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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadSpurgeon Verse Expositions - John 18:28 - 18:40
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28; Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment:
That is to say, Pilate’s hall. Pilate, at that time, was probably residing in one of the old and sumptuous palaces of Herod, there holding His court during the time of the Passover.
Joh_18:28. And it was early;
They were very eager to prove their enmity to Christ; they had spent the night, and the earliest moments of the dawn, in examining their illustrious prisoner, condemning him, and abusing him, and now they were off to Pilate.
Joh_18:28. And they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
What could defile such wretches at these? Yet they were afraid of ceremonial defilement, though neither afraid nor ashamed to imbrue their hands in the blood of Jesus.
Joh_18:29. Pilate then went out unto them,
He loathed and detested them, yet, for his own evil purposes, he would yield to their wishes and whims.
Joh_18:29-30. And said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
As much as to say, “You may take that for granted. We would not have brought him if he had not done wrong. You need not examine into the matter, we have already heard the evidence, and convicted him, and so saved you all the trouble of trying him; we only bring him here for you to condemn him.”
Joh_18:31. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law.
“That is your way of doing such things, but it is not a method into which we shall fall. Our law does not condemn a man before it hears the evidence against him. I am not going to be your tool, to put this man to death without hearing what is laid to his charge, and the proofs of his guilt. If you want that done, you must do it yourselves.”
Joh_18:31. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
“You Romans have taken from us the power of life and death, and we want him put to death.” There was a clear confession that nothing short of Christ’s death would satisfy them.
Joh_18:32. That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
Crucifixion was a Roman, not a Jewish method of capital punishment, so God overruled the wanton wickedness of the worst of men for the accomplishment of his own eternal purposes, without, however, diminishing their responsibility and guilt in the least degree. It was “by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God” that Christ was put to death, yet it was “with wicked hands” that they took him, and crucified him.
Joh_18:33. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
He did not look much like it. There was little enough about his appearance or his apparel to suggest the idea of royalty.
Joh_18:34-35. Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew?
I can imagine him throwing all the scorn and contempt possible into the question. It was characteristic of the Romans, as we learn from the works of their great writers, that they utterly despised and detested the Jews.
Joh_18:35-37. Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee, unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I unto the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
We might have expected that be would have said, “I came into the world that I might be a king.” But he explains that, as a Witness to the truth, he was a King.
Joh_18:38. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
He did not want an answer. He merely thought it such an unnecessary piece of trifling to talk about truth, he himself had so slight an idea of what the word might mean, that when he had said, “What is truth?” “he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.” That was the truth about the Truth, from the lips of a man who cared nothing about truth, yet who was compelled to bear this testimony, “I find in him no fault at all.”
Joh_18:39. But we have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Now, Pilate may have thought, if Christ was their King, they would certainly prefer him to a thief and a robber; so he was putting before himself an opportunity of escaping from judging Christ, and before them a test as to whether there really was in them any liking for the Christ, or any possibility of his becoming their King.
Joh_18:40. Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
This exposition consisted of readings from Joh_18:28-40; and Psalms 2.