John 18:38b-40 – Act with right conscience

John 18:38b makes clear explicitly that Pilate found no guilt in Jesus. He found the accusations of the Jews incongruous with what he had discovered. So he went out to them at the praetorium to declare the verdict. He said categorically, “I find no guilt in Him.” Jesus was clearly innocent and Pilate was impressed by Him more than he would care to admit. What’s unsettling was his failure to act on his conviction! Pilate might have his reason for why he acted the way he did, but what about us? Are we afraid to live out our convictions of the truth? Pray that God will give us the moral courage to always do and act on what is right and not what is popular.

Ignoring the voice of his conscience, Pilate went on and conferred with the vociferous cries for Jesus’ blood. In so doing, he had committed the worst injustice known to human kind. Bear in mind that John’s Gospel had omitted some details described in the other Gospels. John did not include the protest of the chief priests recorded in Mark 15:3-12. He also omitted much of what Luke 23:5-18 had described. Luke recorded that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod on hearing that He was a Galilean. He also recorded the cruel treatment Jesus received at the hands of the brutal soldiers. And how Herod finally sent Jesus back to Pilate, after having had his share of humiliating Jesus.   

In verse 39, John was attempting to show us Pilate’s first attempt to release Jesus to ease his conscience. He sought to free Him through a common practice the Romans had during the Jewish Passover. He remembered that it was customary for the Roman authority to release a convicted prisoner during this feast. Here we see Pilate’s cowardice in full display. He was appealing to that common practice to have Jesus released instead of freeing Him because he had found Him truly not guilty. If the Jews had agreed with him, it would have eased his conscience for failing to act on his conviction. Alas! It was not to be so. So his first attempt to release Jesus failed.

This action of Pilate allowed the Jews to seize the opportunity and demanded for the release of Barabbas. Though John described Barabbas as a robber, he was more accurately, a bandit. And he was much more, for Luke described him as a murderer. Barabbas was really a convicted insurrectionary, deserving death according to the law of the Romans. His name means “son of the father.” Literally, we all have some of the sinful nature of “Barabbas” in us and we deserve to be condemned. Many still don’t realize that Jesus, the true Son of the Father wants to free the sinful Barabbas in us so that we can be redeemed to be the true sons (and daughters) of the good Heavenly Father.

Two thoughts to consider: First, we must live and act on right convictions in life. Avoid denying our conscience when we know the right thing to do. Failure to act when convicted by the truth will erode our ability to live a God pleasing life. Second, consider what Jesus went through for us. He suffered and died to free the “Barabbas” in us. So that we can truly live as true sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. We must live to please Him above all else.     

John 18:33-38a – The moment of truth

John 18:33 tells us that Pilate returned to the praetorium and asked Jesus a direct question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" The emphasis here is on the pronoun “You.” Pilate was obviously curious over what’s happening. He had begun to wonder about Jesus and was trying to make sense of everything. However, a “yes” or “no” answer from the Lord would have severely disadvantaged Him. If he said “yes,” Pilate would have concluded that the Jews had regarded Him as a king and would consider Him a threat to Caesar. If he had said "no," Pilate would think that He was not a king after all.

So Jesus responded by asking him two questions. “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” He wanted Pilate to clarify his position. Was Pilate asking Him as a Jews or a Roman? Did he really want to know the truth about Jesus or was he merely a pawn of the Jewish religious authority. He was put on a spot by Jesus. In a sense Pilate was on trial. He then tried to get out with this sarcastic retort, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Pilate had no clue and was seeking to unravel his curiosity on what was going on.

Jesus then answered him directly saying, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” What was Jesus saying? He had just proclaimed Himself to be a king of the spirit realm. The realm He operates from may not be visible, but the effect is felt in the physical world, in terms of sin forgiven and physical condition restored. And as a spiritual king, He executes His rule differently. He has no need to resort to aggression or brute force, which He so clearly demonstrated, when He chided Peter and told him to put away his sword. And as King, He is still healing the broken just as He did in restoring Melchus’ ear that Peter had lopped off.

Pilate was thrown into disarray by His answer. Had Jesus proclaimed Himself to be an earthly king, his decision would be easy. He would have easily given the order to have Him executed. But here Jesus had revealed that He is king from another realm. So He was not guilty politically. On deeper reflection, Jesus’ answer to Pilate was clearly this: Yes, I am a king, but a king of another realm. It’s really not the kind you are thinking about. But nonetheless I am a king. You are absolutely right to say so.

As a king, Jesus came to make His people face the way things really are. He came to encounter us with the truth so that we can face it. Hence everyone who loves the truth will listen to Him. This is the test set before Pilate. Was he prepared to face the truth? That was the moment of truth. Does Pilate really love the truth or was he even ready for the truth? He obviously was not. So he turned cynical, by asking “What is truth?”

“What is truth?” This is the same question that makes all of us stand transparent before the Lord of truth. The truth of the whole matter is this – the sinless king came here to give His life for a sinful world. Everyone who is convinced of this has the truth but everyone who denies this does not have the truth. We thank God for His revelation concerning the truth. And we are grateful for the divine enablement to embrace the truth. So let us now continue to grow in the truth.    

John 18:28-32 – Pilate’s initial encounter with Jesus

Jesus had been in total control from the start. Whether it was in the Garden of Gethsemane or the trials before Annas and Caiaphas, He was fully conscious of His mission. Even now as He faced Pilate, He was still very much in control. In verse 28 we read, “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.” The Praetorium was the official residence of the governor located within the palace that Herod had built.

Why did John include this verse? John was probably referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread that came together with the Passover. The Jews were required to keep themselves from any leaven or defilement at this time so that they could partake of the feast. For that reason, the Jews didn’t want to enter the place of the Gentiles for fear of being contaminated. Here John was pointing out the farcical attitude of the Jews. They fussed over outward religious show of ceremonial defilement but cared nothing over their moral guilt of delivering an innocent man over to death.

Instead of having the Jews enter the Praetorium, Pilate kindly came out to them. His question to them was, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” The reason they brought Jesus to Pilate was so that the scripture that had predicted the kind of death the Messiah would have to go through would be fulfilled. The Jewish method of putting a person to death was by stoning. They brought Jesus to Pilate also because the Jewish authority did not have the power to pronounce a death sentence. For that to take place they needed the consent of Pilate the governor.

What the Jews wanted was Pilate’s support of their decision and to affirm their sentence. They wanted to have Jesus executed without any further hearing. But Pilate refused to play to their tune for he never liked the Jews. So he exasperated them by telling them to deal with Him according to their own law. They would have it their own way if God had not already prescribed by what means Jesus should die. It had been predicted in the Old Testament that the Messiah’s death would not be by the Jewish method of stoning but by means of the Roman execution – the cross. John probably had Psalm 22 in mind, where the death of the Messiah was detailed. This tells us that while man may have the free will to make choices, God is still in control of every event. In allowing Christ to go through death for us, God was working His perfect will to bring about His perfect plan, to redeem mankind from destruction.

Being the brutal man that Pilate was, it would be of little consequence to him to put Jesus to death. Yet this was not a simple matter because God was in control. Pilate was merely an instrument in God’s hand to bring about the redemptive purpose of God. So it was not as simple as it seemed. Here was a man torn between two worlds – the material and the spiritual. Pilate was in a dilemma not knowing how to respond. What about us? For like Pilate, we are also people striding between two worlds. Remember that our spiritual world, where we are in touch with the real but unseen Christ, must govern our decision in this physical world. We must learn to be more discerning because spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

John 18:25-27 – Lessons from the denial of Peter

Evidently Annas realized that he was getting nowhere for he couldn’t get Jesus to incriminate Himself. So he sent Him across the courtyard to Caiaphas, by which time the Sanhedrin had already gathered. John, however, chose to bypass the whole trial, which was recorded by the other Gospels. Instead he chose to narrate about Peter’s second and third denial of Christ. Meanwhile Peter had not moved from his original position. He was still among those men around the charcoal fire and warming himself. Then the same question he was asked earlier by the maid popped up again. He was asked a second time. And it came from one of the men he was standing with. Most probably the Galilean ascent of Peter gave him away. All who stood around him instantly knew where he came from.

Peter was stuck. He could not back away because he had started the ball rolling earlier when he lied to the maid. He now had to continue with another lie to cover the truth. It is best not to begin that way. But he did. All these only revealed his lack of depth as yet. It shows us the kind of person that he was. He spoke too quickly, boasted too much and prayed too little. He claimed that he was willing to follow Jesus all the way even if he had to die. Remember his words in Matthew 26:33, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” He was also one of the three privileged ones that Jesus brought into the inner segment of Gethsemane to pray. He was supposed to watch and pray so that he would not fall into temptation. But at last, he couldn’t stay awake and watch even for one hour. This is a timely reminder to us to remember to be slow to speak and quick to hear God’s word. It shows us the necessity to stay prayerful and vigilant in order to stay faithful to Him.  

  

Shortly afterward, one of the servants who was a relative of Melchus, the man whose ear Peter had lopped off, saw him and asked him again, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" By this time Peter became totally unhinged. He became so frustrated, that according to the other Gospels, he denied the Lord with oaths, swearing and curses. He blasphemed in order to assert the lie that he was not one of the disciples of Jesus. Immediately, what Jesus had foretold came to pass - the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered what Jesus had said in Matthew 26:75, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” At that moment, across the courtyard, Peter’s eye caught that of Jesus’. Seeing the mercy and tender love exuding from Jesus’ gaze, Peter broke down and wept. We are told again by the other Gospels that he quickly left that courtyard and went out and wept bitterly. 

There are lessons we can pick up from this account of Peter’s fall. First, we need to know that without the Lord we are weak indeed. There is a need to keep close to Him so that we will not yield to the luring temptations of the world. Second, it tells us of the danger of self-confidence. Peter was too cocksure of himself. It shows how little he knew of his own capacity. Third, we are reminded of the consequences of prayerlessness. Hadn’t the Lord warned Peter to watch and pray so as to find His grace in the time of need? Obviously, he didn’t take heed. Fourth, it tells us exactly what Proverbs 29:25 said, “The fear of man brings a snare….” And finally, let’s be reminded of the dangers of standing with the wicked world. It will dilute our conviction and threaten our foundation. So let’s pray, so that we will not fall into temptation!

John 18:19-24 – Handling hostility

Earlier, we have established that a high priest was elected yearly by the Romans and could be re-elected. But according to the law given by Moses, a high priest would hold on to the title for life. John tells us at the onset that when Jesus was arrested, the first person he appeared before was Annas, although he was not the current high priest. Apparently, he was removed from office by the Romans because of his corruption. The current high priest was Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, but he was “the power behind the throne.” Jesus was brought to him for a preliminary hearing.    

The route Annas took to interrogate Jesus was totally illegal. According to Jewish law, every accusation brought against a person had to be substantiated by two to three witnesses. No one was required to testify and incriminate himself. Yet Annas sought to get Jesus to incriminate Himself. He began by questioning Jesus concerning His disciples and His teachings. In Jesus’ response, He avoided mentioning His disciples. He was probably seeking to shield them from the vicious attack.

However, Jesus told Annas that His was not a clandestine movement. He had always spoken and taught openly in the temple and synagogues, where the Jews had assembled. His implication was that all Annas needed to do was to produce the witnesses to prove His wrong doing. There was no necessity for the needless illegal questioning to get Him to incriminate Himself. Consider the contrast between how Peter and Jesus had responded. When Peter was asked a simple question fairly, without a tint of jeopardy against him, yet he answered with lies and pretence. Whereas Jesus was asked a dubious, devious and illegal question, yet he replied openly and honestly, only to be greeted with a stinging blow on His face.

Jesus’s response to the way He was treated was so dignified. He was literally living out His teaching. He did not retaliate but merely seeking a reason for why they chose to strike Him when He did no wrong. He was merely stating that they should act according to the procedure and not go about illegally to incriminate Him. From Jesus’ response, Annas realized that he could not get anything from Him, so he had Him sent to Caiaphas, to deal with Him.

What can we take away from this episode? These verses underscore Jesus’ stand of non-retaliation. Jesus left us with a model to emulate when we are maligned and facing an unfair treatment. Like Him we must respond rightly. We have every right to stand on our ground when we are not in the wrong, but we don’t have to do so angrily. And we must certainly do so without striking back.     

John 18:15-18 – Standing with Jesus

Simon Peter followed Jesus from a distance as the Lord was bound, to appear before the high priest Annas. Mathew 26:58 made it clear that he “followed afar off.” Here he was in a deep dilemma. He probably loved Jesus enough and was anxious to know what would happen to Him. Yet he was too afraid to be identified with Jesus, for fear of being rejected by people if he stood with Him. In the moment Jesus needed him most, he was too afraid to stand up and be counted. Isn’t this how our flesh would often respond? One thing is sure, the Lord would rather that we be for Him all the way or not at all. He knows that we cannot make great impact when we sit on the fence.  

Peter followed only to the entrance of the court of the high priest. He was not allowed in because he was unknown to the high priest. Here we are introduced to an unnamed disciple who was known to the high priest. We are not told precisely who this disciple was. Some had suggested that he was John, the beloved. But then John was a fisherman from Galilee and was far removed from Jerusalem. Hence it was unlikely to be him. Others had suggested that he could be either Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathaea. Yet no one can know for sure.  But he was allowed into the court of the high priest.

The focus of these verses was on the actions of Peter. His earlier zeal and well intentioned effort to protect Jesus was renounced by the Lord Himself.  So it’s understandable that he now would just follow from afar. We are told that the unnamed disciple then spoke to the doorkeeper, and sought permission for Peter to enter the court of the high priest. He was then allowed into the court. He stood near a maid who recognized he was a disciple of Jesus. Notice how she asked Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” Had he said, ‘Yes I am’, he would not have to deny the Lord anymore. But his fear of being identified with Jesus got the better of him. If only he had boldly stood with Jesus, he would have avoided a whole lot of explanations and other lies. We know that once a lie is told, it could never be stopped. More lies would have to be told to cover that first lie. Here we see Peter being swept into the whole avalanche of untruths that his first lie had gotten him into.

Peter, we are told, stood with the soldiers and other enemies of Jesus in the court of the high priest, near the charcoal fire they had started. And while he was warming his cold hands, his heart and soul would certainly be comfortless. How would you and I respond should we face with a similar circumstance as Peter? It’s easy to be critical of him, but it would be different when the one being tested is us. Hear the timely advice of Paul, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls.” It is needful that we hold our conviction with thoughtful uncertainty, not relying on our own strength. 

John 18:12-14 – Jesus before the high priest, Annas

Verse 12 shows us the mixture of people who came to arrest Jesus. They were made up of not only Roman soldiers who were Gentiles, but also servants of the priests and Pharisees, who were Jews. They were of different backgrounds but yet had one thing in common. They were totally blind to the glories of the Lord whom they came to arrest. Bear in mind that all of them encountered the power of Christ. Remember in the previous verses how they all fell to the ground when Jesus identified Himself. Despite Jesus clearly identifying Himself, they were not bothered. They also had witnessed the tender mercy of Jesus when He restored Melchus’ ear that was lopped off by Peter. Yet all these people remained unmoved, indifferent and nonchalant towards what they had experienced and saw in Jesus. This reveals the hardness of heart of natural man. They treated Jesus roughly and had Him bound to Annas. 

This account of Jesus appearing before Annas, recorded here in John’s Gospel is another passage not found in Matthew, Mark and Luke gospels. The synoptic Gospels went straight into the account of Jesus’ appearance before Caiaphas, who was the existing high Priest. They did not record Jesus’ appearance before Annas, Caiaphas’ father-in-law. Caiaphas had previously advised that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. This account shows us the amazing humility of Jesus, who submitted Himself to such humiliation before His creatures. Just imagine the King of all kings and the Judge of the universe had to appear before Annas and Caiaphas, grossly unqualified men and be insulted and mocked. Had Jesus not surrendered His will to the Father, none of these could have happened to Him. All it needed was a word from Him and the whole cohort of them who came to arrest Him would have been confounded. Yet unresistingly, He allowed Himself to be bound by these people to appear before Annas and Caiaphas, who one day had to stand before Him in ultimate judgment.    

Annas and Caiaphas were both clearly identified as high priests. The reason is that the Romans elected a high priest for Israel each year. And a high priest could be re-elected. But according to Exodus 40:15, a high priest retained his office until death. In the eyes of the Jews, Annas was still a high priest. But why did John have this recorded? To show us that the people knew that Annas would take a tougher stand. Verse 14 was making a reference to Caiaphas prediction in John 11:49-52. He made reference to the death of Christ in the hope of retaining his office. In a sense, this prediction was his way of currying favor with the Romans. But his prediction revealed the purpose for Jesus’ death – to die on the behalf of the people.  

Jesus, the true High Priest, was being judged by false ones. He subjected Himself to unjust judgments for only one motivation - His great love for us, His creatures. He would soon be put to death to free, heal and restore us. Oh, what marvelous love and grace!