This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. The gospel reading for this year is the scene of Jesus on trial before Pontius Pilate during which the nature of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is revealed. It is worth noting that as a rule, kings usually do not stand trial. They rule until their deaths. They are in charge of everything that happens in their kingdom. There are times when a king may die an early death — when another king with a more powerful army conquers the king or when the king’s subjects rebel. When such things happen, the defeated king is seldom given a trial. He was just killed.

We should also remember, as Malina and Rohrbaugh (Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John) point out: “To speak here of a “trial” of Jesus, so common in Western scholarly literature, is out of place. Rigidly hierarchical societies such as those under Roman imperial rule in the ancient Mediterranean world do not allow for trials of social inferiors; instead they have accusations and punishments.” [p. 256]  Although we use the word “trial” herein, we need to bear in mind it’s not like “trials” that we experience in 20th century America.

The annotation in the New Interpreter’s Study Bible by Gail O’Day says the following about John 18:28-19:16a:

Jesus’ trial before Pilate is the centerpiece and dramatic climax of the story of Jesus’ hour. There is nothing parallel to its scope or literary artistry in the trial narratives of the synoptic Gospels. The trial is structured like a drama, with seven scenes delineated by Pilate’s movement in and out of his headquarters (18:29, 33, 38b; 19:1, 4, 9, 13). The trial brings to conclusion many of the important christological themes of the Gospel, especially the themes of judgment and kingship. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus’ presence in the world has been pointed to as the moment of judgment of the world (3:19-21; 9:39-41), which must decide whether it recognizes the revelation of God in Jesus (see also 16:9-11). In chaps. 18-19, the world tries to put Jesus on trial, but he is shown to be the true judge (see 19:13-16a). Similarly, the trial will show that Jesus is not king according to the world’s conventional expectations (7:14-15; 12:13), but is truly king in the events of his hour. In addition, the trial narrative highlights the intersection of religion and politics in mid-first-century Judea. The Jewish leadership and the Roman leader Pilate each work to protect their own political self-interests throughout the trial.

Note: The reading for this Sunday covers only the scene in John 18 where Pilate asks Jesus: “Are you the King of the Jews?”  The posts for the remainder of the week cover the entire “trial” of Jesus and thus verses not part of our reading.

Image credit: “Christ before Pilate” by Duccio di Buoninsegna | Museo dell’Opera metropolitana del Duomo, Siena | PD-US