And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him,
You say so.
All Commentaries on Matthew 27:11 Go To Matthew 27
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
But Jesus stood before the Governor. S. Matthew having recorded the fate of Judas, now returns to the main narrative, omitting, however, several incidents, which are to be found in John 18:19. It appears from S. Luke xxiii2that the Jews brought three definite charges against Jesus—that He was perverting the people, that He forbade them to give tribute to Cæsar, and maintained that He was Himself a King. Pilate, it would seem, put aside the first two as false and malicious, and dwelt only on the third. He simply asked Him whether he were the King of the Jews, as being of royal descent, or as the promised Messiah, or on any other ground. Jesus asked him in reply, "Sayest thou this of thyself?" ( John 18:34). He knew very well the nature of the charge. But he wished to mortify Pilate by suggesting that this must be a mere calumny of His enemies, since he who was bound to maintain the authority of the Emperor, and had hitherto been most vigilant in the matter, had heard nothing of the kind. Pilate was irritated, and replied, "Am I a Jew, so as to know or care anything about Thy family or descent, or aught else relating to Thyself, who art a Jew born? Thine own nation and the Chief Priests have delivered Thee to me. What hast Thou done?" This was the very answer which Jesus wished to obtain from him, and He clearly and directly replied, "My kingdom is not of this world," &c. ( John 18:36).
He explained that it was not to be supported by human agency or force of arms (so that Tiberius need not fear that he would lose the kingdom of Judæa, but that it was heavenly, spiritual, and transcendental,—a kingdom wherein He would reign in the hearts of the faithful by grace, and bring them to His kingdom in Heaven. S. Matthew , omitting all other points for the sake of brevity, assigns this last as the true cause of Christ"s death, merely saying, The Governor asked Him, saying, Art Thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. He meant by this, I am Messiah the King. He might have said truly, I am not the King of the Jews, I am no temporal King, nor do I aim at being one. But the Jews understood the title King of the Jews to mean the Messiah, and as He could not deny His Messiahship, He confessed that He was the King of the Jews, the promised Messiah.
It will be asked, What is the nature of Christ"s kingdom, and its manifold relations? Christ, then, as man had a twofold kingdom even when on earth1. A spiritual kingdom, i.e, His Church, which He instituted as a commonwealth of the faithful, and founded with certain laws, ordinances, and sacraments. He rules it by S. Peter and his successors, as His Vicars, and makes it spread through all nations. This kingdom David and the Prophets foretold would be given to Christ (S. Aug. Tract. cxvii. in John). 2. As S. Thomas (Lib. i. de Reg. Princ. cap. xii.) and others rightly teach, in opposition to Abulensis [Tostatus] on Matth. xxi, it is physical and of this world. For Christ, from His very conception, had properly and directly dominion over the world, so as to depose and appoint kings, though as a fact He did not exercise such power on earth.
Here observe there is a threefold dominion and sovereignty1. The highest of all, which God exercises over all creatures, being peculiarly His Own2. The human authority, which earthly kings and princes exercise3. Between these two is the authority of Christ as Prayer of Manasseh , which far surpasses all kingly power: 1. In its origin, for God gave it to Christ2. In its stability, for it cannot be overcome, and abides for ever3. In its object, as extending to all created beings, even to angels (see Rev. xix16; i5; Matthew 28:18). This was His, as Prayer of Manasseh , by reason of His hypostatic union with the Word or Son of God. And accordingly this sovereignty is peculiar to Christ as Prayer of Manasseh , nor has He communicated it to any one, not even to S. Peter and the Pontiffs his successors.
It will be asked whether Christ as man had a human claim to the Jewish kingdom? And I say, He had; for He was the Song of Solomon , the successor, and heir of David. He did not, it is true, enter on His kingdom, nor was He inaugurated as King. But yet He furnished an instance of what He was by His triumph and entry into Jerusalem. He did not actually enter on His kingdom, both because the family of David had long ceased to reign, and the kingdom had by common consent passed into other hands.
