John 18:33-40 33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 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’?” 40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
Pilate was the Roman governor of Judah. He asked the Lord Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” In the eyes of the Jews, claiming to be king is to betray the Roman emperor Caesar. When the Lord Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world, and that his servants would not fight with force, but that he came to bear witness to the truth, and those who belonged to the truth listened to his words and became part of his kingdom, Pilate could not find basis for a charge against him. He wanted to release the Lord Jesus. There was a custom in the Passover to release a person. When Pilate asked the Jews to release Jesus or Barabbas, the Jews said to release Barabbas. Barabbas was a robber, murderers, also engaged in riots. The Jews would rather release a great criminal and crucify the innocent Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross to save the world, hope that more people will come to believe in the Lord.
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