What is Truth? John 18:28-40

 

Isaiah 59:14

Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found.

Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed.

^{John 18:28}
Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.

Then they led… Who are, they?

Matthew 27:1-2, tells us, they, are the chief priests and elders. The Sanhedrin, (think, supreme court).

Matthew 27:1-2
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. ² And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Notice both John and Matthew say they led Jesus; fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7:

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

Where did they lead Him?

Pontius Pilate’s Praetorium. The governor’s headquarters.

If you go to Jerusalem today you can see a place thought to be the central courtyard of the praetorium; perhaps the very place where Jesus stood when questioned by Pilate.

Look one more time at John 18:28 and notice who the spotlight is on:

Then they led…

they themselves did not go…

lest they be defiled…

that they may eat…

We’ve already established, they, are the religious elite. Jesus has much to say about, “they” in Matthew 23.

Then they led…
Jesus said, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win (lead) one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. Matthew 23:15.

they themselves did not go…
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Matthew 23:13-14.

lest they be defiled…
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. ²⁸ Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Matthew 23:27-29.

that they may eat…
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:25-26.

According to Jesus, in a word; “they” are:

Hypocrites!

 

 ²⁹ Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”

Pilate has another word for the hypocrites: accusers.

It’s fitting.

Revelation 12:9-10, So, the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 

So, Pilate asks the devil imitating accusers. What accusation do you bring? What’s the charge? Show me the evidence? Where’s the witnesses?

Which is exactly what Jesus had told the religious accusers earlier at the chief priest’s sham interrogations. Jesus got punched for saying it. John 18:21-22.

How do they respond to Pilate?

³⁰ They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”

They were so blinded by hypocrisy they thought the Roman empire should beckon to their bidding.

Because we said so!!!  That’s all the evidence you need.

Plus, down inside, they knew they had zero evidence against Jesus. So, they used the same demonic strategy we see repeatedly, today; especially every four years:

If you don’t have facts—use attacks. Outrage. Give us what we want or we’ll burn down the system!!!

³¹ Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”

I don’t have time for this. I’m not your puppet. Follow proper protocol, you finger pointing, accusation making, hypocrites; or, go figure it out yourselves. 

Therefore the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

Okay, so they came on a little strong and had to backpedal and sugarcoat their words a bit.

Dearest Pilate, we would love to comply, however, it is not lawful for your loyal, law-abiding citizens to put anyone to death.

According to our law, this Man ought to die, so in humble compliance to your law, we’ve delivered Him to you for your wise, excellent, expedient, execution of justice.

What they really meant was: Crucify Him you uncircumcised dog.

³² that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.

They were fulfilling the prophecy Jesus had given them just days before.

John 12:32-33; And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” ³³ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

This meant He would die by Roman crucifixion.

The Jews were not allowed to enforce the death penalty; and even if they were, they didn’t crucify, they stoned.

By their own words they were fulfilling prophecy and didn’t even recognize it.

Now they do.

Right now, this moment, they know all too well, from their eternal perspective, in eternal torment (if they didn’t’ change their ways). Now they clearly see the Truth Jesus showed them, the peace He offered them, but they closed their eyes, plugged their ears. Jesus wept with a loud, uncontainable, audible, grief, because they refused to recognize the day of His visitation. Luke 19:41-44.  

One day, we too will see the times He showed up in our lives, at our door, the times of His visitation.

Jesus showed up and birthed a little Church right here in a manger shaped like a clubhouse.

From eternity’s perch what will we see? Will we see how we embraced Him in this cradle, and caused His Presence to grow until not one was left behind? Or will we see how we ignored Him, and counted Him as nothing?

Love comes softly. Listen close for His still small voice.

Lord, give us an eternal glimpse, if but for a moment, to give us perspective on what’s really important.

³³ Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

The religious folks who should know Jesus, their Messiah, they led Jesus. Bound Jesus. Delivered Jesus. Accused Jesus.

The secular guy, the gentile, the Roman, the politician, the military man; called Jesus. Asked Jesus. Sought Jesus.

Who are You Jesus?

Are You the King of the Jews?

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

He says it with no qualification, no exclusion for Romans or gentiles.

³⁴ Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”

Jesus cuts straight to the heart. 

Are you asking of yourself, your heart, your desire to know me? Or, are you doing another’s bidding (chief priests).

Jesus is giving him a personal invitation to know him. Not about him, but really know him. The way all who are saved need to know him. Personally, intimately. Not just intellectually or religiously.

³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”

How can I know you, I’m a Roman, not a Jew.

Some of the saddest words sound like this.

“I can’t go to Church cuz those kind of people won’t accept me.”

If Romans had been written at that time, Jesus could’ve told this Roman to read Romans 2:28-29. It says a man is not a Jew because he’s one outwardly, but because he is one, inwardly, it’s a matter of the heart.  

Pilate, are you asking with your heart? Or your head?

Pilate is trying to figure it out, but it doesn’t make much sense. Why would Your own people deliver You to me?

“Christians” who accuse Christians confuse and block those trying to meet Jesus

What did You do? You must’ve done something?

Jesus did a LOT. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the multitudes… told the Truth. Which exposed the hypocrites’ sins. And for that, they want to kill Him.

Those who live and believe lies, always try to silence Truth.

Pilate is asking, seeking, knocking, for Truth.

 

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

Jesus succinctly answers Pilate’s questions, and more.

My Kingdom… A Kingdom has a King, so that means, yes Pilate, I AM a King.

is not of this world… Jesus kindly tells Pilate, I AM Divine, the King of Heaven, not of this world.

If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight… I AM not here to lead a rebellion. Relax.

So that I should not be delivered to the Jews… The Jews were able to deliver Me to you, only because My Kingdom allowed it to happen.

But now My Kingdom is not from here…  For now, My Kingdom isn’t from here.

One day, after the, rapture, tribulation, Armageddon, Millennium, Great White Throne Judgement, then, My Kingdom will be here, in the New Heaven, and the New Earth, wherein righteousness dwells forever and ever.

You really want to be a part of that Kingdom dear, Pontius Pilate.

³⁷ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

The original text more accurately reads as a declaration not a question: 

Then You are a King.

Pilate called Jesus.

Asked Jesus.

Sought Jesus.

Can we now say… Pilate found Jesus.

You are a King.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
 

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

I AM a King.

For this cause I was born… (Isaiah 9:6; Unto us a child is born). The humanity of Christ.

For this cause I have come into the world… (Isaiah 9:6; Unto us a Son is given). The Divinity of Christ.

To bear witness to the Truth… If you seek the Truth, you shall know the Truth, and the Truth, shall set you free. John 8:32.

Hear Me Pilate; I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life.

³⁸ Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

Pilate called Jesus, asked Jesus, sought Jesus, found Jesus, heard Jesus...

Jesus told Pilate the Truth.

Pilate heard the Truth, said, “What is Truth”

Ask and it will be given you…  

A Light came on; he walked outside and declared the Truth:

I find no fault in Him at all.

From that moment, he called Jesus, King, and didn’t waiver in that.

Later Pilate will put his belief in writing.

John 19:19-22.

Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read:

JESUS OF NAZARETH,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. ²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

 

³⁹ “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

Surely, the people will want their King released.

Maybe not the hypocritical religions leaders, but the people, surely, they’ll want Jesus released.

Right?

⁴⁰ Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

The chief priests “stirred up” the crowd, liking stirring coals to flame, so they shouted for Barabbas, to be released, rather than Jesus. Mark 15:11.

The same crowd only days before waved palm branches, praising Jesus and shouting, Hosana to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Today instead of chief priests stirring up the crowd, it’s the media. Like puppets they parrot the message of their handlers; until the masses are stirred to a riotous rage. All for the purpose of power and control.

Barabbas:

Bar means son; abba means father. Barabbas means son of father.

They had a choice; we have a choice.

Son of a father.

Son of The Father. Son of God.

 

Let’s pray,

Heavenly Father, we pray in the name of Your Son, our Lord, Christ Jesus.

We choose, You. 

We pray for discernment, to not be deceived into being stirred up with the masses. We pray for wisdom to walk in Your peace. For boldness to declare Your Truth. Jesus Christ is Lord and King of our life.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

 

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This was feed for you to read; now it’s Seed for you to sow.

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