John 34 The King and His Kingdom
THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM
#34
John 18:19-40
19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. 22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me? 24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.
25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not. 26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? 27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover. 29 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? 30 They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. 31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?
And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
John 19:1-16
1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cæsar.
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified.
Behold, Your King
How did it come to this? There He stands. Exhausted. Beaten. Humiliated. Mocked. He's a bloodied mess. His body has been ripped to shreds by a Roman scourge. His face is swollen and bruised from the punches and slaps He has received. Blood is dripping from His head into His eyes. He tries to wipe it, but it simply smears, mixing with the sweat and blood on His forearms.
He's so exhausted He can barely stand. He hasn't slept. He spent the night with His disciples, serving, teaching, and praying. He went to the garden and was betrayed and arrested. He endured a sham of a trial in the dead of night before Annas, where He was accused without evidence and struck when He spoke. He was bound and brought before Caiaphas. Both found Him guilty. Now they've sent Him off to Pilate. Convincing Him is what really matters. He's the Roman in charge of these parts. He's the only one who can get Jesus crucified (John 18:31-32).
But there's a major problem. Jesus hasn't done anything worthy of crucifixion. Healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and raising the dead don't cut it. Pilate talks to Jesus. He considers the matter and finds nothing deserving of crucifixion. "I find no guilt in Him," Pilate says three times (John 18:38; 19:4, 6). Pilate has a difficult job. He can't have a riot on His hands. If he cannot keep the peace, that's on him. He has to answer for it, but he also needs to maintain justice and law. So, what happens when maintaining peace means doing something unjust? What do you choose? Pilate isn't ready to decide.
He tries to find an alternative to get himself out of this mess. First, he appeals to their justice. There is a custom where he releases a prisoner to the Jews at Passover. Since Jesus is innocent and the other prisoners are actually guilty, surely their sense of justice will prevail! Surely, they'll choose to free Jesus. They don't. Instead, they free a known robber or insurrectionist, Barabbas, whose name ironically means Son (Bar) of the Father (Abbas).
Second, he tries to appease their hatred and bloodlust by beating and torturing Jesus. Maybe seeing Him beaten and punished by the Romans will satisfy them, even if He isn't crucified. Maybe wearing that disgraceful crown of thorns beaten into His forehead. Maybe wearing blood-soaked royal purple. They slap Him and say, "Hail, King of the Jews!" (John 19:3). Pilate then attempts to rely on their sympathy. He brings Him out, and there He stands. Pilate looks at Him, turns to the crowds, and cries, "Behold the Man!"
They see Him, and they shout, "Crucify!" All of Pilate's attempts have failed. There must be something more. What horrible thing has He done? What can Pilate possibly crucify Him for? Well, there is one thing. And it's a big deal. It's mentioned all the way back in John 1:49: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." That is a major problem. The king stuff won't fly with the Romans. Jesus hasn't done anything worthy of crucifixion, but claiming to be a king is serious business. Caesar doesn't like to share. That can get almost anyone crucified. So that's the first thing Pilate asks Jesus, "Are You the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33).
A Kingdom for This World
Jesus is a King. He has a kingdom. It's the most powerful kingdom the world has ever seen, and it's unlike any other kingdom this world has ever seen. Speaking with Pilate, Jesus is about as straightforward and blunt as You ever see Him. He tells Pilate He is a King (John 18:37). He also tells Pilate about His kingdom:
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 (John 18:36).
Notice a few things about this kingdom. Jesus didn't say His kingdom is not on this earth. He didn't say His kingdom is not for this world. His kingdom is certainly a literal kingdom. It's certainly on this earth. And it's certainly for this world. It is just not of or from this world. You know how you can tell?
In a few minutes, Jesus will stand bloodied and beaten before a crowd of those who hate Him. They'll scream for His crucifixion, and they'll get it. Nailed to a wooden cross, Jesus will suffer miserably and die mercilessly. That's an earthly kingdom. Violence, warfare, and death is the ultimate power behind every earthly kingdom. Perhaps wealth and sex could be thrown in there as well.
That's why it's smart to side with Caesar. No other kingdom on earth uses death as effectively as Rome. There is no enemy more powerful than Caesar. That's why Pilate must crucify Jesus. He tries to get out of it. He tells the Jews to solve this problem themselves (John 18:31; 19:6). He tries to plead with them over and over (John 19:12), but Jesus must be crucified.
He gave Himself the title "Son of God" (John 19:7). That belongs to Caesar. Jesus called Himself a King. That belongs to Caesar. If Jesus is Caesar's rival, He cannot be released: "If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar" (John 19:12). Pilate simply cannot oppose Caesar.
There is too much risk. Caesar has a kingdom that can be seen everywhere you look. It's violent, bloody, and ruthless. It's Babylon the Great reborn. It is the epitome of might, strength, power, and the kingdoms of the earth.
An Upside Down Kingdom
But Jesus' kingdom is not one of those. If it was, "My servants would be fighting" (John 18:36). Nonviolence is a sign of the Kingdom of God. When violence seems like the only option, God's kingdom shows you another way. Love conquers hate in the Kingdom of God, even if love costs you your life.
This is the message Peter struggled with so much. He knew how kingdoms worked! He pulled out His sword in the garden because the one who kills most efficiently wins! That's how revolution happens. That's how independence is won. That's how power is gained. It's vicious and cruel, but it's the way of the world. That's why Jesus' kingdom is so badly needed for this world, but it loses all power when it becomes of this world.
Remember Nicodemus? He was told, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3). You don't need to be born again to see the Roman kingdom. You don't need to be born again to realize the wisdom of saying, "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:15). They stood and shouted, "Crucify Him!" They saw Him. They were told, "Behold the Man!" and even "Behold your King!" But they couldn't see a King. They saw weakness. They saw failure. They were filled with hatred.
They pledged loyalty and allegiance to Caesar and his power, and his violence. And the true King of the universe was right in front of them the entire time. The true Kingdom from Heaven was right before their eyes. God stood before them, and they begged the kingdoms of the world to destroy Him. They saw Rome's power and looked right past God's.
Power in Jesus' kingdom is seen in the Master washing His servant's feet. It's not seen in the luxurious royal purple robe and golden diadem sparkling atop a proud noble head.
It's not seen in the sending of a massive, well-fortified army to eviscerate enemies. It's not seen in the splendor of the Roman forum or the grandeur of Caesar's throne. It's seen in weakness. It's seen in humiliation. It's seen in the wearied, beaten, and bloodied Man wearing a crown made of thorns. It's seen in Peter sheathing his sword. It's seen in dying rather than killing. It's seen in a King being nailed to a cross.