Jesus and Pilot

[nebula]

This is something that I've been trying to figure out for some time, but haven't been able to.

John 18

33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. . . ."

Considering that when Jesus answered questions, he was attempting to reach something inside the individual - what was Jesus attempting to reach in Pilot?

Most puzzling, why did Jesus mention "the truth", why would Pilot have asked, "What is truth?" (what does this show about him), and why did Jesus not answer the question?

Any thoughts?

[Guest shiloh357]

Good questions. I believe that Jesus was giving Pilate an opportunity to believe in him. That is just what I see in his dialogue with Pilate.

Why didn't Jesus answer Pilate when he said "what is truth? Can't say as I know. Perhaps that was Pilate's way of rejecting Jesus?

I contrast this with Jesus in front of Herod. You'll notice that Jesus never once spoke to Herod. I had always in my mind's eye believed that Jesus didn't even look at Herod. You know, when God will not speak to you, you have crossed the line!!

Perhaps when Jesus stopped talking to Pilate, it was all over; Pilate had made his decision.

Just some thoughts.

[cheercoach]

I think that Pilate was saying, "What do I care about the Jews and their religion? Why should I get involved in this meaningless battle of words?".

[tsth]

It has to do with more fulfillment of the Word, to prove the Scriptures True:

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. 4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch vipers' eggs and weave the spider's web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out. 6 Their webs will not become garments, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

9 Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. 11 We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: 13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. 15 So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him That there was no justice.

16 He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. 17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay. 19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. 20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," Says the Lord. 21 "As for Me," says the Lord, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the Lord, "from this time and forevermore."

In His Truth,

Suzanne

[Dad Ernie]

Considering that when Jesus answered questions, he was attempting to reach something inside the individual - what was Jesus attempting to reach in Pilot?

Most puzzling, why did Jesus mention "the truth", why would Pilot have asked, "What is truth?" (what does this show about him), and why did Jesus not answer the question?

Greetings Nebula,

This is from Matthew Henry's commentary:

Joh 18:28-40 -

We have here an account of Christ's arraignment before Pilate, the Roman governor, in the praetorium (a Latin word made Greek), the praetor's house, or hall of judgment; thither they hurried him, to get him condemned in the Roman court, and executed by the Roman power. Being resolved on his death, they took this course,

1. That he might be put to death the more legally and regularly, according to the present constitution of their government, since they became a province of the empire; not stoned in a popular tumult, as Stephen, but put to death with the present formalities of justice. Thus he was treated as a malefactor, being made sin for us.

2. That he might be put to death the more safely. If they could engage the Roman government in the matter, which the people stood in awe of, there would be little danger of an uproar.

3. That he might be put to death with more reproach to himself. The death of the cross, which the Romans commonly used, being of all deaths the most ignominious, they were desirous by it to put an indelible mark of infamy upon him, and so to sink his reputation for ever. This therefore they harped upon, Crucify him.

4. That he might be put to death with less reproach to them. It was an invidious thing to put one to death that had done so much good in the world, and therefore they were willing to throw the odium upon the Roman government, to make that the less acceptable to the people, and save themselves from the reproach. Thus many are more afraid of the scandal of a bad action than of the sin of it. See Act_5:28.

Two things are here observed concerning the prosecution:

(1.) Their policy and industry in the prosecution: It was early; some think about two or three in the morning, others about five or six, when most people were in their beds; and so there would be the less danger of opposition from the people that were for Christ; while, at the same time, they had their agents about, to call those together whom they could influence to cry out against him. See how much their heart was upon it, and how violent they were in the prosecution. Now that they had him in their hands, they would lose no time till they had him upon the cross, but denied themselves their natural rest, to push on this matter. See Mic_2:1.

(2.) Their superstition and vile hypocrisy: The chief priests and elders, though they came along with the prisoner, that the thing might be done effectually, went not into the judgment-hall, because it was the house of an uncircumcised Gentile, lest they should be defiled, but kept out of doors, that they might eat the passover, not the paschal lamb (that was eaten the night before) but the passover-feast, upon the sacrifices which were offered on the fifteenth day, the Chagigah, as they called it, the passover-bullocks spoken of Deu_16:2; 2Ch_30:24; 2Ch_35:8, 2Ch_35:9.

These they were to eat of, and therefore would not go into the court, for fear of touching a Gentile, and thereby contracting, not a legal, but only a traditional pollution. This they scrupled, but made no scruple of breaking through all the laws of equity to persecute Christ to the death. They strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel. Let us now see what passed at the judgment-hall. Here is,

I. Pilate's conference with the prosecutors. They were called first, and stated what they had to say against the prisoner, as was very fit, Joh_18:29-32.

1. The judge calls for the indictment. Because they would not come into the hall, he went out to them into the court before the house, to talk with them. Looking upon Pilate as a magistrate, that we may give every one his due, here are three things commendable in him:

(1.) His diligent and close application to business. If it had been upon a good occasion, it had been very well that he was willing to be called up early to the judgment-seat. Men in public trusts must not love their ease.

(2.) His condescending to the humour of the people, and receding from the honour of his place to gratify their scruples. He might have said,

[nebula]

Thanks for the commentary - but I got a little lost in there. Would you highlight the key points about what he said about why Christ mentioned "truth" and the specific after-affects of that to Pilot?

Thanks!

[Adstar]

Nebula

The problem is we where not there when pilot said "what is truth" We did not see his body language or the inflection of his voice. that would convey the attitude that Pilate had at the time. It could have been said with an air of frustration, cynicism, dismissivness, anger or even exasperation. If he had asked it with a true desire to hear the truth i'm sure Jesus would have answered. Remember Jesus could read minds and knew Pilate thoughts.

All praise The Ancient of Days

[refugepsa91]

I kinda always thought pilot seemed almost bored with the conversation....like maybe he was only half listening to what Jesus had to say...cuz he was more worried about his own self image and skin. I may be mistaken though. Like Adstar said it is hard to tell a mood from just writing.

Love and Blessings,

Angel

[nebula]

Well, one thing I feel sure of - Pilot had some semblence of Jesus being something important, a holy man, or the like. Why do I say this? Pilot obviously tried everything he could to convince the Jewish leaders to drop their charges against him. It is true Pilot was more afraid of his own skin (letting Jesus go would start a rebellion, and Caesar would have his head for it), but he really, really did not want to sentence Jesus to death. I'm not sure exactly what pilot believed about Jesus, but when he said to Jesus, "I have the power to sentence you to death," and Jesus responded, "You would have no power if it was not given to you from above," Pilot was afraid.

So, that's why I'm sure there was a significance to Jesus' words to Pilot about "the truth."

Thanks for the responses.

Any others?

[tsth]

38"What is truth?" Pilate asked.

Think of it in context of today's time and people............It is merely the revelation of the state of the people. No one knew the REAL TRUTH anymore. Much like today, people do not know to make RIGHT JUDGMENTS. In showing that the leader of the day(Pilot) could not stand on TRUTH/RIGHTEOUSNESS, anymore, then most surely neither could the people. If the head of the people has lost his way in deciphering truth, then so go the people. Now go back and read the verses from IsaiahI posted previously, it should make sense.???

Jesus was the break through! He was the light that would make it clear again. He is the defender of TRUTH, because He Is TRUTH! Even for today's people!

In His Love,

Suzanne