John 18:33

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Are you the King of the Jews?
All Commentaries on John 18:33 Go To John 18

John Chrysostom

AD 407
Pilate, wishing to rescue Him from the hatred of the c Jews, protracted the trial along time. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall, and called Jesus. Or Pilate had heard this by report; and as the Jews had no charge to bring forward, began to examine Him himself with respect to the things commonly reported of Him. He asks not in ignorance, but in order to draw from Pilate himself an accusation against the Jews: Pilate answered Bred, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. Hethen tries to bring round the mind of Pilate, not a very bad man, by proving to him, that He isnot a mere man, but God, and the Son of God; and overthrowing all suspicion of His having aimed at a tyranny, which Pilate was afraid of, Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. Or He means that He does not derive His kingdom from the same source that earthly kings do; but that He has his sovereignty from above; inasmuch as He is not mere man, but far greater and more glorious than man: If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews. Here He shows the weakness of an earthly kingdom, has its strength from its servants, whereas that higher kingdom is sufficient to itself, and wanting in nothing. And if His kingdom was thus the greater of the two, it follows that He was taken of His own will, and delivered up Himself. Heretics infer from these words that our Lord is a different person from the Creator of the world. But when He says, My kingdom is not from here, Hedoes not deprive the world of His government and superintendence, but only shows that His government is not human and corruptible. Pilate therefore said to Him, Are you a King then? Jesus answered, you say that I am a King. If then He was a King by birth, He has nothing which He has not received from another. For this I came, that I should bear witness to the truth, i.e. that I should make all men believe it. We must observe how He shows His humility here: when they accused Him as a malefactor, He bore it in silence; but when He is asked of His kingdom, then He talks with Pilate, instructs him, and raises his mind to higher things. That I should bear witness to the truth shows that He had no crafty purpose in what He did. These words have an effect upon Pilate, persuade him to become a hearer, d elicit from him the short inquiry, What is truth had almost said to Him, What is truth?
2 mins

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation - 2 Peter 1:20

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