John 18:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

NASB: Therefore Pilate said to Him, 'So You are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.'

CSB: "You are a king then?" Pilate asked. "You say that I’m a king," Jesus replied. "I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice."

NLT: Pilate said, 'So you are a king?' Jesus responded, 'You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.'

KJV: 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 into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

NKJV: Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Roman Empire was relatively tolerant of those they conquered. So long as taxes were paid, trade was uninterrupted, and armies could pass through, the general approach was to let local customs and traditions continue. Jesus' enemies are accusing Him of one of the few things Rome would instantly react to: sedition (John 19:12–15). Their claim is that Jesus has made Himself into the "King of the Jews," supposedly meaning He plans to oppose Roman rule (Luke 23:2).

Pilate already knows something about Jesus, thanks to His extremely public reception a few days earlier (Matthew 21:1–11; John 12:12–19). He's dismissive of Jewish culture, in general (John 18:29–31, 35). And it's clear, even now, that all this is a personal vendetta against Jesus (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Unless there is clear evidence, he's not going to do the scribes' and Pharisees' dirty work for them. Jesus did refer to a "kingdom," however (John 18:36), so Pilate asks a clarifying question. "King" is a dangerous term, but if Jesus does not mean to take political power, Pilate is not going to be concerned.

The response Jesus gives here dovetails with the remark made in the prior verse (John 18:36). The purpose of His first coming to earth is not to establish a government, or a political group, or an army. It's to pass along a message from God the Father (John 8:28), and call people to faith and repentance (Luke 5:32). That includes trusting in Christ, Himself (John 6:28–29), who claimed to be "the Truth" in an earlier passage (John 14:6). In the future, Jesus will establish an earthly kingdom, and He will do so through conquest (Revelation 19:11–15). That will happen entirely by His own work, not through fighting from His followers. But in the most material, immediate sense, Jesus' message is no threat, whatsoever, to Pilate's authority in this part of the world.

Unfortunately, Pilate's dismissive attitude will continue as He responds to the concept of "truth" by literally walking away from the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

John 18:28–40 describes Jerusalem's religious leaders taking Jesus to the local Roman governor. While Jewish authorities are allowed punish blasphemers, Roman law will not let them administer the death penalty. Jesus is too well-liked to be assassinated, so His enemies will attempt to paint Him as a rebel against Rome. In a private interview with Pilate, Jesus claims His role as King, but also notes that His purpose is not yet to rule an earthly kingdom. Pilate attempts to appease the crowd, trying to spare a clearly innocent man, but a mob has formed to demand Jesus' death. John continues his habit of skipping details offered in other Gospels. He does not repeat the account of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:55–65), nor the part of Pilate's investigation where Jesus is sent briefly to Herod (Luke 23:6–12).

Jesus is secretly, quietly arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and taken to a series of sham trials before Jewish leadership. This leads to His encounter with the local Roman governor. Jesus accepts being described as "King" but denies that His current purpose is earthly rule. A mob assembled by Jesus' enemies reject Pilate's attempt to free Jesus. In the meantime, Peter fulfills Christ's prophecy about a three-fold denial.

John's Gospel was written well after the other three, so he frequently chooses to present different details. Chapter 17 detailed Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, just before He entered the garden of Gethsemane. This chapter describes Jesus' arrest, sham trials before Jewish leadership, and the beginning of His trial before the Roman governor. In the following chapter, Jesus will be unfairly condemned, executed, and buried.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.