My Kingdom is not of this World
HOLY WEEK DEVOTIONAL – FRIDAY, MARCH 29th
Pastor Simon Viss, Youth & Campus Ministries
Today’s Reading: John 18:33-38
It was on Friday, 2,000 years ago that Jesus was sentenced to death. After a long evening with his disciples and being arrested by the Jewish leadership, Jesus is delivered to the governor’s headquarters in the early morning, where the Jews accuse Him of treason (John 18:30.) Prior to these events, Jesus attracted large crowds because of His teachings and miracles, which caused the Jewish leadership to grow in their hatred of Him. They needed to get rid of Him, but they couldn’t stone Him for blasphemy because they feared the crowds who claimed Jesus to be a prophet (Matt. 21:46.) So, they developed a plan, a scheme that would place Jesus under the condemnation of the Gentile rulers. If they could convince the Romans that Jesus was deserving of the death penalty, then it would rid the Jewish leadership of their problem and potentially remove them from any blame for Jesus’ death.
Though their plan didn’t go exactly the way they anticipated, the results were the same: Jesus would be crucified under the authority of the Roman Empire. But in the backdrop of the Jewish conspiracy and Roman sentence, God predestined these events to take place according to the council of His divine will (Acts 4:27-28.) Jesus Himself predicted how His death would occur in Matthew 20:17-18, thus being motivated to enter Jerusalem during Passover for the goal of reconciling sinners to himself (2 Corinthians 5:19.) What man meant for evil; Christ purposed for good (Genesis 50:20.)
Right before Jesus’ death, He has one last conversation with the Judean governor, Pilate. (John 18:33-38) If Jesus is guilty of what the chief priests are accusing Him of, Pilate needs to investigate. In his headquarters, Pilate begins by asking Jesus “Are you the King of the Jews?” (v. 33) In what seems like a mental chess match, Jesus does not answer Pilate’s first question directly. However, He alludes to being a type of king, one whose kingdom “is not of this world” nor “from” it. (v. 36) The Romans and the Jews have certain ideas of what a king is supposed to be, but Jesus’ royal governance cannot be interpreted by their earthly understandings. Rather than initiating His kingdom by enacting violence upon the empire (v. 36), He will receive violence upon Himself to defeat sin and absolve His sheep from divine punishment (John 8:36; 10:15.) Therefore, Christ’s kingdom is primarily spiritual.
Pilate then clarifies: “So you are a king?” (v. 37) With all of His whit, Jesus responds: “You said it, not me.” (v. 37, my paraphrase) He proceeds to say that He came to bear “witness to the truth” and that “Everyone who is of the truth” listens to His voice. While echoing His identity as the Good Shepherd in John 10, Jesus has also previously stated that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6.) The truth He bears witness to is Himself, that He will lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11.) This is His mission, but Pilate does not understand this, given His concluding remark: “What is truth?” (v. 38)
Today, at a time when the world both hates Jesus like the Jewish Sanhedrin and is confused about him like Pilate, we must interpret Jesus on His terms. Jesus is king, but His kingdom is established only by His death on the cross, initiating a life of freedom from the pangs of sin and death for those He loves and are called according to His good purposes. Though the world rejects Jesus, do you love Him because He first loved you? Our king came to bear witness to the truth, the truth that we are dead in our trespasses and need a savior. Christ is the truth who forgives us our sins. Though the world does not understand Jesus, do you exalt Him in worship because He went to the cross on your behalf to rescue you?
On this Good Friday, remember that Christ’s kingdom and truth are exemplified in His saving work: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Additional Reading: Matthew 27:1-61, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 23:1-56, John 18:28-19:42