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. In the previous article, the Jewish authorities have turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate with the charge that Jesus is a revolutionary with monarchical pretensions – a capital crime in Roman law. As such, Jesus must be questioned by Pilate. As noted earlier, although called “a trial” this has no resemblance to our understanding of a 20th century trial. This is an ad hoc process by which Pilate will determine Jesus’ fate.

The exchange is between Jesus and Pilate in the private surroundings of the praetorium and is built around Pilate’s question, ‘Are you the King of the Jews’ (Jn 18:33).  This title is not a messianic formulation, but rather it has a nationalistic political connotation and is fitting in the context of the civil trial.  John alone offers a response and an explanation of the kingship.  Jesus first distinguishes between ‘king’ used in a political sense which the Romans would understand and ‘king’ in the Jewish sense with its religious implications.  Jesus answers, ‘Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?’ (Jn 18:34).  Jesus, the accused criminal, asks the questions as if he were the judge, and from the first words of Jesus it is the governor who is on trial.  Pilate is a man who is facing the light and who must decide whether he will prefer light or darkness (Jn 3:19-21).  Pilate answers that he is simply repeating what has been told to him, and with Roman bluntness asks what Jesus has done, seeking to understand if this ‘king’ is any threat to the emperor.

Jesus does not talk about himself but about his kingdom.  Jesus does not deny that his kingdom or kingship affects the world, for the world will be conquered by those who believe in him (1 Jn v4).  But he denies that his kingdom belongs to this world; like himself it comes from above.  Pilate seems to miss the import of Jesus’ remark.  He has heard the word ‘kingdom’, for him a political reality; and so he presses for a confession.  Jesus will not categorically refuse to be known as a king, but indicates that he prefers to describe his role in terms of testifying to the truth. Only those who belong to the truth can understand in what sense Jesus is a king.  The real reason that Jesus is handed over to Pilate is because he has borne witness to the truth.

At one level Pilate is comfortable because Jesus’ kingship presents no danger to the political interest of Rome.  Yet in another way Jesus’ statement makes Pilate uncomfortable, for Jesus has implicitly challenged Pilate to recognize the truth.  From this point on the trial is no longer whether Jesus is innocent or guilty; Pilate admits this by immediately proclaiming Jesus not guilty (Jn 18:38b).   The subject of the trial is now whether Pilate will respond to the truth.  We see the direction in which he leans through his retort, ‘What is truth? (Jn 18:38a).  He does not accept the charges of the Jewish leaders, but neither will he listen to the voice of Jesus.  He does not recognize the truth.

Pilate is satisfied that there is no danger from this Jewish peasant and moves to exercise the imperium of his position.  Pilate addresses the Chief priests, elders and crowds in the courtyard of the praetorium and says, ‘I find this man not guilty.’ (Lk 23:4).  The crowd is quite adamant and reply, ‘He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here.’ (Lk 23:5).  Pilate does not display the self-will and relentlessness described by Philo.  One might have expected that Pilate would have dismissed the crowd with the summary, ‘I have spoken’.  But Pilate may have been surprised at the vehemence of the crowds before him; perhaps he wishes to avoid direct confrontation with this assembly during the festival week.  He seizes on the Galilean heritage of Jesus and sends him to Herod who had jurisdiction over Galilee.  The would-be neutral man makes his first compromise and attempts to avoid a decision.

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