theological sense, then Christ had already claimed to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews, and he would have answered, yes. So did Pilate's questions spontaneously spring from his own interest, from Rome's interest, from the Sanhedrin's interest, from where? In responding this way, Jesus, the prisoner, has now become the judge of Pilate. The interrogated becomes the interrogator. And Pilate doesn't like it. Look at verse 35. Pilate said, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done? He doesn't like having his questions answered with questions. He's irritated. He's even indignant. He's the one in charge. And he wants to know what's going on. Of course, he's not asking to know for himself. He's not a Jew. He's asking from a Roman perspective. He has no personal interest in any of this. By the way, when he says, I am not a Jew, he uncovers a little bit of his disdain for the Jewish people there. Pilate presses the point. Your own nation, your own people delivered you to me. Since you're clearly not a king, what wrong have you done? What caused all of this? I want to know. In Matthew 27, 18 informs us that Pilate knew the Jewish leaders had handed Christ over to him because of envy. He already knew what these evil men like Annas and Caiaphas were like. of their positions of power. He knew that they had envy towards Christ. He knew. So Pilate is thinking, though, you must have done something wrong to bother them, to get under their skins so greatly. But Pilate was really not sure what it was. He was trying to get to the bottom of it all. Did any of this pertain to Rome?" was really where he was going. Verse 36, look at it. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm. Here, Christ gives Pilate the information he really wanted. My kingdom is not of, ek, out of this world. Its source is not from this world system. My kingdom does not originate from this world as your kingdom does. It does not have its source of power from this world system. It does not have competing desires with the kingdoms of the world like Rome. Christ offers proof of his statement by adding, if my kingdom were of this realm, then my servants would be fighting for me. They would have already fought to make sure I was not handed over to the Jews. Then you would know what kind of a kingdom I have. This fits perfectly with what Christ told Peter, put your sword back into its sheath, right? This fits perfectly with Jesus not calling his disciples to fight when he entered into Jerusalem and he had all of the crowds hailing him as Hosanna to the Son of David on Palm Sunday. He could have easily turned to some of them and said, let's take the temple, boys, and they would have stormed the whole place and it would have been his. It fits perfectly with him not being that kind of a king in that kind of a world. Jesus adds that his kingdom was not of this realm, literally from here, from this side, Now, Jesus did not mean, and you need to understand this, Jesus did not mean that His kingdom would never have any presence at all in this world. That is reading far too much into His words. The disciples would continue to spread the kingdom message all throughout this world. Indeed, you and I are part of the kingdom of Jesus Christ today and we are on this planet. As hearts embrace the message, the kingdom of Jesus would spread all throughout the Roman Empire. Nor does it mean that Jesus will not eventually come back to earth and usher in his visible reign upon the earth. Those who are labeled as amillennialists, who don't see an earthly reign of Christ, read far too much into Christ's statement here, denying other clear scriptural truths. For indeed, every Christian must believe that Jesus will return to earth bodily, and that he will slay his enemies when he arrives here. Scripture says that when he arrives back on earth the second time, he then will sit on his throne and his throne will be upon earth. Matthew 25, 31 says, when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. He comes again and then he sits. The order is very clear. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another and go on as king and be the judge. The world he speaks of here is a system of governments that are controlled by Satan and all of his minions. All of the governments of the world today, including our own government, the United States of America, are part of this system, a world system. And all of these governments, all of these nations will be judged by the king of all kings, Jesus Christ. But his kingdom is not of this world's evil system. But yes, it will be in this world and will take over this world at some time. Verse 37, Therefore Pilate said to him, So you are a king. He used a simple logic. If Christ has a kingdom, then he has to be a what? A king, right? Now we have a very interesting thing that from the mouth of the Roman governor, we have the message that John has wanted conveyed throughout all of his gospel, coming from the very mouth of the Roman governor. So you are a king. There it is, from his mouth. The truth everyone is supposed to get by reading the gospel of John, being voiced by Pilate. And Jesus answered, You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." Christ has just been punched, he's been spat upon, he's been slapped around, he's been made sportive. Did that in any way minimize his confidence as to who he was and what God was doing? The answer is no. very boldly and confidently, still bound before the Roman governor, facing cruel execution, not a beheading, not an electric chair zap and it's all over, but a long, prolonged crucifixion, he declares this truth to him. Here, Christ gives a good testimony to Pontius Pilate, and in that testimony, he really gives an invitation for Pilate himself to respond to the truth. That's why it says in 1 Timothy 6.13, Christ Jesus testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate. That's what he did right here. He clearly testifies he's a king. He said it to the Jews. Now he's saying it to the Romans. He said it in one trial. He's saying it in the other trial. Jesus asks for no mercy at all. He begs for no forgiveness. He confesses no wrong. Rather, he stands there and testifies to the truth. For this I have been born and for this I have come into the world. By the way, this is the only explicit place in John's gospel where it declares Jesus was humanly born. but His birth was preceded by His existence before His birth. Long before He was inside of Mary, He existed. He said so Himself in John 6.33, For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world, referring to Himself as the bread of life. In His prayer to the Father in John 17.5, He said, Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself with the glory which I had with You before the world was even created. So Jesus's mission to earth here at this time in human history was not a political mission. It was not to bring in an earthly kingdom. It was to testify to the truth and bring in a heavenly realm to earth. Everyone on the side of truth on this planet who hears about Christ will listen to Christ, will learn from Christ, will believe Christ. Christ becomes the defining issue. He is the truth. He's the fork in the road. That's the whole point of the Gospel, all 21 chapters. Jesus Himself is the Creator of all things. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and all things came into being by Him. He's the Creator of every last thing. All things living, all things seen and unseen. Jesus, with His Father and the Holy Spirit, made everything. All reality is of His making. And so because He made everything and everything that is real comes from Him, He is reality. He is truth. Truth is not a mere statement. It's not a mere proposition someone makes. Truth is not some little fact or some little formula that people are to discover. Truth is the divine maker of all things. Truth is the eternal life. Truth is a person. Jesus is the truth. John 14, 6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. John 1, 14. The Word became flesh and lived among us and we saw His glory. Glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. He is truth embodied. John 1, 17. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No philosopher will ever arrive at truth. Truth is a person who made everything. And as the truth, and as he testifies to the truth, everyone who is of the truth, that is everyone who is going to live their life based on truth must listen to his voice, must respond to his teaching. Jesus said to the Jews, he who is of God hears the words of God. In John 3, 21, it says, he who practices the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. What a wonderful presentation. Pontius Pilate wakes up that morning and he has truth right there standing with him. And what is his response? What is truth? What is truth? The implications of that question are far-reaching for every human soul. What is truth? To say no one can know truth is already to condemn your soul. Agnostics will learn nothing. They already admit they're ignorant. They're agnostic. They don't know. Pilate was an agnostic. He did not know. What is truth? Really, Pilate asks the question that the entire Gospel has been written to teach. What is truth? Truth is Jesus Christ. What is life? Life is Jesus Christ. What is ultimate reality? It is Jesus Christ, the person. He created everything. He is reality. It's long been debated how Pilate meant that question. Some take it as Pilate being a seeker of truth. As I mentioned, there's an unreliable tradition, and I do stress unreliable, that Pilate converted to Christianity along with his wife. Others take it as more dismissive in the agnostic sense. I've been around long enough to know that truth is just something that's political and it is used. Whoever is in charge picks what truth is, and whatever someone says is truth becomes the truth. What is truth? How can anyone know the truth? Why bother with that? That latter interpretation fits better with the context, since Pilate does not stay to continue any discussion or any matter with Christ. He ends up also sending Jesus Christ to his death, hardly that of a believer or seeker. Remember, in Pilate's world, everything was politics. And truth? Well, you played fast and loose with truth, just the way people on both sides of the aisle do today in our politics. There is no truth in any of these men, as far as I can see. There's no truth there. They don't love the truth. Truth is what they can say to make it sound the way they want it sound, to get done what they want to have get done. Truth is what serves their purposes. When Pilate misses the invitation, he misses it. It's given to him. Don't you miss that invitation. Don't you miss that invitation. Christ offers to you life and truth. Don't turn it away. Don't turn up your nose at it as if you know something you don't know. Don't do that. If Pilate were of the truth, he would have responded to Christ. If you're of the truth, you will respond to Christ. He dismissed it out of hand. Don't you dismiss it out of hand. He had no belief in eternal truth. He was like our culture, post-modern culture. No one can know the truth. No one can know it's real. Don't be like him. You can learn truth by looking at Christ. There you will find truth, ultimate truth. Not some truth, not a truth, not a truth for you, the truth. what truth is. Look at Him. Look at Christ. Look at His life. Look at His character. Listen to His teachings. Learn from His manner. Look how He treated His disciples. See His love and His forgiveness. Hear what He taught about the Old Testament Scriptures. Understand that He points to the truth and He is the truth. Learn from His miracles. Learn of His control over nature and over all events. See His death on the cross, His triumphant bodily historical resurrection from the dead. What is truth? Jesus, the Son of God, is truth. He alone is truth. There is no other truth. Truth by definition must be narrow. Only truth is true. Anything else that's not truth is not truth. Truth is exclusive. Truth has to be exclusive or it can't be truth. Someone who has an open mind doesn't know the truth. Your mind gets shut when you know the truth. Of course it gets shut because you have the truth. The truth was standing right before Pilate, and he was so blind he couldn't see it. That's how people are today. They're dead, they're lost, they're blind, they're following after their own lusts and desires and their own pride, and they're dead to truth, and they don't live their lives on truth. They have a little bit of the truth here and there, but the truth that they have rejected. Only when Christ shines the eternal, unchanging truth upon their heart will they ever see. He declared in the temple, at an earlier time in John 8, 12. I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but have the light of life. Pilate has heard all he wants to hear. The third scene, very briefly, in verse 38, when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, I find no guilt in him. Whatever Jesus meant by truth in a kingdom, Whatever Pilate was thinking, he saw no threat to Roman power. He had made up his mind, and to him it seemed like an easy case. This wasn't a very long interrogation. Christ's innocence was obvious to Pilate. They had no specific crime against Rome that they had shown. Jesus admitted to no insurrection. Whatever other problems Jesus may have caused Pilate said he has done nothing worthy of death. And right here and right now is when the charges should have been dropped. But Jesus Christ was in charge and the charges would not be dropped. Dr. MacArthur writes this concerning the lack of validity of the whole thing. Here the evil hatred of those who opposed Christ is seen. And their plans in one sense now have been foiled, since now even the governor has come out publicly before that Jesus said, I find no guilt in him. Well, that contradicts them. Officially spoken, Jesus is innocent. In the hearing of all the people, no guilt. only to echo Christ's words as he debated the Jews in John 8, which one of you convicts me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe me? Even Judas knew he was the truth. In Matthew 27.4, he came back and he said, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And he went out and killed himself. Peter said, Christ committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. This one would go to the cross, all right, but he would never go to the cross for his own sin. He would never go to the cross for his own crimes. No, this ties the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ back to the declaration of John the Baptist in the first chapter, where John looked at him and foretold what was going to happen in his life. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of who? The world. He made Him, God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That's the story. That's the message. It didn't matter that he was declared innocent. He was still going to go to the cross because it was determined that was going to happen. And Jesus was in charge. He was going to take the penalty of the world. He was going to take your penalty and my penalty. To him belongs the glory. Amen. Father, we glory in your name and we glory in your love and graciousness which was shown in your Son. We love preaching and hearing and reading and pondering the old, old story again and again and again, and remembering how pure and innocent this King was, how true He was and is. And we look forward to seeing him face to face in might and power. Strengthen our faith that we may walk in the truth, that we may be ambassadors for the truth, for Jesus Christ, your son, in whose name we pray, amen.