What Is Truth?

John 18:28–19:16a  – That You May Believe
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time  – July 6, 2025 (am)     

Has anyone ever told you that: You’re your own worst enemy? Is that a good thing? Of course not! It means you’re making things difficult for yourself in a way that doesn’t make any sense, in a way that impedes progress you very well could otherwise have been making. There are other ways to say the same thing. You’re shooting yourself in the foot—don’t even think about that one! But there’s one that’s worse, an old southern expression I’ve heard since I was a child: You’re cutting off your nose to spite your face. That’s crazy, isn’t it? No one would actually do that. It’s just a figure of speech, right?

Israel wanted their promised and long-awaited Messiah, their Savior, to be executed by Rome. We just read the text. Let’s look into it, the final stage of Jesus’ so-called trial before He was led away to the place of His death (19:16b-17). We’ll move through it under two headings.

Conversation Concludes – 18:28-40

The time reference here (18:28) tells us that Jesus’ interview before Annas then Caiaphas (18:12ff.)—then also the whole Jewish ruling council (the Sanhedrin [Mat.26:57-68; Mar.14:53-65]) which resulted in a formal decision to send Him to the Roman governor, Pilate (Mat.27:1-2; Luk.22:66-71), details John omitted—took place overnight such that it was early morning when they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters (18:28). And on this part of the story, John included much more detail than any of the other Gospel-writers. He writes: 18:28 … They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. Wow. So, they’re taking this miracle-Worker Who’s raised the dead and given sight to the blind to the Roman governor at sunrise to demand His execution, most likely because Jewish law [didn’t allow] trying capital cases at night (Carson 1991 588). And so that they’d remain ceremonially clean for the Passover, 29 … Pilate went outside to [meet] them….

But from there the conversation got a bit tense: 29 … [he asked them, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” Every insinuation would suggest that, in sending a band of soldiers to the garden, along with the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees (18:3), they thought Pilate was with them in this endeavor. But hearing his question suggested that he was going to try Jesus himself (Carson 1991 590). So, they were clearly a bit irked. 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” That gives pretty clear cause for the death penalty, doesn’t it? 31 Pilate said to them, matching their mood, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews, feeling their plan slipping through their fingers, said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” There’s a fair amount of debate on this point among biblical scholars about whether this was so; and the stoning of Stephen (Act.7) only a short time later is cited as evidence. But, bottom line, the testimony of Josephus makes it pretty clear that this level of authority had been reserved for the governor since ad 6 (Carson 1991 591-2).

Then John adds: 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. Some take this to mean the Jews wanted the Romans to handle Jesus’ execution so that He’d be crucified, hanged on a tree and thus clearly under God’s curse (Deu.21:23). But almost certainly he means this whole historical moment was working together to confirm Jesus’ words (12:32-33), including the fact that the Romans had to sanction capital punishment (Carson 1991 592).

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This tells us what charge the Jews wanted to make stick with Pilate: he’s a political leader; they’ll make a political accusation. But it also shows that they have heard Jesus’ claim to be Messiah, the king of Israel (1:49). 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Are you really interested? Or are you just parroting what you’ve heard? 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?—making clear his level of interest. Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” What’s behind all this hoopla? 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world, affirming that He’s indeed a king, but that He’s no threat to Rome (presently). If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. This whole scene would’ve played out differently. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 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, [suggesting] that his kingdom is the kingdom of truth (Carson 1991 595). Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” And the response couldn’t have been clearer: 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” … Whatever truth is, Pilate isn’t interested in listening to it.

But he didn’t find cause for execution in Jesus (38b). Even so, Rome usually freed a prisoner at Passover (39). Is it going to be the King of the Jews (39), almost certainly stated sarcastically here, or is it going to be Barabbas (40), one whose name means son of the father (Köstenberger 2008), and whose lengthier name may well have been Jesus Barabbas (Carson 1991 595-6), one whose crime quite likely wasn’t just being a robber (40)—the word John uses here might also describe a terrorist, a guerilla (Carson 1991 596), one who’d taken part in a rebellion (niv). That’s surely how Mark reported it (Mar.15:7). So, the close of this section is just pulsing with irony.

Crucifixion Commences – 19:1-16a

And having just affirmed: 18:40 … I find no guilt in him. Even so, 19:1 … Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Again, a faithless opponent, this time a plurality Gentiles, spoke truth with no understanding; and they struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” This is a very interesting way to treat a man in Whom you find no guilt! But it does appear that Pilate may have been hoping that seeing Jesus in this state would satisfy them. Thus, he said: 5 … Behold the man!

But it wasn’t enough: 6 … they cried out, “Crucify him…!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “… he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” That did it! 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But this time Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. …” And that’s essentially where it ended. Pilate made it official as he 13 … sat down on the judgment seat… and a few moments later 16 … delivered him over to be crucified.

And we think there was irony earlier in this scene? How about here! The one with power over life and death (19:10) is fearful (19:8), confused (18:35; 19:9), and driven by the crowd to violate his conscience (19:12-13). Those who wanted freedom from Rome and had been waiting centuries for their promised Deliverer, had seen Him come and prove His power, but not only did they not recognize Him, the whole experience had them shouting to the Roman governor: 15 … We have no king but Caesar! Meanwhile, the One Who’s being beaten unjustly and sentenced to crucifixion is modeling peace, clarity, and authority worthy of a true king!

Conclusion

So, what is our takeaway from this scene? I like Pilate’s assertion: Behold the man! (19:5) Once again, the irony; Pilate was meaning: See the pitiful sight! I find no fault in Him, but even if you do, look, hasn’t He suffered enough? The Jews, who were looking for a king and had seen this man do just what their scriptures said He would do, didn’t think He’d suffered near enough and wanted to see Him cursed by God. And all this played out without their ever realizing that this man—alone, enduring God’s curse for sins epitomized by their actions in this scene—was their only hope of knowing the deliverance they awaited, the peace He displayed, the freedom they sought (Isa.53), and the truthful authority of the king they’d been promised! Yes: Behold the man! Jesus, at His worst hour, is authenticating the defining virtues of the kingdom He rules.

There is our takeaway today. We serve a king, we’ve been rescued by a Savior, who is entirely worthy of the allegiance, the homage, the worship we offer Him today. He’s worthy of our obedience. And He’s purchased for us the ability to obey by enduring this scene and what follows modeling the grace of God from beginning to end. Listen to [his] voice and receive Him as king, He Whose kingdom long-promised is characterized as truth.

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Resources

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Barclay, William. 1975. The Daily Study Bible Series. The Gospel of John, Revised Edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox.

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. John, by Andreas J. Köstenberger, 415-512. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Bruce, F. F. 1983. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

                  , Gordon D. Fee, & Ned B. Stonehouse, gen. eds. 1995. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition, by Leon Morris. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

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                  , R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. John, by Donald Guthrie, 1021-1065. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

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Dever, Mark. 2005. The Message of the New Testament. Ch. 4, The Message of John: Jesus, the Son of God, 101-122. Wheaton: Crossway.

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Morris, Leon, gen. ed. 2003. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 4, John, by Colin G. Kruse. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Osborne, Grant, ed. 1993. Life Application Bible Commentary. John, by Bruce B. Barton, Philip W. Comfort, David R. Veerman, & Neil Wilson. Wheaton: Tyndale.

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Tenney, Merrill C. 1976. John: The Gospel of Belief. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

NEXT SUNDAY: John 19b–42, Pastor Nick Conner