By Jared Warner
Willow Creek Friends Church
November 11, 2024
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John 18:33–37 (ESV)
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over 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 have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Today I come before you just a bit distracted. As I work from home I will often listen to various things on YouTube or other sites as I am working my way through the verification of employee hours. Occasionally as I am listening and watching things, concepts are brought up that I want clarification on or I answer a question that was posed in the discussion. Usually as I am watching these videos I will watch interviews with people that challenge my understanding of faith and life in general. I do this, to the annoyance of some of my friends and family, because I want to know what people outside my faith tradition are saying about what I say I believe.
To set your mind at ease, most of the videos present arguments that people have researched a great deal and most of the video commentators choose not to look at that. Like I have watched several videos about how the Nicaean Council determined the books of the Bible, when the records of that council never discussed what was regarded as scripture, but instead discussed the nature of Jesus and began to establish cannon law within the ancient church. The vast majority of scripture was established before that council in 325AD, with a few exceptions. What we have presented to us today as scripture we can with confidence accept as being the same scripture the early church accepted. I did mention there are a few exceptions. Those exceptions are that the Orthodox and Catholic bibles include the deuterocanonical books that are included in the Greek Translation of the Old Testament but are not in the Hebrew manuscripts. And the Ethiopian church includes the Book of Enoch, Jubilees, along with the deuterocononical books.
I mention all of this because there are questions within the seeking world that we should try to answer and at times we have answered those questions yet they just do not satisfy them. I see this even in my own life. I was sucked into a discussion about the Book of Mormon because someone made a video about the history of the LDS church. They expressed that the video was rude and expressing false concepts of their faith. I initially commented that the original presenter did that with every religious group, not just Mormons, and I continued to say that there were issues that I had with their faith that I had never received a good answer for. Oddly, I still have not heard a good answer, because the major issue I have is that there are not textual verification on the translation where we can see if things translated as one thing, in the case I made chariots, which were not used by indigenous people of the Americas, could have meant something else. The reason we do not have textual verification is because there have been no writings found containing the language that the book of Mormon was supposed to have been written in.
The online debate, which I have to admit went nowhere and accomplished nothing, but it did spark within me a thought that the discussion between Pilate and Jesus during the trail has similar themes. We have two people engaged in an argument, and they are on two completely different plains. And that discussion concludes with Pilate saying in exasperation, “What is truth?”
You have been in conversations like this, we all have. You have them with your children when discussing the best way to do something, and we end up defeated and resort to the default answer, “Do it because I said so.” Maybe you do not end up there, but I definitely do. In some ways it annoys me but in other ways it fill me with healthy pride, because my child is developing a sense of their own identity and are willing to stand even if the opposition does not agree. We have had these discussions with coworkers and people from opposing political philosophies. We go around and around never finding a solution because we are speaking from two different places about two different things, and if we could only take a step back and listen we might find that we actually agree more than disagree.
Jesus and Pilate were having a discussion, maybe not an argument, because this was a trial. Pilate enters the headquarters and calls Jesus to stand before him and he asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
To us this might seem like a big but straight forward question. But it is not as simple as it seems. I mentioned that I cannot take the Book of Mormon serious because there have not been any other writings using the language that the documents. That is not the case with the writings of the New Testament, or even with the language of the Old Testament. In the case of the Old Testament there might not be many documents from people outside of the Israel, but there are languages that emerged from a similar place as Hebrew. These languages give us an indication as to how words were used in various places. And when we study those cultures along side that of the Hebrew people we can see the similarities and differences. And much of the Old Testament law or teachings can be found throughout the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian world. It is the differences that make it the most interesting.
In regard to New Testament Greek, we can see how a wide variety of words have been used. We can read it in ancient medical texts, plays, legal documents and religious writings but within and outside Christian traditions. And sometimes we can learn that what we once thought about a passage could be interpreted differently in light of how the words were used elsewhere. The concept of King is one of those words.
In much of the ancient world the king was more than what we regard a king to be. Our understanding of king comes from feudal Europe of the middle ages. In those cases there was a concept of the Divine rights of a king or monarch to rule. This idea means that God chose them to rule, that they are above the law of the average person because they reside in a different place of humanity. They are set apart by divine decree. How does one become king though? There are only a couple of ways really. The first is you are born into the role. One of your parents were the ruling monarch and when they died that role was passed down to the next in line, usually the eldest son but in some cases it could be the daughter. The second way of obtaining the title of king comes through might. In this case the king conquered. Either there was a challenge made and the victor of the duel seized the title, or the previous monarch was defeated in a military campaign. Sometimes there is both a hereditary and conquest aspect to it, but in general that is the way it happens.
There are similarities and differences to how the ancient cultures became kings. Most ancient kings were not only rulers in a political sense, but they were regarded as being gods living on earth. Not only did they have a divine right to rule, but they were the divinity. When Moses challenged the Pharaoh of Egypt, he not only challenged the king, but the god of Egypt because the pharaoh was thought to be the offspring of the gods. This royal divinity can be seen throughout Persia and the Mediterranean basin. Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Canaan all had similar ideas that their kings were the sons of the gods, the mighty men of renown.
We see this in scripture. Genesis speaks of this, Deuteronomy talks about how God divided the nations among the sons of God, the Prophets speak of how the beasts that were given dominion over the nations had it stripped away from them. There was teaching throughout the ancient near east that the king, the giant, was the offspring of the gods and that gave them the right to rule.
There is a difference in the Hebrew understanding of king. Most of us read the book of Judges and we see that the men did what was right in their own mind because they had no king over them. We read statements like that in the scripture and we often think that God wanted Israel to have a king, but Israel did have a king. Their king was God. But Israel thought they needed a king over them like the Philistines, and they demanded that Samuel would give them a king to fight their battles for them. Samuel became depressed at this demand. He thought of himself as a failure of a prophet, priest and judge. He thought that he could not lead the people. But God told Samuel that they rejecting God not Samuel. They wanted to be like the rest of the world, they wanted their own giant to fight for them. So they chose the man Saul to be their king. Saul was picked because he was taller than the others, he looked like a king.
Israel rejected their true king, God, and wanted a king of this world. They wanted to be like every other nation. God allowed them to have their king, but he gave them a warning. The king would become a tyrant. They would demand tribute and taxes, they would lead them into battles with nations not only to defend their land but to increase their power and influence. And this is exactly what the kings did. Saul the first king sought to kill David because he threatened his power. David eventually became king, and his son Solomon was regarded as the wisest man to live, yet shortly after his death the kingdom of Israel divided in two. It divided because of God’s warning, Solomon was regarded as a wise king by some and a tyrant by others.
Israel obtained a king, but the king was not seen as a god. In most of the ancient Near East the king was not only the political leaders, but the head of the religion. The king’s word was law because he was god, and the king could demand tribute and taxes and you would gladly pay because it satisfied some divine mandate. Caesar was not only an emperor but the son of Zeus. He was not only the leader of the politic, but one to whom honor and praise was directed. There was no separation of government and religion they were one in the same. So when Pilate asks, “Are you the King of the Jews?” there is more to that question than we might think.
Pilate is concerned with political riots. He is concerned with his own place within the governing system of the empire. When Pilate is thinking of a king, he is also weighing something far greater. If there is a king of the Jews in his mind, there is a second god contending for the empire. This trial is both one of political and spiritual warfare.
Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
Do you see the layers within the question and the answer. Pilate is asking if he is the king, a new divine being ready to take on the claim of Caesar over the Jewish people both in reference to government and religious devotion. And Jesus in his answer is asking Pilate if he asks because he recognizes some divine aspect within Jesus or if he is on trial based on hearsay.
Pilate then answers Jesus’s question, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me.” We might miss that if we are not careful. Many outside the church like to say that Jesus never claimed to be God, but when we consider the path of the conversion within the trial it becomes clear that Pilate believes that Jesus is before him because Jesus claimed to be God. He claimed to be the God of Israel, and their king. Notice both aspects, the civil leaders of the nation and priest of the temple handed Jesus over to Pilate. To Pilate, Jesus claimed to be God, and his own people rejected him. Are you the king of the Jews? He asked. How can you be king when your nation and priest turn you over to me. Pilate is politically and religiously arrogant. The Jewish people in his mind are rejecting their king, their God, and giving Caesar their full allegiance.
“My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus responds, “ If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
For the past month or so we have discussed Jesus’s teaching on power and authority. He said that the rulers of the gentiles, or the kingdoms of men, lord their power over others and exercise authority. He is alluding to the use of violence and coercion to force submission. This is exploitation and oppression. He then said that, “this shall not be so among you.” If we are part of God’s kingdom we should not exploit and oppress. We should not use the powers of legislation and the courts to force adherence to our will. Jesus repeats this sentiment to Pilate at his trial.
My kingdom is not of this world. That one small word, of, has a great deal of meaning. It is a word of separation or disassociation. Meaning if Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world, it is of something else. It is not in this world, it is outside or beyond what we or Pilate, regards as kingdom.
Jesus is telling him that his concept of king, kingdom, life, death, power and authority is completely different. If Jesus’s kingdom was of this world his servants would be fighting. They would be using force, violence, might and coercion to force Rome into submission.
This is the way the world works. We see it in Russia verse Ukraine. We see it in presidential elections. We see it in corporate take overs within our economy. The kingdoms of this world use their power to exploit and oppress. This is why after one hundred and sixty one years after the emancipation proclamation we are still discussing issues of racism in America. This world, the kingdoms of this world fight to retain control, influence and power. Progress has been made sure, but we are still fighting. Why?
“My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus says, “If it were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.” Jesus says this calmly. He says these words as if they were of no consequence to him. He says that his servants would have been fighting, but the sense of the conversation is that there really would not have been a fight. Rome and the temple guards would be fighting but if Jesus’s kingdom was of this world there would not have been a contest. Pilate probably shuttered at these words. He knew the fighting spirit of the Hebrew people. When people fight for their homeland it is as if the strongest army of the world is brought to their knees. And this is how it was in Israel. I mentioned last week that the Roman Colosseum was built after the fall of Jerusalem and that the argument could be made that the riches plundered from Israel were used to fund the things we see today as Roman marvels. There is more to the story. The Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Africa, from Spain to Israel. They controlled one fifth of the world’s population. Today India is the most populous nation in the world and they only rule 17.7% of the world’s population, Rome controlled 20%.
That vast Empire ruled 20% of the world’s population and when Israel began to fight, Rome had to move their armies away from their frontiers to assist. It can be argued that the wall built across Northern England was built to help alleviate the pressure of invasion because there were not enough troops to adequately protect the Roman Britain.
Pilate knew the strength and character of the Hebrew people. He had governed that region longer than any Roman governor had. He used violence and bribery, and was known to be one of the most vicious governors within the Empire. Jesus looked at the man about to sentence him to death and said, “if my kingdom was of this world like yours, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“But my kingdom is not from the world.” You could probably hear the sigh of relief from Pilate at this point. But there is still confusion. There is confusion because Pilate is attempting to process a concept in his mind while looking at it from the improper perspective. At this point I will refer to YouTube once again. Neal deGrasse Tyson is a well known astrophysicist today and I often listen to his podcast. I listen because when I was growing up those were the shows I always watched, because out in the middle of nowhere we had three channels on TV on a good day, two on most days, but even on the worst days we had PBS. So I would often watch NOVA, 321 Contact, Reading Rainbow, and the Joys of Painting. Well Tyson asked on his podcast, how do you trap someone in a two dimensional world? The answer is that you draw a square around them. They cannot escape that square without stepping out of the 2nd dimension into the 3rd. That is what Pilate is attempting to do. He is trapped in his 2 dimensional world, while Jesus is speaking from a different place entirely. “My kingdom is not from this world”. The kingdom of God is beyond what we experience in this world. Aspects exist in this realm yet there is more, something beyond our grasp. And this is what confuses Pilate.
Jesus has evaded his question. He challenges Pilate with questions of his own, which causes this Judge to feel as if the roles have been reversed. And now he shakes his head and says, “So you are a king?”
He almost gets it. He is almost able to see into the unseen realm, just outside our 4 dimensional existence of time and space. He recognizes that Jesus has said that his kingdom is not of this world and he grabs hold of that. “So you are a king?”
This takes us right back to the beginning again. A king in the ancient world was both the political and religious head. He was the ruler of men because he was a god on earth. This is the thought process of Pilate at that time, Caesar is emperor, which is really a king but Rome cannot say king because they are a republic yet they want this authoritarian ruler. Caesar is also a god, which is why there were temples built in his honor. The ancient world belief both inside and outside of the Hebrew religions was that there were spiritual beings place over the various nations, and these spiritual beings ruled the nations through their offspring, the men or renown or kings. These kings used the wisdom and power of these spiritual beings to gain power and authority over others nations and as nations rose in power so did their spiritual being or god.
When Moses challenged Pharaoh, God was not only embarrassing a man, but he was defeating the Egyptian gods. And in this defeat over the gods of Egypt, God was telling the entire world that he was greater than all other god. Our God is the king of kings and Lord of Lords, he is the Most High God. And Pilates looks at Jesus ans says, “So you are a king?” You are this incarnation of the Jewish God? You are what is being said, the messiah that will cast off the bonds of Rome and bring in a new era for Israel?
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Why did Jesus come into the world? John the Baptist presented the Gospel on the banks of the Jordan saying, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Turn or return to God because his influence and power is all around you. This is the same message that Jesus gave. We often say that the Gospel is that Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and provide a way to heaven. This is part of the Gospel, yes, but the Gospel is so much more. It is God reversing the curse brought about by the spiritual rebellion on earth and in heaven. It is about God, stepping into full humanity, bringing God to mankind and lifting mankind to God. The Gospel is that God is making all things new. And that is all around us, then, now and forever more. For this purpose Jesus came into the world, and Everyone who is of the truth listens to his voice.
Are we listening?
Are we embracing the kingdom of God that is at hand right here and now? Or are we grasping for a kingdom of this world? Are we seeking the restoration of creation or are we seeking power and authority over others? Are we seeking justice or are we participating in the continued exploitation and oppression of those who happen to be weaker at this moment?
Pilate shuttered at the thought of a rising king. He shuttered because that is always the fear of those that hold fleeting authority. Eventually every empire falls. Persia is dust, Greece is a memory, the glory of Rome is in ruins, and there are other empires of more recent history. They rise in power, they use their authority, and eventually the oppressed push back and the mighty fall. Just like Goliath falling before David.
If we are of this world, we look at the state of the world and we live in fear, because we might lose everything. We think we need to struggle and fight. “Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; rage, rage against the dying of the light.” says the poet Dylan Thomas. Rage Rage he says, fight fight. We fight and rage because we cannot let go. We want to keep the ideals of the kingdoms of men alive and well. We fight a civil war, a war of independence, we have the red revolution, or Euromaidan protests. We rage because we have misplaced hope, because we are trapped, prisoners in our own dimension. Yet Jesus says for this purpose I have came into the world. He came so we do not have to rage and fight. He came so that we can become people, a nation, a kingdom Loving God, Embracing the Holy Spirit and living the love of Christ with others.
We can rage against the dying of our empires or we can embrace something more. We can shutter at the thought of a challenging king rising, or we can embrace the reality that there is already one unique son of God who is the king of kings and lord of lords, who has already conquered the world, sin and death. This week we enter into the holiday season, a season of thanksgiving, of hope, of joy, and generosity. A season where we recognize the cold darkness around us, yet we know that light has come into the world and we will sing not of the dying of the light but of its rising.
Previous Messages:
In Your Hearts Honor Christ as Holy
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 10, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 3:13–22 (ESV) 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for…
Living Stones
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church May 03, 2026 Click here to Join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili 1 Peter 2:2–10 (ESV) 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have…
Endure
By Jared Warner Willow Creek Friends Church April 26, 2026 Click here to join our Meeting for Worship Click to read in Swahili Bofya kusoma kwa Kiswahili Query 4 (Faith and Practice of EFC-MAYM pg 61) Do you provide for the suitable Christian education and recreation of your children and those under your care, and…
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