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?"
In an effort to remove Jesus from the raucous of the rabble in order to ply Him with his own queries, Pilate summons our Lord inside his palace. Holiness Himself summoned into defilement. Is that not a perfect description of what Jesus does every time He is asked to enter a heart at the point of salvation? Pure purity, holy, blameless and set apart from sinners enters into a heart blackened by sin and depravity - saving, cleansing and empowering that heart to be like Him.
“...Jesus showed us what God really wants to cleanse and purify—our hearts. Christ’s transforming work on the cross helps us to break free from desires that hold us in bondage. As we submit to God, we become like Christ, no longer wanting to offend God. Out of gratitude we obey Him from the inside out.” Tremper Longman
The writer of Hebrews gives us the following description of our great High Priest and Savior Jesus:
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Heb 7:23-26 (NIV)
“Man is now a horror to God and to himself and a creature ill-adapted to the universe not because God made him so but because he has made himself so by the abuse of his free will.” C. S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis paints a vivid description of what he found when he examined his own heart which, I might add is not too dissimilar to any other unregenerate heart: “A zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears and a harem of fondled hatreds.”
I find it interesting that all four gospels record Pilate asking this same question - "Are you the king of the Jews?" He obviously had a true desire to know if Jesus professed to be the king of this ancient people over whom he and his soldiers now ruled. Considering our Lord’s attire and humble appearance, Pilate, at first blush, surely had to have assumed Jesus was merely a mock Messiah – simply setting Himself up over the throngs. Matthew, Mark and Luke all record our Lord replying to Pilate with the same Words: “Yes, it is as you say”.
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. Matt 27:11 (NIV)
2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. Mark 15:2 (NIV)
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. Luke 23:3 (NIV)
A few verses later in John 18 we find similar Words from our Lord yet adding a stipulation for those willing to hear Him – we must be on the side of Truth:
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." John 18:37 (NIV)
The Roman historian Suetonius distinctly stated that a rumor was very prevalent throughout the East at this period that a King was about to arise among the Jews who would obtain dominion over the world. This rumor no doubt originated from Jewish prophesies. I cannot help but be reminded of the Magi’s statement as they sought to visit Jesus at His birth which, Scripture states, greatly disturbed King Herod:
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Matt 2:1-3 (NIV)
Kings do not like to share their crowns and Herod was no exception to this. Upon hearing this news he carried out the despicable deed of slaughtering every boy two years old and under in accordance with the time he had heard from the Magi. Sadly, Herod grasps for security of his position through human effort – big mistake. Scripture tells us it is God who exalts and deposes. Herod dies. Jesus lives.
6 No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. 7 But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. Psalms 75:6-7 (NIV)
“We fear men so much because we fear God so little.” William Gurnall