John 18:33-40
Jesus’ Interrogation
We continue to work our way through the book of John and for the
last few weeks, through he trial of Jesus. We saw Jesus taken
Annas, then Caiaphas, and then Pilate.
In looking over what John chose to record, I noticed that John
continued to record the teaching of Jesus, or the closest thing to
teaching that he could, the conversation of Jesus with Pilate. John’s
interest was in getting out truth—the words of Jesus—in any form he
could. Perhaps that is why it is John who recorded Jesus’ statement:
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
I. Concerning Pilate, note three things:
A. His Resistance - He resisted the notion of crucifying Jesus
from the beginning. In fact, he resisted the notion of even
trying Jesus. He told the Jews to handle themselves.
B. His Doubts - Pilate’s doubts were not of Jesus but of the
Jewish leaders and it is easy to see why Pilate would have
been doubtful.
1. They had brought Jesus first with no charges. They just
wanted Pilate to crucify Him.
John 18:29 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.
a. I mentioned last week how odd that was, that the Jews
would want Pilate to kill Jesus for them.
b. I also mentioned my belief that this was of God. There
are two reasons I believe this was of God.
(1) The type of death given:
(a) The crucifixion was prophesied.
(b) Pilate would put Jesus on a cross while the
Jews would bury Him beneath rocks.
John 18:32 That the saying of Jesus might be
fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death
he should die.
(2) Pilate became the voice of reason - My theory is
that perhaps God made Pilate to be the voice of
reason to the Jews.
2. At some point, the Jews accused Jesus of plotting to
overthrow Caesar, that is, being a rival King of the
Jews.
John 18:33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment
hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him,
Art thou the King of the Jews?
a. It was a false charge.
b. It was an illogical charge.
(1) The truth was that most every Jew in Israel would
have wanted Caesar’s overthrow!
(2) The religious leaders perhaps more than most!
3. All of this would have let Pilate to be suspicious of what
the Jews wanted of him; yet, he did have a job to do.
C. His Duty
1. Pilate was appointed by Caesar and his first duty would be
to protect Caesar and the crown.
2. The charge that the Jewish leaders brought against Jesus
required an investigation so Pilate became to examine
Jesus.
II. Interrogation - The interrogation will follow two thoughts.
A. \\#18:33-19:5\\ Was Jesus the King of the Jews?
1. Duty - Because of Pilate’s doubts, he did not believe that
Jesus was any threat to Caesar from the beginning, but it
was his duty to examine Jesus, so he did.
2. Jesus’ Conversation - It is interesting that Jesus seemed
to talk more with Pilate than any other interrogator.
a. He would not speak to King Herod at all \
\#Matt 27:14\\
b. Consider what Jesus told Pilate.
(1) Jesus NEVER told Pilate that He was NOT the King
of the Jews! That would have been a lie.
(2) \\#John 18:36\\ Jesus assured Pilate that His
soldiers would not fight Rome.
John 18:36 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.
(a) Christians are not to fight to defend or
advance Christianity.
(b) We are to let Jesus do it!
2Thess 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with
us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and
from the glory of his power;
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe (because our testimony among you was
believed) in that day.
(3) Jesus told Pilate His purpose for being on the
earth.
John 18:37 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.
(a) To bring truth.
(b) #38 "What is truth?" - Pilate shared his
own view. He was a bit of agnostic. He
did not believe one could know the truth.
(c) Within just a few hours, two men stood in
the presence of God and rejected Him.
i. Judas kissed Life and hanged himself.
ii. Pilate questioned Truth and refused to
believe.
(d) Such opportunities! Such blindness!
3. Pilate’s findings:
a. "I find in him no fault at all."
b. \\#John 18:38, 19:4; 19:6\\
4. The results - In my opinion, the result was that Pilate
sought to release Jesus.
a. \\#18:39-40\\ Offering Barabbas
b. \\#19:1-5\\ Beating Jesus - Even the phrase that
Pilate made when he presented Jesus to the people
\\#5\\ "Behold the man!" was intended to draw the
Jews’ attention to Jesus and to have pity on Him.
c. Even so, Pilate had Jesus beat. Why? There is no
indication that Pilate had Jesus beat….
(1) Because the Jews asked Him to do so.
(2) Because Jesus was being belligerent.
(3) To gain more information.
(4) Because Pilate just wanted to do so.
d. It appears to me that Pilate did those awful things to
Jesus in a vain attempt to gain sympathy for Jesus.
5. But then something was said which caused Pilate to start
a second thought in interrogation.
B. \\#19:6-7\\ Was Jesus the Son of God?
1. When Pilate made his findings known for the third time,
the religious leaders said something that made Pilate
THINK.
John 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law,
and by our law he ought to die, because he made
himself the Son of God.
2. Notice Pilate’s reaction to that statement:
John 19:8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying,
he was the more afraid;
a. Both Pilate and his wife had been uneasy from the
start of this trial.
b. There was something about Jesus that made Pilate think
this accusation about Him was TRUE.
c. Jesus would not speak to Pilate on this charge, but
Pilate "sensed" something.
d. Note Pilate’s reaction:
John 19:12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought
to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying,
If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s
friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh
against Caesar.
e. The Bible does not make it clear what all Pilate did
AFTER this to get Jesus released but Matthew recorded
one thing:
Mt 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail
nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he
took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood
of this just person: see ye to it.
f. I am pretty sure that this is the only time Pilate
ever did anything like this!
III. The Verdict
A. Let’s make certain we understand what the verdict was.
1. Jesus was innocent. That is repeated many times in the
gospel accounts.
2. But Pilate turned Jesus over for execution and He was
executed.
3. Here we have the proof to the expression, "The Guiltless
died for the guilty!"
B. This was merely a human court.
1. Their findings are not binding in heaven for God sees all.
2. Yet, it is a sad reality to think that even with the
courts stacked against Him, the God haters could
not find a reason to kill Jesus.
3. We are the guilty who deserved to die.
He is the Guiltless who did not.
He paid the price. We get the reward.
IV. Time:
A. During Easter, I said many times that I believed that Jesus
died on Thursday, the Passover day, not Good Friday as so
many believe.
B. John writings are an important reason why I believe that.
C. Notice some times that John gives:
1. The religious leaders would not enter Pilate’s palace
because they did not want to defile themselves so that
they could not eat the PASSOVER.
John 18:28 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.
2. Jesus was being crucified as the Passover lambs were
being prepared.
John 19:14 And it was the preparation of the
passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith
unto the Jews, Behold your King!
3. Having already told us what was being prepared, John
mentioned it twice more.
Joh 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was
the preparation, that the bodies should not
remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for
that sabbath day was an high day,) besought
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and
that they might be taken away.
Joh 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore
because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the
sepulchre was nigh at hand.
D. How can you prepare for something that was done a day
earlier? Obviously, you can’t. Hence Jesus was crucified
not on the day after Passover but the day of Passover.
Again we must stop at an awkward point. Jesus has been found
innocent but will die anyway. Next week, Jesus’ Death.
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