OPENING SLIDE
INTRODUCTION
• Over the past five weeks we have explored the world Jesus stepped into; we have seen:
• The Law and covenant expectations
• The religious power structures
• The political pressures of Rome
• The conflicting religious groups
• But today we come to the moment where all those worlds collide.
• Rome…
• Religion…
• The crowd…
• And they all must answer the same question: Is Jesus really King?
• No matter the season, Jesus challenges the rule of the day.
• When we consider who Jesus is, our answer affects everything we hold important.
• Let begin with John 18:33-38
John 18:33–38 NET 2nd ed.
33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus replied, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or have others told you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own people and your chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
38 Pilate asked, “What is truth?” When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders and announced, “I find no basis for an accusation against him.
• The first person forced to wrestle with that question in our text is a man who represents the most powerful empire in the world at the time, a Roman governor named Pontius Pilate.
• So the first thing we see in this passage is this:
MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE
SERMON
I. Jesus Challenges Political Power
• The first person forced to answer the question about Jesus is Pontius Pilate.
• Pilate was Rome’s man in Judea. His job was to keep the peace and protect Caesar’s authority. And now standing in front of him was a man accused of claiming to be a king.
• Pontius Pilate served as the Roman governor (prefect) of Judea from about A.D. 26 to A.D. 36 under the Roman emperor Tiberius.
• His job was simple but difficult: keep order in a very volatile region.
• Judea was a challenging province for Rome because the Jewish people were deeply committed to their religious identity and strongly resisted Roman rule.
• Ancient historians such as Josephus and Philo describe Pilate as a harsh and insensitive ruler who often provoked the Jewish population.
The Pilate Inscription (Archaeological Discovery) SIDE NOTE
• For years skeptics wondered whether Pontius Pilate was even a real historical figure.
• But in 1961 archaeologists discovered a stone in Caesarea that reads, “Pontius Pilatus, Prefect of Judea.”
• This inscription dates to the time of the emperor Tiberius, exactly the period when the Gospels say Pilate governed Judea.
• Today that stone is displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
• The man who questioned Jesus that morning wasn’t a legend—he was Rome’s governor standing face-to-face with the King of Kings.
• Pilate was not a religious leader; he was the Roman governor of Judea.
• That means he represented the most powerful empire in the world at that time.
• Into that world stands Jesus, bound, arrested, and standing before the Roman governor.
• Pilate looks at Him and asks the question that drives this entire passage, "Are you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33)
• Pilate is not asking a theological question; he is asking a political one.
• Rome tolerated many religions, but Rome would not tolerate rival kings.
• If Jesus was claiming to be a king in a political sense, that would be considered rebellion against Caesar.
• So Pilate wants to know, "Are you starting a revolution?”
• Jesus responds in a way Pilate did not expect: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)
• Jesus is not denying that He is a king; He is explaining the nature of His kingdom.
• Jesus says if His kingdom were like the kingdoms of this world…
• His followers would be fighting.
• But His kingdom operates differently.
• Earthly kingdoms are built on force, control, and military power, but Jesus’ kingdom is built on truth.
John 18:37 NET 2nd ed.
37 Then Pilate said, “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world—to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
• Pilate responds with one of the most famous questions in the Bible, “What is truth?”
• That question reveals something important about Pilate.
• He is not really searching for truth; he is skeptical of it.
• To Pilate, truth is flexible; truth is political.
• Truth is whatever keeps peace with Rome.
• Pilate represents a world where power defines truth.
• But Jesus represents a kingdom where truth defines authority.
• The irony of this scene is powerful.
• The man who appears powerless…is actually the true king.
• And the man who appears powerful… is actually struggling to decide what to do.
• Pilate holds the authority of Rome.
• But Jesus holds the authority of heaven.
• Jesus does not compete for power the way earthly rulers do.
• He simply declares the truth.
• And every person who hears Him must decide what to do with it.
John 18:39–19:7 NET 2nd ed.
39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?”
40 Then they shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.)
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely.
2 The soldiers braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they clothed him in a purple robe.
3 They came up to him again and again and said, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly in the face.
4 Again Pilate went out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no reason for an accusation against him.”
5 So Jesus came outside, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look, here is the man!”
6 When the chief priests and their officers saw him, they shouted out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said, “You take him and crucify him! Certainly I find no reason for an accusation against him!”
7 The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!”
• Pilate does not know what to do with Jesus; he cannot find a crime, but he also feels the pressure building around him.
• Because outside the governor’s headquarters, another group is pushing hard for Jesus’ death, not Rome, but the religious leaders of Israel.
• That leads us to the second thing we see in this passage.
MAIN POINT 2 SLIDE
II. Jesus Challenges Religious Power
• These are the religious leaders; these are the people who should have recognized Jesus first.
• They knew the Scriptures.
• They taught the Law.
• They led the worship of God, and yet in this moment, they are the ones pushing hardest for Jesus to die.
• Pilate actually tries to release Jesus.
• He says, "I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 18:38)
• But the religious leaders are not satisfied.
• They keep pushing.
• They keep shouting.
• They keep demanding.
• Why?
• Because Jesus threatened their authority.
• Even worse for them, Jesus exposes their hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of the religious establishment.
• Jesus challenged, their traditions, their legalism, and their misuse of authority
• He showed the people that their leaders were more concerned with control than with truth.
• And when someone threatens power, those who hold it will often fight to keep it.
IRONY
• Pilate offers them a choice.
• A custom allowed the governor to release one prisoner at Passover.
• Pilate presents two options, Jesus…or Barabbas.
• Barabbas was not just a petty criminal; he was an insurrectionist—a violent rebel.
• And yet the crowd cries out, "Not this man, but Barabbas!”
• Think about the irony.
• They reject the Prince of Peace for a man of violence.
• They reject the true King for a false savior.
ESCALATION
• When Pilate still hesitates, the leaders push harder.
John 19:7 NET 2nd ed.
7 The Jewish leaders replied, “We have a law, and according to our law he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God!”
• Now the real issue comes out.
• It was never just about politics.
• It was about who Jesus claimed to be.
• Jesus did not merely teach about God; He claimed authority that belonged to God Himself.
• And that forced the religious leaders to make a choice.
• Either Jesus is who He says He is…or He must be silenced.
• They choose to silence Him.
• It is easy to read this passage and think, "How could they miss it?”
• But the truth is, religious people can sometimes be the most resistant to Jesus.
• Because Jesus does not simply challenge sinful behavior, He challenges self-righteousness.
• He challenges systems that make us feel secure without truly surrendering to Him.
• The religious leaders wanted a Messiah who would affirm their authority.
• But Jesus came to claim ultimate authority.
• The tragedy of this moment is that the people who knew the most about God…were the ones least willing to submit to Him.
• And the same danger exists today.
• We can know the Bible, attend church, and still resist the authority of Jesus in our lives, because recognizing Jesus as King means we are no longer in charge.
• At this point in the story, the pressure is building.
• Rome is uncertain.
• The religious leaders are determined, and soon the entire crowd will be forced to answer the question that started this whole trial:
• Who is Jesus?
• And that brings us to the final movement of this passage.
John 19:12–16 NET 2nd ed.
12 From this point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jewish leaders shouted out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Everyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in the place called “The Stone Pavement” (Gabbatha in Aramaic).
14 (Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover, about noon.) Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, here is your king!”
15 Then they shouted out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests replied, “We have no king except Caesar!”
16 Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus,
MAIN POINT 3 SLIDE
III. Jesus Challenges Personal Allegiance
• By this point in the story, the pressure has reached its peak.
• Pilate has examined Jesus; he has questioned Him.
• He has declared more than once, "I find no basis for a charge against him.”
• Pilate knows Jesus is innocent, but the religious leaders push harder.
• They finally say something that corners Pilate politically:
John 19:12 NET 2nd ed.
12 From this point on, Pilate tried to release him. But the Jewish leaders shouted out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Everyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar!”
• In other words, "If you let him go, we will report you to Rome.”
• For Pilate, that is a dangerous threat.
• His career, authority, and future with Rome are all at stake.
• So Pilate relents and brings Jesus out, telling the crowd, “Here is your king.”
The Most Tragic Statement
• And the crowd responds with chilling words, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!"
• Pilate asks again, "Shall I crucify your king?”
• And then the religious leaders say something that should stop us in our tracks:
• “We have no king but Caesar.”
• Think about that statement.
• These were the people of Israel.
• For centuries they had confessed, "The Lord is our King.”
• But in this moment they declare loyalty to Caesar instead of God’s Messiah.
• They answer the question.
• They choose their king.
• Everyone in this passage has to decide what to do with Jesus.
• Pilate decides based on politics.
• The religious leaders decide based on power.
• The crowd decides based on pressure and emotion.
• But no one remains neutral, and that’s important for us to understand.
• When it comes to Jesus, neutrality is not an option.
• Eventually everyone answers the question: Is Jesus really King?
CONCLUSION
CLOSING SLIDE
Where This Hits Us Today
• Today people may not say, "We have no king but Caesar.”
• But we say similar things in different ways.
• Sometimes people say:
• “My career is king.”
• “My comfort is king.”
• “My politics are king.”
• “My opinions are king.”
• “My freedom is king.”
• And when those things conflict with the authority of Jesus… We choose the one we want to rule.
• For five weeks we have studied the world Jesus stepped into.
• But today the real question is this: When Jesus steps into our world, will we crown Him King?
• When Jesus is your King and not just the Savior you believe in… your life is not your own.
• Your priorities change.
• Your decisions change.
• Your purpose changes.
• The question for each of us is, will you allow Jesus to rule the world you live in?
