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In the Beginning: The Book of John
(John 18:33-38 [HCSB])
33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews? ”
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34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about Me? ”
35 “I’m not a Jew, am I? ” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done? ”
36 “My kingdom is not of this * world,” said Jesus. “If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.”6
37 “You are a king then? ” Pilate asked.
“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”
38 “What is truth? ” said Pilate.
Are you the King of the Jews? You are the King of the Jews. This is an interesting word play because if one transposes two words Pilate is making a statement, not asking a question. Jesus caught this and cornered Pilate who was indeed ruthless, but smart enough to know he was not dealing with an ordinary criminal. In John’s recollection of Jesus’ conversation with Pilate there is a drilling down, and a linguistic dance, that should seem very familiar to believer and unbeliever alike:
“What is truth?”
We often couch it in the familiar, “What is the meaning of life.” This suggests that we know in our hearts that there is more to living than rugged individualism and collecting stuff .
Why then does the Holy Spirit compel each of us to ask the same question? Because it is embedded in each one of us deep in our individual DNA … because we are made in God’s spiritual image. It is the same mechanism that compels an adopted child to seek out his or her biological parents. We all want to know what truth is and where it resides.
Most of us will spend our whole lives tracking down Jesus and His Father, trying to understand them and struggling with the relationship. Paul tells us that this creates strength, and character, and ultimately hope. And this hope is not misplaced. (See Romans 5:1-8, etc.)
What Jesus says to Pilate we might well use in our own commission of the Gospel: “I was born for this!” Yes, we were born for this.
