What Are You Doing with the Truth?

and denied in the wee hours of Friday morning.  He was taken to the house of Annas, the high priest emeritus where an informal trial was conducted sometime before daylight. 

 

This morning, we pick up in John 18:28, but John has left out something the other gospel writers included.  Remember, Jesus had two official trials. 

 

We are going to see the beginning of His Roman Trial today, but before that, He had a religious trail that was conducted by Caiaphas, the high priest, and son-in-law of Annas. 

 

The result of that trial was that Jesus was condemned to die because He claimed to be God.  However, the Jews couldn’t authorize capital punishment.  Therefore, John doesn’t include those details, and he jumps straight to Jesus’ Roman Trial.

 

 

1. The Examination of the King, John 18:28-32

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. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”  30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.”  31 Then Pilate said to them, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law.”  Therefore, the Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,” 32 that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die. 

 

Verse 28 begins with “they.”  These were the religious Jews who had Jesus arrested and brought to trial before Caiaphas.  Now, it is probably close to 6 AM, and they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ residence into the Praetorium or the hall of judgment. 

 

In verse 29, Pilate, the Roman governor at the time, greeted them and asked what their accusations of Jesus were.  Again, under Roman law, the Jews had no authority to execute anyone except by stoning, but that is not what they wanted for Jesus. 

 

They wanted Him crucified, and so they needed the judgment of Pilate.  Interestingly enough, by wanting Him crucified, they were fulfilling prophecy.  If they stoned Jesus, surely He would have suffered broken bones, but according to Psalm 34:20, that could not happen to the Messiah.  The Messiah was to be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent according to John 3:14. 

 

Psalm 34:20, 20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

 

John 3:14, 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

 

Why did these religious Jews want Jesus put to death?  Go back to Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas in Mark 14:60-64.  Jesus equated Himself with God, and to these Jews, that constituted blasphemy. 

 

Mark 14:60-64, 60 And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.  Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”  62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”  63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?”  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

 

 

1. The Explanation of His Kingdom, John 18:33-38

33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”  34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”  35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”  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.”  37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”  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.”  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.

 

Beginning in verse 33, we see a somewhat private conversation between Pilate and Jesus as Pilate, the Roman governor, asked Jesus some questions.  The first question is if He was King of the Jews.  Jesus answered that question with a question, and then explained about His Kingdom.

 

Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world.  Otherwise, His followers would be fighting right now for His release.  However, they weren’t, and then Jesus recounted in verse 37 why He came into this world.  It was to testify to the truth.

 

So if we were to answer Pilate’s question this morning, what would you say.  The world around us today would say that truth is relative, and in some contexts, that is correct. 

 

For example, I am a tall person.  This is truth relative to any of my daughters.  However, it is not true compared to anyone who is taller than six feet.

 

Truth is also absolute.  Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.  Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  There is no wavering on these scientific realities. 

 

Here is a truth: Jesus is different.  When Pilate was questioning Jesus in private, we know that he was concerned about Jesus being a king because that threatened Pilate’s kingdom.  However, Jesus’ kingdom is not political but peaceful. 

 

Jesus wasn’t a threat to the Roman government.  However, He could have summoned His followers to fight or battle on His behalf, but He didn’t.  His kingdom was about peace and heaven and eternal life. 

 

Jesus is different, and as a result, His followers are called to be different.  When it comes to money, as followers of Christ, we are to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth.  When it comes to marriage, our spouse is our ally rather than our adversary.  When it comes to meaning in this life, we find our purpose in our Savior rather than sex or substances or success. 

 

Jesus is different, and His followers are to be different as well.

 

 

• The Emancipation of a Criminal, John 18:38-40

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

 

In verse 38, Pilate went back out to the Jews, and even though he didn’t find any fault with Jesus, he let the Jews choose what to do with Him, and they chose to emancipate or release a criminal.

 

The text says his name was Barabbas.  That was actually like calling him John Doe.  Barabbas means son of a father, and this man was more than a robber. 

Barabbas was a terrorist, who had murdered and stolen.  However, he was released, and Jesus’ Roman Trial will continue next week in John 19. 

 

 

Invitation

Before we close, I need for us to go back to Pilate’s profound question, “What is truth?”  Pilate’s experience with Jesus is fascinating and unfortunate. 

 

Pilate asked about the truth.  Some of you have asked about the truth and what is truth.  You want to know what the world says and what the Bible says.

 

Pilate also associated with the truth.  He associated with Jesus in this trial, and every Bible ever printed records Pilate’s association with the truth. 

 

Again, some of you associate with truth.  You come to church.  You are in a family full of Christians. 

 

However, Pilate never accepted the Truth.  He never accepted the truth that God is holy, man is sinful, and Jesus is the only way to God.  He never accepted Jesus and His Lord and Savior.  What about you?