This passage occurs in the Narrative Lectionary Year 4 Lenten Cycle. A portion of this passage, John 18:33-37, appears in the Revised Common Lectionary for Christ the King Sunday.
Summary: Pilate's character in the Gospel of John is complex. It seems that John wants to drive home the point that not even Pilate is in control of the situation, but only Jesus. In John's Gospel, Jesus is never the one on trial; humanity is. Pilate's interview haunts us with the question: What is truth? The answer is obviously Jesus, but what does that mean? And yes, our answer should be slightly offensive. It got Jesus killed; it should at least get us in a little trouble.
Note for Christ the King Sunday: This is definitely a passage in which I would include vs 38 - "What is truth?"
μαρτυρεω ("testify", literally martyr, vs 18:37) This word means to give a witness, like in court. Jesus takes his place as the first Christian martyr, one who will be killed for the truth. So many Christians died giving their witness that the word's meaning changed.
βασιλευς ("king", vs. 18:33,37) BDAG define this as "One who rules as possessor of the highest office in a political realm." Already this shows Pilate considers the whole trial as a sham. Could Pilate really execute the king of the Jews? Obviously not.
ἠγωνίζοντο ("struggle" or "fight", from ἀγωνίζομαι, vs 36) Jesus says that his followers would be constantly fighting (ἠγωνίζοντο) if his kingdom were of this world.
- This brings into focus "Christ the King" Sunday. What does it mean for Jesus to be king?! Always a question. Many shy away from "Christ the King" Sunday because of its patriarchal overtones. Added to the church calendar in the 1920s, the Pope who installed it observed the many divisions and wanna-be kings. The Pope chose to lean into this framework and then undermine it be claiming Christ to be the true King. To that point, Jesus does not reject his kingship, he rejects Pilate's expectations that this brings with it violence. As Americans, we continue to hear and perhaps fear that our 2020s mirrors the 1920s in Germany, in which a (pseudo-)Christian nationalism arose. These verses open up a natural preaching door to reflecting on how (again and again) Christians reject the path of suffering and embrace the path of violence to achieve their ends. So - do you walk away from the image of Christ the King or live into it?
- The word literally means "agony." "If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would be agonizing." Are we as followers of Jesus not expected to have any agony? It seems that our life will have agony as we embrace the way of the cross...
κοσμος ("world", literally cosmos, vs 18:37) Just a reminder: God loves the world, but the world doesn't love back:
- It doesn't understand God (1:10)
- It doesn't give like God (14:27)
- In fact, it hates God (7:7).
αληθεια ("truth", vs 18:37,38) BDAG writes, "truth is a favorite word of the Johannine literature." Certainly is a core concept:
- John 1:17 The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus
- John 17:17 God's word is truth
- John 14:6 Jesus is the truth
- John 16:13 Spirit leads to truth
- John 8:32 Truth sets on free
ληστης ("thief", vs. 40) The word means robber or "brigand" (a lovely word, right!). But Josephus, a Jewish historian writing during this time, always uses this word to mean social bandit/revolutionary. It clearly can mean this too. If you totally cannot focus on your sermon, you can read about what Josephus says about Jesus here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_on_Jesus
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