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| Daily Devo/Bible Study - 2/25/2010 - John 18:33-35a |
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| Deep Thoughts | |||
| Written by Jonathan Hsieh | |||
| Thursday, 25 February 2010 23:01 | |||
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18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews” 18:34 Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?” 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me.
18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews”
So Pilate goes back inside and brings Jesus to Him. He asks Jesus the straightforward question "Are you the king of the Jews?" The Jews could not execute Jesus so needed the Romans to do it. The Romans, however, didn't execute for any old reason so the Jews gave Pilate a really good reason. They are claiming this Jesus is king of the Jews, thereby making the Romans not rulers over the Jews. They want Pilate to think Jesus is going to lead a rebellion.
There were a lot of rebellions in the post Maccabean era performed by lots of self-proclaimed messiahs (that all failed). Every time the Romans took back control they punished the people severely. After Jesus' mission, there is a revolt in Jerusalem. In the end the Roans burn down Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. Another happened in 115-117. The last messiah-fueled rebellion was in the 130s. Each time the Romans punished without mercy. That was one way the Romans controlled their empire because any of the people they ruled that thought about rebellion would know the result. Also of note is in the original Greek there is an emphatic su (you) added to his question. It's like asking "Are YOU the king of the Jews?" Here is Jesus, a man with a small band of men. He has no army or political prestige. His own people turned Him in. How is He going to claim to be the king of anything? 18:34 Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?”
In the Roman system, the governor had to rule justly. He relied on his own judgment. So Jesus asks, "So me claiming to be king of the Jews, is that what your judgment's determined or is that just what those religious leaders told you?"
18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me.
So Pilate asks a rhetorical question. "I'm not one of you guys, how should I know?" He's a civil leader, not a religious one. He deals with politics and crime and such, not on the Jewish religious scene. Besides, Pilate notes, it was Jesus' own people and religious leaders that handed Jesus over to Pilate. This word is the same word used for Judas betraying Jesus.
So as Pilate astutely noted, it was Jesus' own people that turned Him in. But Pilate didn't know the deeper situation. Here is a group of priests, who were dedicated to serving God. Here they are, trying to have the Son of God, the human manifestation of God on earth, the bringer of God's good news of salvation to mankind, their very own Creator, to death. They want to kill the very person they were supposed to serve and love. Jesus, having all the faculties of a human, no doubt must have felt some crushing sadness. Sometimes we get betrayed or turned down by the very people that we expected to back us up. We do the right thing but something clicks that they don't like and suddenly they're not friends, but enemies. Perhaps you refuse to do something they do because you know it's wrong. As a result they mock you or abandon you. You are no longer a friend. Or maybe you do something they don't like. Say you pray during lunch or are into reading your Bible, which they find stupid or a waste of time so they leave you. Keep going. Do what you know is right. I highly doubt you will ever get into the situation that Jesus went through, but despite the pain and suffering, He knew He had to do the right thing. So do not be discouraged when you are let down or hurt by others for doing what you know you should be doing. Keep it up.
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