João 18

João 18

Meyer - John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. Well might Pilate ask if Jesus was a king. Thou poor, weary, rejected Nazarene, art Thou a king? A strange contrast, surely, to the Herod that built those halls of judgment! Thy people, at least, fail to recognize thy royalty! But Jesus did not abate his claims. “Thou sayest that I am,” He answered, “a king.” And as the ages have passed they have substantiated his claim. The origin of his kingdom. — “My kingdom is not of this world.” The Lord did not mean, as his words have been too often interpreted, that his kingdom had nothing to do with this world; but that it did not originate here. The “of” means out of. Jesus is King, not by earthly descent, or human right, but by the purpose and counsel of the Father, who said, “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten Thee: yet will I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion.” The method of its promulgation. — It is not spread by armed force. His servants do not fight. They are priests clad in the white robes of immaculate purity, and bearing aloft their banner with the in. scription, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Like their Master, they bear witness to the truth; and as they do so those who are of the truth are attracted to the Lord, as steel filings to the magnet. There is true royalty in bearing witness to the Truth. — Humbly we may appropriate our Master’s words: to this end were we born, and of this cause are we left in the world, that in every act and word we might bear witness to the Truth. As we do so, we manifest a royalty which is not of human gift or descent, but which has been communicated by the reception of the Christ — nature, through the regenerating grace of the Holy Ghost. QUESTION - What is the significance of Jesus saying, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36)? ANSWER - During Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor asked the Lord, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (John 18:33). 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” (John 18:36, ESV). As Roman governor in Judea, Pilate’s primary responsibility was to maintain peace and order. The Jewish high council wanted to put Jesus to death, so they sent Him to Pilate because he alone held the power to pronounce a death sentence (John 19:10). The high priest Caiaphas had to convince Pilate that Jesus was a troublemaker and a threat to Roman stability. He accused Christ of claiming to be a king—a charge that would insinuate Jesus in the crime of recruiting rebel forces to launch a revolution against Roman authority (Luke 23:2–5). Caiaphas hoped that, to avoid a rebellion, Pilate would determine to put Jesus to death. When Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world,” He was, in essence, telling Pilate that He needed no earthly defense because His kingdom wasn’t from the world. Christ admitted He was head of an empire, but not one that Rome needed to fear as a political rival. If His kingdom were of this world, His servants would have been fighting to defend Him. But Jesus had restrained His disciples from preventing His arrest (John 18:10–11). Pilate realized that Jesus had no interest in stirring up a rebellion. He posed no threat to Rome. Directly following this conversation, Pilate told the Jewish leaders, “I find no basis for a charge against him” (John 18:38). “My kingdom” refers to a spiritual kingdom of truth where Jesus reigns as Lord over the lives of His people. Jesus told Pilate, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true” (John 18:37). Jesus did not come to earth to rule over a mortal empire. He came to bear witness to the truth of who He is—the Messiah, Savior of the world. Everyone who loves and recognizes this truth is a citizen of Christ’s kingdom. The Jewish high council wanted Pilate to condemn Jesus under the pretense that He was raising a rebellion against Rome and proclaiming Himself “king of the Jews.” But that scenario was inaccurate, and Jesus cleared up the distortion, saying, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The Lord hit on the word truth as if to say, “The real truth is this, Pilate: they want me dead because they are horrified by the truth of my claim—that I am ‘I Am,’ the promised Jewish Messiah.” Jesus offers the truth of intimate fellowship with the only true God. He was born into this world for this purpose: “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3, NLT). His kingdom presents the opportunity to know the truth that sets us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2; John 8:32). Only those who are born again can see Christ’s kingdom (John 3:3). And only those who are born of water and spirit can enter His kingdom (John 3:5). Once, Jesus told the Pharisees, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). To His disciples, the Lord explained that the world and the “prince of this world” held no power over Him (John 14:22–30). The world hates Christ and His followers, “for they are not of the world” (John 17:14, 16). The statement, “My kingdom is not of this world,” relates to the origin and nature of Christ’s kingdom, not the location. The authority and power of Christ’s kingdom are drawn from a source outside of this world—from God, our heavenly Father. Christ’s headship is not of human origin but divine. Christ’s kingdom is unlike any on this earth: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Other kingdoms are rooted in the realm of this world, but Christ’s is unique. His kingship is spiritual. It comes down to us from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:33). While not of this world, the Lord’s kingdom is most certainly in this world, exercising authority over this world and impacting this world. Jesus Christ and all of His disciples take orders from above, not from below. We are to set our minds “on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). When it comes to obeying the law, the apostle Peter said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29, NLT). As believers in Jesus, we are subjects of Christ’s kingdom. This world is not our home (Hebrews 13:14; Philippians 3:20; 1 John 2:15–17). We are citizens of heaven, and we owe our highest allegiance to our ultimate authority—King Jesus. Just as He declared, we, too, can say, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Greg Laurie - NOT OF THIS WORLD - Borrow For Every Season, Volume Three page 52 “Jesus 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.’” (John 18:36NIV) So often the world misconstrues what Christians say. It draws erroneous conclusions because it never takes the time to really listen carefully to the gospel message. The early Christians were insulted and criticized for what they were doing—and even accused of treason. It was suggested they were actually advocating the overthrow of Caesar—which really wasn’t the case. It was a complete misunderstanding of what the objectives of these Christians really were. Anyone who would have given them even a brief hearing would have realized that these followers of Jesus weren’t seeking to establish an Earthly kingdom—and they certainly weren’t plotting to overthrow Caesar or Rome. Yet it’s worth noting that the first-century Christians made no attempts to conquer paganism by reacting blow by blow. Instead, they outthought, outprayed, and outlived the unbelievers. Their weapons were positive, not negative. They prayed, preached, and proclaimed the message of the gospel. As a result, these Christians dramatically impacted their world. In the end, they prevailed. In retrospect, where is Rome today? It’s no longer a world power. Do we remember the names of more than a few of the great emperors of Rome? For the most part, no. There have been numerous attempts throughout history to destroy the Christian faith. But those efforts will always fail for one simple reason: Christianity is Christ. He will prevail in the end and establish His kingdom. And because we are with Him, we will win in the end, too. John 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” So You are a king: Mt 26:64 27:11 Mk 14:62 15:2 Lu 23:3 1Ti 6:13 that I should: John 8:14 14:6 Isa 55:4 Rev 1:4 3:14 Everyone: John 7:17 8:47 10:26,27 1Pe 1:22 1Jn 3:14,19 4:6 5:20 Related Passages: Matthew 27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” Mark 15:2 Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He *answered him, “It is as you say.” Luke 23:3 So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” JESUS AFFIRMS HE IS A KING NOTE: With the exception of Jesus answering Pilate's question about whether He was a king (See above - “It is as you say” ~ "You say correctly that I am a king"), John 18:34-38a ("What is truth?") describes a dialogue between the two which is found only in the Gospel of John. Therefore (oun) shows that Pilate's question is a result of Jesus' reply. Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” - One would like to have heard Pilate's tone with this question. He is clearly puzzled as to what kind of king He is and what is His kingdom. It would seem that Pilate finally accepts that Jesus is a King. A T Robertson on So You are a king? - Compound of οὐκ [ouk] and οὐν [oun] and is clearly ironical expecting an affirmative answer, only here in the N. T. Let us add, that our Lord’s claim to be a king shall be acknowledged one day by all mankind -- Php 2:9-11