Jesus vs. Pilate: The Trial for a Kingdom Not of This World

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]So, Jesus was sent to Pilate for his fourth trial. Now, the charges shift at this time from religious to political.

[00:00:08]Because when the Jews come before Pilate, they're going to assert that Jesus is a threat to Rome because he claims to be a king.

[00:00:15]Turn to John chapter 18:28-38.

[00:00:19]Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now, it was early morning and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness, they did not enter the palace because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.

[00:00:32]Jesus was crucified on Passover.

[00:00:35]So, Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges do you bring against this man?"

[00:00:40]Now, they get snarky.

[00:00:42]"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

[00:00:46]Well, you want to get smart snarky, Pilate gets snarky back. "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." Now, that's very important.

[00:00:56]Because what Pilate is saying is he's broken no Roman laws.

[00:01:03]If he'd broken a Roman law, we would have arrested him and put him on trial.

[00:01:10]You have arrested him for breaking the Mosaic law, supposedly.

[00:01:15]So, you judge him by your own law.

[00:01:22]"But we have no right to execute anyone," they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

[00:01:30]Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

[00:01:39]That was the rumor going around.

[00:01:42]Jesus is the son of David, a Messianic title.

[00:01:45]The true king of the Jews.

[00:01:48]"Is that your own idea?"

[00:01:50]Jesus replied.

[00:01:52]"Or did others talk to you about me?"

[00:01:55]"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

[00:02:02]Jesus said, and this is very interesting.

[00:02:05]"My kingdom is not of this world. If my servants if it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders."

[00:02:14]Insinuating that you know I'm no threat to you.

[00:02:18]If I was a threat to the Roman government, you would have arrested me as an insurrectionist.

[00:02:24]But the reason you've not arrested me is because I'm not a threat to you.

[00:02:29]And if I truly had a kingdom of this world, my servants would have come and they would have fought against the Jewish leaders.

[00:02:39]"But now my kingdom is from another place."

[00:02:42]"You are a king then," said Pilate.

[00:02:44]Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king.

[00:02:49]In fact, the reason I was born and came to this world is to testify to the truth.

[00:02:55]Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

[00:03:00]"What is truth?" retorted Pilate.

[00:03:02]With this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him."

[00:03:08]In fact, King James version says, "I find no fault in him."

[00:03:12]Yeah.

[00:03:13]Now, contrary to what most of you have been taught, Pilate was an extremely intelligent man.

[00:03:21]And he could see what was happening.

[00:03:23]So, after a few questions, he went out to the Jewish leaders and told them, "I find in him no fault."

[00:03:29]But they wouldn't give up.

[00:03:30]So, when Pilate found out that Jesus was from Galilee, he decided to send him to Herod Antipas. This is a way to get out of this.