Scripture: So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 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.” 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.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
John 18:33-40 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, the temple officers lead Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to Pilate’s headquarters early in the morning. Being careful not to defile themselves for the remainder of the Passover festival by entering the premises of a Gentile, they wait outside for Pilate to meet with them. Once face to face, Pilate appropriately asks them to present their charges against Jesus. Without giving details, the religious leaders insist Jesus commits acts of evil, but this is no concern of Pilate’s, for it is a matter for the Jews to resolve based on their religious laws. So the priests explain that their law prohibits executing anyone during their holy festivals. At this point in the narrative, John inserts an explanatory note to his readers that, again, the machinations of the religious leaders merely fulfill prophecy. In this instance, their actions set in motion Jesus’ crucifixion, which he foretold by analogy to his disciples early in his ministry (3:14).
Today’s reading continues Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus. This time, he calls Jesus into the more private setting of his headquarters to ascertain why the Jewish leaders are keen to see him crucified. Probing how Jesus perceives himself, Pilate asks if Jesus is the King of the Jews. But Jesus responds with a question regarding Pilate’s motivation for this inquiry. Running out of patience, Pilate gets to the point: What have you done to incite the wrath of the chief priests? Jesus then answers the first question, which implicitly answers the second: his kingdom is of the spiritual realm; otherwise, his servants would fight for his freedom. Perhaps scheming his next move with the religious leaders, Pilate asks again if Jesus perceives himself as a king (an allegation that would justify his crucifixion).
Having already stated that his kingdom is not of this world, Jesus takes the interrogation in another direction and explains his mission: to bear witness to the truth, and those who seek the truth listen to his instruction. Intrigued, Pilate asks him, “What is truth?” Then, satisfied that Jesus is no threat to Rome, Pilate returns to his courtyard and declares to the religious leaders that there are no grounds for criminal charges. Still, politic Pilate negotiates a compromise to satiate the enraged chief priests. Citing their custom to release a prisoner at Passover, Pilate disingenuously asks them if they would like him to free the “King of the Jews,” knowing they were motivated by envy (Mark 15:10). Of no surprise, they shout to release the robber Barabbas.
Takeaway: The chief priest’s cry to release Barabbas carries even greater import, knowing he was a confirmed freedom fighter who, along with two other men, murdered a Roman soldier during a failed coup (Mark 15:7). That they would clamor to release not just a robber but a murderer who truly threatened Israel’s stability as an insurrectionist against Rome reveals the depth of their prideful, jealous, and hypocritical hearts. Also of interest, as I mentioned in my June 22, 2023, Daily Focus, the meaning of the name Barabbas is derived from the conjunction of two Hebrew words: “bar” (son) and “abba” (daddy). So we see God’s sovereign plan to save and adopt sinners through his Son’s substitutionary death symbolically revealed in Barabbas’ release.
While John only briefly mentions Barabbas, he uniquely provides insight into an exchange of words between Jesus and Pilate regarding Christ’s mission. Jesus tells his disciples earlier in his ministry that he came to serve and give his life as a ransom (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45). He also announces to those attending a synagogue service in his hometown that he fulfills Isaiah’s messianic prophecy of the Suffering Servant who proclaims good news to the poor, sets the oppressed free, and heals the afflicted (Luke 4:19-21). And earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus declares to a crowd that he came to give his followers abundant life (10:10). But there is one more element to Jesus’ mission: to bear witness to the truth (v.37 above). Here, John points his readers back to the conversation in the upper room where Jesus assures his disciples that he is the way, truth, and life, for no one comes to the Father other than through him (14:6).
Our takeaway? Of course, Jesus spoke many truths concerning his kingdom, his relationship with his Father, and the cost of being his disciple, but, first and foremost, he reveals he is the incarnate truth—the wholly integrated and life-giving truth that:
- conjoins with grace (1:14-17),
- spurs us to worship him in spirit and truth (4:23),
- sets us free (8:31-32),
- leads us to the place he has prepared for us (14:2-6), and
- sanctifies us (17:17-19).
And Christ has sent us his “Spirit of truth” to bear witness to us so that we might also bear witness to others (15:26-27). So what do we witness? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:16 ESV). Indeed, the Son’s triumphant mission of truth has brought us forgiveness and reconciliation with our merciful Father even though we were once his enemies (Romans 5:10). Moreover, he has given us his Spirit, who dwells in us and cries, “Abba,” to keep reminding us that we are Daddy’s adopted kids (Galatians 4:4-6).
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who triumphantly scorned the cross to set us free to bear witness to his truth. And we thank you for your Holy Spirit, who keeps reminding us that we are your beloved adopted children. Still, we struggle to integrate these truths into all aspects of our lives. So would you please help us to submit to your Holy Spirit’s transformation of our minds and hearts with your Son’s truths and pay the blessings forward? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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