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Jesus Testifies to the Truth
Jesus Testifies to the Truth John 18:28-40 Key Verse: 18:37 “‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” In today’s passage Jesus stands before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. It appeared that Jesus was on trial, but at most trials people will say or do anything to avoid punishment. Jesus was different though. He made no effort to save himself. Jesus simply testified to the truth that he is the king of the Jews, the promised Messiah. Jesus not only testified through his words but through his actions in absolute obedience to God. Jesus’ testimony is not just an historical statement; his testimony demanded a response from Pilate and it demands a response from us. May God help us to accept Jesus’ testimony and stand on the side of truth. First, to fulfill the words Jesus had spoken (28-32). Look at verse 28. “Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” Though Jesus is the Son of God who has authority over all people, he was being led around by the Jews to be tried like a criminal. Isaiah said, “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” It was a willing surrender. Jesus gave up his human freedom and human rights. People value human rights highly. In fact, many are willing to fight to the death for human rights. However, Jesus gave up all his human rights to take our place of punishment. The Jewish leaders were different. They were determined to see that Jesus was put to death. They were willing to do anything necessary, even staying up all night and bearing false witness against an innocent man. In God’s sight they had already defiled themselves. However, when it came to entering a Gentile palace, they drew the line. They would not go in because they thought this would defile them. They were complete hypocrites. They tried to keep up the outward appearance of holiness when in their hearts they were plotting the greatest evil. Entering a gentile palace could not have defiled them any more than they were already defiled before God. Yet God was still in control of this situation and he was using it to enable Jesus to have a very meaningful conversation with Pilot. Look at verse 29. “So Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?’” Try to imagine this scene. The religious leaders were there, probably very tired because they got no sleep the night before. They sent a palace guard to go to and get Pilate. Pilot had probably just gotten up because it was early in the morning. The last thing he probably wanted to do was to face a crowd of angry Jews, but he went out to them anyway. This shows that Pilate was willing to give into the Jews just to keep the peace. Pilate asked, “What is the charge?” Their answer was, “Don’t ask us about the charge. He is guilty and we want the death penalty.” The absolute injustice of this scene is amazing. John sees this scene in the light of Jesus words, so he says in verse 32, “This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.” John sees the fulfillment of Jesus’ own words about how he would die. Jesus had said in John 12:32-33, “‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was going to die.” Being “lifted up” referred to crucifixion. Only Romans could carry out crucifixion. If Jesus died at the hands of the Jews it would be through stoning. So, even though the process makes Jesus seem helpless and completely out of control of the situation, the final result is that Jesus would be executed by the Romans in fulfillment of God’s will and Jesus’ prophetic words. John sees God’s sovereign rule behind this event. This passage challenges us, also, to see God’s sovereign rule behind the events of life. It challenges us to have faith that God is always working for good to carry out his world salvation plan. We must see everything through the eyes of faith. It doesn’t matter what our situation looks like from a human point of view we must know that God is working and he will carry out his will. God is in complete control of every situation. Second, Jesus shares the kingdom of God with Pilate (33-37). After figuring out what the Jews wanted, Pilate went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” (33,34) With this one simple question, Jesus changed the tone of the meeting. Jesus turned it into a personal conversation, rather than an interrogation. Jesus began to talk with Pilate man to man, not as a prisoner before a judge. Jesus’ piercing question got to the heart of Pilate’s problem. As a Roman governor, Pilate had the power of the Roman Empire to carry out Roman justice. He should be impartial and his justice should reflect the standard and nobility of the Roman ideal. Pilate should have made his decisions based on facts and the Roman principles of law, without being influenced by other people. However, Pilate was already on the defensive before the relentless Jewish leaders. Pilate said, “Am I a Jew?” (35) This reveals his real agony. Though he was supposed to be in charge as the Roman governor, he seemed to be helpless before the Jewish leaders. He ended up doing what the Jews wanted him to do. He probably hated being manipulated by the Jewish leaders, but it probably happened again and again just so he could keep peace in the land. In fact, it was not Jesus who was on trial, but Pilate, and Jesus exposed his problem was exposed through one simple question. Jesus knew Pilate’s agony of life very well. Jesus really wanted to help this man. So Jesus began to share the good news of his kingdom with him. Lawyers would say that Jesus was making a mistake by volunteering information to Pilate that could be used against him. When a suspect is arrested in America, he is informed of his right to remain silent and told, “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” But Jesus did not keep quiet. Jesus began to talk to Pilate about his kingdom. It was out of his shepherd heart for Pilate. Jesus said in verse 36, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” When Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” he revealed a very important truth about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not of this world. The kingdoms of this world are built on military power. They are ruled by applied force. No matter how well decorated they are, they can be compared to brutal beasts that crush and devour mankind. Consider Communism. It was established through bloody revolution. Although it promised “from each according to his ability to each according to his need,” it actually made party leaders rich and ordinary people very poor. It also made them lazy. How about capitalism? It has fueled incessant war to keep the military industrial complex in business. It has also led to cutthroat business practices that suddenly leave faithful workers jobless. Most modern people in capitalist societies are so busy just trying to survive that they have no time for anything else, even for quiet moments with their own family members. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Nations rise and fall. Systems come and go. The newest one always promises to be better than the former ones, but they end up being just the same in their effect on people. However, Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Jesus’ kingdom is different. Jesus’ kingdom is from above. Jesus’ kingdom is the kingdom of heaven. It is not built on military power, but on the love of God. It does not suck the life out of its members, but gives life to their souls. It does not demand their allegiance on the threat of death, but it gives them the most precious gift of God, the sacrifice of his one and only Son as a ransom for their sins. It is not built on coercion but on the willingness of the redeemed to follow and to serve their Lord out of love for him. It is a kingdom of true justice, righteousness, peace, love, joy and eternal life. What Pilate really needed was the kingdom of Jesus. It is amazing that Jesus spoke to Pilate about his kingdom. It was nothing but the grace of Jesus toward a miserable and perishing soul. Jesus further explained something that must have been quite troubling to Pilate. Jesus said, “If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.” No doubt, Pilate knew about Jesus. He must have known there was a great triumphal entry just a few days before when Jesus was welcomed by the people of Israel as the king of the Jews. To Pilate it must have been hard to understand why none of Jesus’ supporters were there now. How it could be that Jesus was deserted and so alone all of a sudden? Jesus did not talk about the desertion of his disciples. Jesus simply explained that his kingdom was not political and it was not worldly. It is a spiritual kingdom and it is where God rules. Pilate said, “You are a king, then!” At first glance, it seems that he was elated to find a charge against Jesus based on his own confession about his kingdom. This would seem to get Pilate off the hook politically. But Pilate’s subsequent attempt to release Jesus reveals that he knew Jesus was not a political king. Pilate’s exclamation may have contained an element of admiration for Jesus, for he recognized in Jesus true nobility and a kingly bearing. Jesus really was the king of the Jews. He must also have liked Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God. Jesus had found a way into Pilate’s heart. Jesus explained further about his kingship in order to win his soul to God. Look at verse 37b. “Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” Jesus encouraged Pilate to make a confession of faith; Jesus wanted him to accept him as the king of the Jews. Jesus wanted him to understand this spiritually, not politically. Jesus is the king of truth. This kingship does not have geographical boundaries, and it cannot be defined by national or cultural symbols. Jesus kingship is not based on the power to force people into it, but on the truth. The truth is that God exists and that God is the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the heavens and the earth. The truth is that men are sinners who have rebelled against God and gone their own way. The truth is that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth. Jesus came into the world to make God known and to restore God’s rightful rule in the hearts of men. Jesus came to destroy the devil, the father of lies, and to cast him into hell forever. When we accept Jesus as our king of truth, we can know the truth about God, ourselves and the world. We can know the meaning and purpose of our lives. We can live in God’s presence, which gives us peace, joy, hope, and true life. We can have assurance of eternal life in the kingdom of God, where there are no tears or mourning or crying or pain, but only the glory and beauty of God forever. Jesus is the king of truth and he restores the kingdom of God. But he does not force anyone to enter his kingdom. Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” We can be on the side of truth by accepting one word of Jesus in our hearts. Then we are born into God’s kingdom as his blessed children. We can hear his voice of truth, and it is so sweet to our ears. We know in our hearts that it is the truth that comes from God. We willingly obey Jesus’ voice of truth, and follow Jesus, and stand on Jesus’ side. We are ready to pay the price to stand on the side of truth. Jesus really wanted Pilate to accept his word and to stand on the side of truth. Jesus clearly testified to the truth that he is the king who brings salvation and the kingdom of God. Third, Israel rejects the king of the Jews (38-40). Look at verse 38. “‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’” Pilate did not accept Jesus’ so he asked his “What is truth?” and walked away. He knew Jesus was innocent, but he did not stand on the truth. Instead, he tried to compromise. He appealed to the crowd, saying, “But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?” Pilate must have hoped that he could get around the influence of the religious leaders through a direct appeal to the crowd that had gathered. But Pilate miscalculated. Look at verse 40. “They shouted back, ‘No, not him! Give us Barabbas!’ Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.” Jesus stood before the Jews as their rightful king. Jesus was king by birth. Jesus was proved to be king through his divine teaching and miracles. Jesus had done only good: healing the sick, driving out evil spirits, preaching the gospel of his kingdom. Many in the crowd had been touched by the love of Jesus. This Jesus stood before them as Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” And they shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Jesus was utterly rejected by the very people who should have welcomed him as the king sent by God. John 1:11 says, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Isaiah cried, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (53:1) Rejection is very painful. The greatest fear of many young people is to be rejected by their friends or peers. Yet the Son of God was rejected by sinful men. It was for us. Isaiah said, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with sufferings.” We should be rejected by God, but Jesus bore this rejection in our places. Isaiah goes on to say, “Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:3-5). Because Jesus was rejected, we can be accepted by God. In today’s passage we learned that Jesus testified to the truth. Jesus is the spiritual king who gives us eternal life and the kingdom of God. When we listen to Jesus, accept his word and stand on the side of truth, he comes into our hearts to reign. Let’s accept Jesus and testify to the truth with him. |
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