But still, as we have observed, Pilate would have saved Jesus, could he at the same time have saved his own reputation as Caesar's friend; and therefore it was, that he now entered the judgment-hall, and put this inquiry to Jesus, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” For as the Jews had committed the Lord to him upon a charge of having made Himself a King (Luke 23:22And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. (Luke 23:2)), if he could but lead the Lord to retract these his kingly pretensions, he might then both save Him, and keep himself unharmed. With the design of doing so, he seems thus at this time to bare entered the judgment-hall. But the world in Pilate's heart knew not Jesus; as it is written, “the world knew Him not” (John 1:1010He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (John 1:10) John 3:11There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: (John 3:1)). Pilate was now to find that the god of this world had nothing in Jesus. “Jesus answered, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?” Our Lord by this would learn from Pilate himself where the source of the accusation against Him lay: whether His claim to be King of the Jews was thus challenged by Pilate as protector of the emperor's rights in Judea; or merely upon a charge of the Jews.
Upon this hang, I may say, everything in the present juncture, and the wisdom and purpose of the Lord in giving the inquiry this direction is most manifest. Should Pilate say that he had now become apprehensive of the Roman interests, the Lord could have at once referred him to the whole course of His life and ministry, to prove that, touching the king, innocency had been found in Him. He had withdrawn Himself, departing into a mountain alone, when He perceived that the multitude would have come and taken Him by force to make Him a king. His controversy was not with Rome. When He came, He found Caesar in Judea, and He never questioned his title to be there; He rather at all times allowed his title, and took the place of the nation, which, because of disobedience, had the image and superscription of Caesar engraven, as it were, on their very land. It is true, that it was despite of the Majesty of Jehovah that had made way for the Gentiles into Jerusalem; but Jerusalem was for the present the Gentiles' place, and therefore the Son of David had no controversy with them because of this. Nothing but the restored faith and allegiance of the nation to God could rightfully cancel this title of the Gentiles. The Lord's controversy was therefore not with Rome, but with the rebellion and unbelief of Israel, with the “sinful nation.” And therefore Pilate would have had his answer according to all this, had the charge proceeded from himself as representative of the Roman power. But it was not so. Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?” Thine own nation, and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto me; what hast Thou done?”
Now this answer of Pilate conveyed the full proof of the guilt of Israel. In the mouth of him who represented the power of the world at that time, the thing was established that Israel had disclaimed their King and sold themselves into the hands of a stranger. This for the present was everything with Jesus. This at once carried Him beyond the earth and out of the world. For Israel had rejected Him, and His kingdom was therefore not now from hence. Neither indeed could it be; for it is written, “In Judah is God known, His name is great in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Zion. There brake He the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword and the battle” (Psa. 76:1-31<<To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.>> In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. 2In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion. 3There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. (Psalm 76:1‑3)). Zion is the appointed place for the King of the whole earth to sit and rule; and the unbelief of the daughter of Zion must keep the King of the earth away.
The Lord then, as this rejected King, listening to this testimony from the lips of the Roman, could only recognize His present loss of throne. “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.” He had no weapons for war if Israel refused Him There was no threshing for His floor now, for Israel is His instrument to thresh the mountains (Isa. 41:1515Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. (Isaiah 41:15); Mic. 4:1313Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. (Micah 4:13); Jer. 51:2020Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; (Jeremiah 51:20)), and Israel was now refusing Him. Out of Judah is to come forth the corner, the nail, and the battle bow, and the house of Judah, and that only is Messiah to make His goodly horse in the battle (Zech. 10:44Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together. (Zechariah 10:4)). Therefore in this unbelief of Judah He had nothing wherewith to spoil the stout-hearted, and to be terrible to the kings of the earth, nothing wherewith to break the arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the battle (Psa. 76). His kingdom therefore could not be of this world, it could not be from hence; He had no servants who could fight that He should not be delivered to His enemies.
But this loss of a kingdom, which is “of this world,” is but for a while. For Israel who once said, “Crucify Him, crucify Him,” shall be brought to say, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” And then shall the goodly horse be prepared for the battle, Judah shall be bent for Messiah, the bow shall be filled with Ephraim, and the daughter of Zion shall arise and thresh His floor.
And the answer of the Lord to Pilate intimated this final recovery of His Kingdom. For while from the thus witnessed unbelief of His nation, Jesus perceived and allowed His present loss of it, yet He allows this in such terms as fully expresses His title to a kingdom, leading Pilate at once to say, “Art Thou a King then?” And to this His “good confession” is witnessed. For Pilate would have had no cause to dread either the displeasure of his master, or the tumult of the people; he might have fearlessly followed his will and delivered his prisoner, if the blessed Confessor would now alter the word that had gone out of His lips, and withdraw His claim to be a King. But Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a King” From this His claim there could be no retiring. Here was His “good confession before Pontius Pilate.” Though His own received Him not, yet He was theirs; though the world knew Him not, yet was it made by Him. Though the husbandmen were casting Him out, yet was He the Heir of the vineyard. He was anointed to the throne in Zion, though His citizens were saying, that they would not have Him to reign over them; and He must by His “good confession” fully verify His claim to it, and stand by that claim before Pontius Pilate, and in him before all the power of the world. It might arm all that power against Him, but it must be made. Herod and all Jerusalem had once been moved at hearing that He was born Who was King of the Jews, and sought to slay the child; but let the whole world be now moved and arm its power against Him, yet He must declare God's decree, “I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” His right must be witnessed, though in the presence of the usurper, and in the very hour of his power.
But now we are led into other and further revelations.
This “good confession” being thus witnessed, the Lord was prepared to unfold other parts of the divine counsels. When He had distinctly verified His title thus in the very presence of Cesar-i.e., of the world which as yet fills the gap, the way was opened for Him to testify His present character and service. “To this end was I born,” says the Lord, “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.” His possession of the kingdom was now for a time hindered by the unbelief of His nation; but He here shows that there had been no failure of the purpose of God by this. For meanwhile He had come into the world for other present work than to take His throne in Zion. He had come to bear “witness onto the truth.”
The Lord by this “good confession” was “witness to the truth,” for His testimony of course was true. But this character extends far beyond this “good confession,” and the Gospel of John is used by the Holy Ghost as the especial instrument of unfolding it. For in John we see that the Lord had been conducting His ministry as “witness unto the truth” from the very beginning; as is said in chapter i. “the only begotten Son Which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” He had been manifesting the name of the Father to those who had been given to Him out of the world (John 17:66I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (John 17:6)), and this is the same as bearing witness to the truth (see John 8:26, 2726I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. (John 8:26‑27)). He had come to give His elect an understanding that they might know Him that is true (1 John 5:2020And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)). Every one that was “of the truth,” as He here speaks to Pilate, had been hearing Him His sheep had heard and known His voice, while others believed not, because they were not His sheep (John 10:3, 4, 263To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (John 10:3‑4)
26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. (John 10:26)). He that was of God had heard God's word at His mouth, while others had not heard His words because they were not of God (John 8:4747He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (John 8:47)). And hereby had been made manifest the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error (1 John 4:66We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)). He had come into the world that He might say, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). He was the Good Shepherd come to search out His flock—to gather to Himself and to the Father all who were His—to bring into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God all the chosen children, and thus to fill up their full prepared measure; to bring forth sons unto God by the word of truth, to seal them with the Spirit of adoption, and to prepare for them mansions in the Father's house. The heavens were now to be opened; and the fullness of Him that filleth all in all, by the truth and through the Spirit, was to be prepared and brought into them.
Such was the Lord's present ministry; for such was He born, and had come into the world, and had He been throughout opening to His disciples. As He says, “I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world” (John 17:66I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. (John 17:6)). Though a King, and King too of the Jews, and to take yet the kingdom of the world, He was not now to exercise that power, for His title had been denied by His own nation. Israel's rejection of their King had now been sealed by that testimony of Pilate: “Thine own nation hath delivered Thee unto me.” The trial had now therefore fully proved them to be “reprobate silver.” The Lord's tarrying among them, if haply they would repent, was therefore now to be over. He could no longer go through their cities and villages healing and preaching the kingdom, but must take on Him other ministry; and that ministry He now fully and formally reveals saying, “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 Me.”
(To be continued.)