As the early morning light began to break, Jesus stood before the corrupt, but powerful, high priest, Caiaphas. John has little to say about it. According to John it was a short trial, and soon Caiaphas, knowing he could not order Jesus to be executed, sent him to Pilate - the Roman governor.
John 18:28-40 (NLT)
28 Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.
29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”
30 “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.
31 “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied.
32 (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.)
33 Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.
34 Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.
39 But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
40 But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)
As a Roman ruler, Pilate was always looking out for insurrectionists. He had a brutal record of suppressing any and all would-be Jewish zealots who would try to overthrow Rome. He is not prepared for Jesus' response to his inquiry: “Are you the king of the Jews?”.
Jesus made it clear he had no interest in overthrowing a political and military Rome. Instead he makes it clear that the Kingdom he rules over is much different from the Roman one.
“My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
Pilate was under the authority of Rome. Jesus' Kingdom doesn't come from any earthly authority. The Kingdom of God has its authority in the realm of God's authority...over heaven and earth. But this authority of God's is not coercive...it is not political...it is not militaristic...it is not power "over", but rather power "under"..the power to lift people from whatever state they are in to a place of freedom, no bondage, sins forgiven, and eternity as a goal, rather than the temporal things of political and military control.
Pilate's intrigue is sarcastic..."so you are a king?"
Jesus' answer is clear... "I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
At every stage of life we are presented with these two options. The earthly Kingdoms promises of what their power and authority can give to you - which usually results in the promotion of their own wealth, power, and interests; or the Kingdom of God, which promises life, truth, freedom from bondage, and a vision of life that only begins on earth, but will continue on forever and ever into eternity.
Let's live out of the power "under" of the Kingdom of God.
Peace
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
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