On the Side of Truth

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

ON THE SIDE OF TRUTH

John 18:28-37

28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" 30 "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you." 31 Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled. 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. "It was your people and your chief priests who 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 Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."  37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 

NIV

Having been handed over to Pilate, we have this conversation between Jesus and Pilate. It is interesting the conversation which first takes place outside the palace with Pilate and the Jews. Here they let him know they want Jesus executed, they want this man killed, but they would not go into the palace so they would not defile themselves so they could eat the Passover meal. Having someone executed did not make them unclean, but going in the palace of the Roman governor would. We wonder if we have set up some special set of rules and regulations that as long as we follow those we are all right and we can do other things which would not agree with scripture. For example, some would say smoking or drinking wine is against scripture, which it is not, but they manage to store up wealth for themselves appearing to love money, or they carry a grudge, having no forgiveness in their heart. Some have envy, or jealously or they gossip, but as long as they follow their own set of rules they are alright. It seems strange to us how the Pharisees were so closed-minded to the truth and yet we have to wonder if we are much the same in some respects. Just a thought. This conversation with Jesus that Pilate had is also interesting in the sense Jesus makes it clear to him that he is a king, but his kingdom is not of this world. There are two realms that co-exist. The realm of this world and the realm of the kingdom of God. Jesus is showing us it is possible to live within the realm of this world, but be a person, a citizen of the realm of God. Although he was standing there in the physical, he was still in his own kingdom. This is our life as well. We have to live here in the physical, but this is not our home, we are just passing through. So we have a choice as to who we listen to. We can listen to the voice of this world, setting up our rules for life-based on how we think as physical people, or we could listen to the voice of truth and base our life on his voice. So we have to be on the side of truth.