John 18:28 - Meaning and Application

Here we have Christ brought before Pilate, the Roman governor, in the praetorium, that is, the governor’s house or courtroom. They hurried Jesus there so they could get him condemned in a Roman court and executed by Roman power. Since they had already decided on his death, they took this route for several reasons.

First, they wanted his death to look more lawful and orderly, under the rules then in force since Judea had become a Roman province. They did not want him stoned in a crowd, as Stephen later was, but put to death with all the outward forms of justice. In this way, he was treated like a criminal, even though he was made sin for us.

Second, they wanted his death to be safer for themselves. If they could involve the Roman government, which the people feared, there would be less danger of a riot. Third, they wanted his death to bring greater shame on him. Crucifixion, the death the Romans commonly used, was the most disgraceful death of all, and they hoped to leave a lasting stain on his name. That is why they kept pressing, “Crucify him.”

Fourth, they wanted less shame for themselves. It was an ugly thing to put to death a man who had done so much good, so they tried to shift the blame onto the Roman authorities. In that way, they could make the Romans less popular with the people and protect themselves from blame. Many people are more afraid of the shame of a bad act than of its sin (Acts 5:28).

Two things stand out in this prosecution. One is their planning and urgency. It was early, some think around two or three in the morning, others around five or six, when most people were asleep. That meant less chance of interference from those who supported Christ, while their own helpers were out gathering people who could be stirred up to cry against him. See how fixed they were on this, and how fiercely they pushed it. Once they had him in their hands, they wasted no time and denied themselves sleep to drive the matter forward (Micah 2:1).

The other is their superstition and shameful hypocrisy. The chief priests and elders came with the prisoner so the case could be carried through, but they would not go into the judgment hall. It was the house of an uncircumcised Gentile, and they feared being defiled, so they stayed outside in order to eat the passover, meaning the feast connected with the sacrifices offered on the fifteenth day, called the Chagigah. They were careful not to contract a traditional uncleanness by entering a Gentile’s house, yet they felt no guilt in bending every rule of justice to bring Christ to death. They strained out a gnat and swallowed a camel.

Now we come to what happened in the judgment hall. Pilate first spoke with the accusers (John 18:29-32). Since they would not come inside, he went out to them in the court before the house. Seen as a magistrate, Pilate showed three commendable things here. He applied himself promptly to business, which is good in a public official. He also gave way to the people’s scruples and stepped down from the dignity of his office to deal with them. Most importantly, he followed the rule of justice by asking for the charge, because he suspected this was a malicious prosecution: “What accusation do you bring against this man?” What crime do you charge him with, and what proof do you have?

It was a basic rule, even before Valerius Publicola made it Roman law, that no one should be condemned without being heard. See also (Acts 25:16-17). It is unreasonable to lock a man up without stating any cause, and even more unreasonable to try him without any formal charge. But the accusers only answered with a broad attack, not giving any specific crime worthy of death or imprisonment (John 18:30): “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” That answer shows their rudeness toward Pilate. He had treated them politely, coming out to meet them, yet they answered him with open contempt. He had asked the fairest question possible, and they met it with disdain.

Their words also show deep malice against Jesus. They were determined to call him a criminal, whether they had reason or not. We should treat a person as innocent until guilt is proved, but they acted as if he were guilty even though he could have proved his innocence. They could not say he was a traitor, murderer, thief, or disturber of the peace. Instead, they said only, “He is an evil doer.” He, the one who went around doing good! Let those testify who were healed, fed, taught, rescued from demons, and raised from death. They would know whether he was an evil doer. It is nothing new for the best of benefactors to be denounced as the worst of criminals.

Their answer also shows pride. They acted as though their mere handing a man over with the label “criminal” should be enough for the civil judge to sentence him. Nothing could be more arrogant. Pilate then sent him back to their own court (John 18:31): “Take him and judge him according to your law.” Some think Pilate was being courteous here, recognizing that some part of their authority still remained and allowing them to use it. They could inflict corporal punishment, such as scourging in their synagogues, though whether they could carry out capital punishment is uncertain.

“But,” Pilate said, “go as far as your law allows, and if you go any further, it will be overlooked.” He said this because he wanted to please the Jews, but he did not want to do all they asked. Others think he was mocking them and pointing out how weak and dependent they were. They wanted to be the only judges of the charge, and Pilate seems to say, in effect, “If that is how you want it, then go on as you have started. You have found him guilty by your own law, so condemn him yourself if you dare.”

Nothing is more foolish, or more deserving of exposure, than people who try to act wise and give orders when they are weak, dependent, and should be taking orders themselves. Some think Pilate was also making a remark about the law of Moses, as if it allowed what Roman law would never allow, namely judging a man before hearing him. “Maybe your law will allow such a thing,” he seems to say, “but ours will not.” In this way, because of their corruption, God’s law was insulted. The same thing happens with his gospel too.

They then give up any claim to act as judges and, since it has to be that way, settle for being accusers. They become less rude and more submissive, and they admit, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” though they still want this man’s blood. Some think they had lost the power to sentence anyone to death because they had neglected their duty and had cowardly given in to the favorite sins of the time. Dr. Lightfoot explains the phrase as meaning, “It is not in our power to pass sentence of death on anyone, or else the crowd would rise against us at once.”

Others think the Romans had taken that power away from them, either because they had not used it well, or because it was too dangerous to trust such power to a conquered people that was not fully subdued. They meant this as a compliment to Pilate, and as a way to make up for their earlier rudeness (John 18:30), but it also shows clearly that the scepter had gone from Judah, and so the Messiah had now come (Genesis 49:10). If the Jews had no power to put anyone to death, where was the scepter? Yet they did not ask, Where is Shiloh?

Still, God was ruling over all of this. Either they had no power to put anyone to death, or they chose not to use it in this case, so that Jesus’ words would be fulfilled, showing what kind of death he would die (John 18:32). Notice, in general, that even those who meant to stop Christ’s words were, without intending it, made useful in fulfilling them by God’s overruling hand. No word of Christ will fail. He can never mislead anyone, and no one can prove him false. Even the chief priests, while treating him as a deceiver, were led in such a way that they helped prove him true, though they thought they were using other means to defeat his predictions. “Yet it was not what they intended” (Isaiah 10:7).

In particular, Christ’s words about his own death were fulfilled. Two things he had said about it came true because the Jews refused to judge him under their own law. First, he had said that he would be handed over to the Gentiles, and that they would kill him (Matthew 20:19; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:32, 33). That was fulfilled here. Second, he had said that he would be crucified (Matthew 20:19; Matthew 26:2), lifted up (John 3:14; John 12:32). If they had judged him by their law, he would have been stoned. In some cases the Jews also used burning, strangling, and beheading, but never crucifixion. So it was necessary for Christ to be put to death by the Romans, so that, being hung on a tree, he might become a curse for us (Galatians 3:13), and so that his hands and feet would be pierced. Just as Roman power had brought him to be born in Bethlehem, so now it brought him to die on a cross, and both happened according to Scripture.

The same is true for us, though we do not know it in advance, our death is also fixed by God. That should free us from anxious worry about it. “Lord, what, when, and how you have appointed.”

Here now is Pilate’s conversation with the prisoner (John 18:33 and following). First, the prisoner is brought to the bar. After speaking with the chief priests at his door, Pilate went back into the hall and ordered Jesus brought in. He would not examine him in the crowd, where the noise might disturb him, but had him brought into the hall. He felt no hesitation about going in among the Gentiles. By sin we had become liable to God’s judgment, and we had to stand before his court. So Christ, made sin and a curse for us, was brought in as a criminal. Pilate judged him, so that God would not judge us.

Then comes the examination. The other Gospel writers tell us that his accusers had charged him with turning the nation aside, forbidding payment of tribute to Caesar, and on that charge he was questioned. Pilate asked him a question meant to trap him and find something to accuse him of: “Are you the King of the Jews?” The king of the Jews people had talked about for so long, the Messiah, the promised prince, are you that one? Do you claim to be him? Do you call yourself that, or want others to think you are? Pilate was far from believing this was really true, or even seriously wondering about it. Some think he asked with scorn: “What, are you a king, looking so lowly? Are you the king of the Jews, the one they hate and chase after? Are you king by right, while Caesar is king in practice?” Since they could not prove he had ever said it, Pilate wanted to make Jesus say it now, so he could act on Jesus’ own words.

Christ answered with another question, not to avoid the issue, but to make Pilate think about what he was doing and on what basis he was acting (John 18:34): “Are you saying this on your own, from a thought in your own mind, or have others told you this about me, and are you asking only to satisfy them?” In effect, he says, “It is clear that you have no good reason to say this yourself.” Pilate’s duty was to protect Roman rule, but he could not truthfully say that anything Jesus had said or done threatened it. Jesus never appeared in worldly splendor, never claimed secular power, never acted as a judge over others, and no treasonable teaching or behavior was ever charged against him. There was not the least reason for suspicion.

If others tell you this about me to stir you up against me, you should ask who they are and what drives them. You should also ask whether the people claiming I am an enemy of Caesar are not really the ones guilty of that very thing. If so, their charge is only a cover for their hatred, and a judge should weigh it carefully before accepting it.

Pilate, if he had been as careful as he should have been, would have seen the real reason the chief priests were so angry with Jesus. It was not that Jesus was setting up a rival earthly kingdom against Rome. If he had done that, and had worked miracles to free the Jews from Roman rule, as Moses freed Israel from Egypt, they would have welcomed him as their king and fought under him against the Romans. Because he did not meet their hopes, they accused him of the very thing they themselves were guilty of, disloyalty to the government. Such a charge should not have been given any weight.

Pilate is offended by Christ’s answer and takes it badly (John 18:35). Christ had asked whether Pilate was speaking for himself. Pilate answers with contempt, as if to say, “Am I a Jew? Do you think I am part of a plot against you?” He acts as if he knows nothing about the Messiah and cares nothing about the debate. Notice the scorn in his words, “Am I a Jew?” The Jews were a people with many honors, but they had broken God’s covenant, and that made them looked down on by others (Malachi 2:8-9). It is sad when one people’s bad behavior makes their name a shame to wear.

Christ had also asked whether others had told Pilate about him. Pilate says yes, and that the reports came from Jesus’ own people, who should have favored him, and from the priests, whose testimony should have carried weight. So, he claims, he has only acted on their information. In this way Christ still suffers through people from his own nation, even priests who claim to belong to him but do not live as they should.

Christ had not answered Pilate’s question, “Are you the king of the Jews?” So Pilate changes the question and asks more broadly, “What have you done?” In other words, what has stirred up your own people, especially the priests, so fiercely against you? Pilate assumes there must be some reason for all this anger.

Christ then gives a fuller answer to Pilate’s earlier question, explaining what kind of king he is, but making clear that he is not the kind of king who threatens Rome (John 18:36). His kingdom is not of this world. That is said first to clear away false ideas about it, but it also points to something better, the kingdom of heaven, belonging to another world. Christ is a king and has a kingdom, but it does not come from this world.

First, the kingdom’s origin is not from this world. Earthly kingdoms rise from human power, as seen in the visions of Daniel and Revelation (Daniel 7:3; Revelation 13:1, 11). But the holy city comes down from God out of heaven (Revelation 22:2). Christ’s kingdom does not come by family line, election, or conquest, but by God’s direct will and purpose.

Second, its nature is not worldly. It is a kingdom within people, set up in their hearts and consciences (Luke 17:21; Romans 14:17). Its riches are spiritual, its power is spiritual, and its glory is inward. The ministers of Christ’s kingdom do not have the spirit of the world (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Third, its guards and support are not worldly. Its weapons are spiritual. It did not need, and did not use, force to grow. It did not harm kings or provinces. It did not interfere with the rights of rulers or the property of their subjects. It did not change civil institutions, and it opposed no kingdom except the kingdom of sin and Satan.

Fourth, its purpose is not worldly. Christ did not aim at the splendor and power of earthly rulers, and he would not let his disciples aim at that either. Fifth, its subjects live in the world, but they do not belong to it. They are called out of the world, born for another world, and bound for it. They are not shaped by the world’s wisdom, and they do not draw their life from its riches.

Christ also gives proof that his kingdom is spiritual. If he had meant to oppose the government, he would have fought with the same kind of power. But he did not do that. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews, and so that my kingdom would not be destroyed. His followers did not fight. There was no riot and no attempt to rescue him, even though the town was full of Galileans, his friends and fellow countrymen, and they were usually armed. Their quiet behavior was enough to silence foolish accusations.

Christ did not order them to fight either. In fact, he forbade it. That showed he did not depend on worldly help, for he could have called on legions of angels. It also showed that he did not fear worldly opposition, because he was willing to be handed over to the Jews. What would have ruined an earthly kingdom would only advance and establish his. So he rightly says, “My kingdom is not from here,” meaning that it is in the world, but not of the world.

When Pilate asks further, Christ answers more directly (John 18:37). Pilate asks plainly, “Are you a king then? You speak of having a kingdom. Are you, in any sense, a king? What right do you have to make such a claim?” Our Lord Jesus then gives the good confession before Pontius Pilate (1 Timothy 6:13): “You say that I am a king,” meaning, “Yes, it is as you say, I am a king.” He is a king because he came to bear witness to the truth. First, he admits that he is a king, though not in the sense Pilate means.

The Messiah was expected to come as a king, the promised Prince, so when Jesus had already admitted to Caiaphas that he was the Christ, he would not deny before Pilate that he was a king. Otherwise, he would seem to contradict himself. Though Christ took the form of a servant, he still rightly claimed the honor and authority of a king.

He then explains what kind of king he is. He is a king because he came to bear witness to the truth. He rules in people’s minds by the power of truth. If he had meant to claim an earthly throne, he would have spoken of conquering nations and taking over kingdoms. Instead, he came as a witness, a witness for the God who made the world and against the sin that ruins the world. By his message of truth, he sets up and keeps his kingdom.

This was foretold. He would be a witness to the people, and as such, a leader and ruler for them (Isaiah 55:4). Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, where truth fails (Isaiah 59:15). It belongs to that world where truth reigns forever. Christ came into the world to bear witness to the truth. He came to reveal it, showing the world what could not otherwise have been known about God, his will, and his good will toward people (John 1:18; John 17:26). He also came to confirm it (Romans 15:8). Through his miracles, he proved the truth of true religion, of God’s revelation, of God’s character and care, and of God’s promise and covenant, so that all people might believe through him.

By doing this, Christ acts as a king and sets up a kingdom. The foundation, power, spirit, and life of Christ’s kingdom is truth, divine truth. When he said, “I am the truth,” he was saying, in effect, “I am a king.” He conquers by the clear power of truth. He rules by the commanding power of truth, and he rides forward in victory because of truth (Psalm 45:4). He will judge the people with his truth (Psalm 96:13). Truth is the scepter of his kingdom. He draws people with human kindness, through truth revealed to them and received by them in love. In this way, he brings their thoughts into obedience. He came as light into the world and rules like the sun in the daytime.

The people in this kingdom are those who are “of the truth.” All who, by God’s grace, are rescued from the power of the father of lies and are ready to receive the truth and submit to its power will hear Christ’s voice. They become his subjects and give him true faith and loyal obedience. Anyone with a real love for true religion will welcome the Christian faith. They belong to his kingdom. By the power of truth he makes them willing (Psalm 90:3). All who love truth will hear Christ’s voice, because nowhere else can greater, better, surer, or sweeter truths be found than in Christ, through whom grace and truth came. So when we hear Christ’s voice, we know that we are of the truth (1 John 3:19).

Then Pilate asks a good question, but he does not wait for an answer (John 18:38). He said, “What is truth?” and immediately went out again. It was certainly a good question, and it could not have been asked of anyone better able to answer it. Truth is like a pearl of great price, which the human mind naturally seeks. We cannot rest in anything except what is, or at least seems to be, true. When we search the Scriptures and listen to the ministry of the word, we should ask, “What is truth?” and pray, “Lead me in your truth, into all truth.” But many ask this question without the patience to keep searching, or without the humility and honesty to accept the truth when they find it (2 Timothy 3:7). Many people do the same thing with their own consciences. They ask needed questions like, “What am I?” and “What have I done?” but they do not stay long enough to hear the answer.

It is not clear what Pilate meant by this question. Perhaps he asked as a learner, beginning to think well of Christ and wanting to know what new ideas he taught and what improvements he claimed in religion and learning. But while he wanted to hear some new truth from Jesus, just as Herod wanted to see a miracle, the noise and anger of the priests’ crowd at the gate forced him to break off the conversation. Others think he asked as a judge, wanting to understand the case better: “Tell me the truth of this matter.” Still others think he spoke with scorn, mocking Jesus: “You talk about truth, can you even define it?” In that way he made a joke of the everlasting gospel, the great truth that the chief priests hated and persecuted, and that Christ was now witnessing to and suffering for. Like people with no religion, who enjoy making fun of all religion, he laughed at both sides. For that reason, Christ gave him no reply. We are not to answer a fool according to his folly, and we should not throw pearls before pigs. But though Christ did not tell Pilate what truth is, he has told his disciples, and through them he has told us (John 14:6).

The result of these two meetings, with the accusers and with the prisoner, is shown in two ways (John 18:38-40). First, the judge seemed to be his friend and gave him a favorable hearing. He publicly declared Jesus innocent: “I find no fault in him.” Pilate may have thought there was some religious dispute between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, where either side might be right. But he saw nothing criminal in Jesus. This public declaration of Christ’s innocence was important for several reasons.

It justified and honored the Lord Jesus, because it shows that even while he was treated like the worst criminal, he had never deserved such treatment. It also helps explain the meaning of his death. He did not die for any sin of his own, even in the judge’s view, and so he died as a sacrifice for our sins. Even in the minds of his accusers, one man was to die for the people (John 11:50). He is the one who did no violence, and no deceit was found in his mouth (Isaiah 53:9). He was to be cut off, but not for himself (Daniel 9:26).

This also makes the sin of the Jews more serious, because they pressed for his death so fiercely. If a prisoner has had a fair trial and has been declared innocent by the proper judge, especially when there is no reason to think the judge is biased in his favor, then that person must be believed innocent, and the accusers should accept the judgment. But our Lord Jesus, even after being found not guilty, was still treated like a criminal, and they still longed for his blood.

He then suggested a way to get Jesus released, saying, “You have a custom that I should release one prisoner to you at the Passover. Should I release to you this King of the Jews?” (John 18:39). He did not say this to the chief priests, because he knew they would never agree. He said it to the crowd, as Matthew 27:15 shows. He may have heard that only a few days earlier the common people had welcomed Jesus with shouts of praise, so he assumed Jesus was the crowd’s favorite and only the leaders’ enemy. He thought the people would ask for Jesus to be freed, and that would silence his accusers and settle everything.

Pilate accepted their custom, which may have been long established as a way to honor the Passover, the feast remembering Israel’s release from slavery. But this also added to God’s Word, as if God had not already provided enough to rightly remember that deliverance. And even though it was meant as an act of mercy, it could still lead to injustice toward the public (Proverbs 17:15). Then Pilate offered Jesus to them according to that custom. If he had had the honesty and courage that a judge should have, he would never have put an innocent man forward as a rival to a known criminal for such a favor. If he found no fault in Jesus, he should have set him free at once. But Pilate wanted to please everyone and avoid trouble, so he followed worldly wisdom instead of justice.

The people showed themselves to be Jesus’ enemies, and they were determined against him (John 18:40). They kept shouting, “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Their anger was loud and uncontrolled. Pilate had put the question to them calmly, giving them time to think, but they answered in a rush, with noise and confusion. The enemies of Christ and his holy religion often try to shout it down, as happened at Ephesus (Acts 19:34). But anyone who thinks badly of a person or cause just because a crowd attacks it shows very little steadiness or good judgment. In fact, when people rely on public uproar, it often shows they do not have justice on their side.

Their choice was also foolish and shameful, as the brief note about Barabbas makes clear: he was a robber. That means he was a breaker of God’s law, yet they wanted him spared rather than the one who had rebuked the pride, greed, and harsh rule of the priests and elders. Barabbas might be a robber, but he would not take away Moses’ seat or their traditions, and that was enough for them. He was also an enemy of public safety and private property. Crowds usually cry out against robbers, as in Job 30:5, “Men cried after them as after a thief,” but here the crowd shouted for one. That is what people do when they choose their sins over Christ. Sin is a robber. Every sinful desire is a robber. Yet foolish people still choose it rather than Christ, who alone can truly make us rich.