John 18:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

NIV: But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?'

NASB: However, you have a custom that I release one prisoner for you at the Passover; therefore do you wish that I release for you the King of the Jews?'

CSB: You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? "

NLT: But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?'

KJV: But ye 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?

NKJV: “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

History offers little detail about the custom Pilate mentions here. What's more relevant is the fact that Pilate is actually trying to have Jesus released. After a private interview (John 18:33–38), it's clear Jesus is innocent of any crime against the Roman Empire. Accusations of sedition are false (Luke 23:2), and the real problem is a personal vendetta (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Luke notes that Pilate even sent Jesus to Herod, hoping someone else would be responsible (Luke 23:6–12). He will go so far as to have Jesus brutally whipped and humiliated (John 19:1–4), hoping to appease the situation, but it won't work.

As the governor, Pilate could simply refuse to judge Jesus. History suggests reasons why Pilate is being weak-willed. The Roman Empire was mostly concerned with keeping the peace in conquered territory. Pilate was known for his harsh, overly violent approach to the Jews, resulting in a mutual disrespect (John 18:30–31, 35). His remark about Jesus being "King of the Jews" is a deliberate attempt to rub Israel's face in Roman rule, and to tease the scribes and Pharisees about their views of Jesus. History records a few incidents where Pilate's aggressiveness and antagonism towards Jews threatened to create even more unrest. Scholars suggest Pilate had been told by his superiors that another ugly incident would result in being removed from his position.

Now, Jesus' enemies have assembled a mob (John 19:12–15), which will threaten to riot (Matthew 27:24). This is occurring near one of the holiest days in the Jewish year (John 18:28), and Jerusalem is swarming with passionate, observant Jews. The combined accusations of blasphemy (John 19:7) and rebellion make the crowd's demands volatile.

Ultimately, Pilate will cave to pressure, setting aside his moral principles (Matthew 27:24) to appease an angry mob. In a display of blatant hypocrisy, he will also release someone known to be guilty of the very crimes Jesus' enemies claim (John 18:40; Luke 23:18–19).

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.