Outside:
1. The Hypocrisy of the Jews (verse 28)
2. The Hesitancy of Pilate (verses 29-32)
Inside:
3. “Are you the King of the Jews?” (verses 33–34)
4. “What have you done?” (verses 35–36)
5. “So you are a king?” (verse 37)
6. “What is truth?” (verse 38a)

In 2005–2006, Saddam Hussein was tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. His first trial began before an Iraqi Special Tribunal on October 19, 2005. “Saddam and seven other defendants were tried for crimes against humanity with regard to events that took place after a failed assassination attempt in 1982 by members of the Islamic Dawa Party.” A second (and separate) trial began on August 21, 2006, where Saddam and six co-defendants were tried for genocide against the Kurds in northern Iraq.

I don’t remember much about the trial. I certainly was interested, but the trial wasn’t in English, so it was difficult to watch. Anyway, what I do remember about the trial was this: during the trial, Saddam was defiant and argumentative. He resisted the trial in every way. He would say things like, “I am the President of Iraq,” “I do not recognize this court,” “This is theater." "The real criminal is Bush,” “Down with America!” “Long live Iraq!” “Down with the traitors.” At times he had to be forcibly removed after his disruptive shouting. It was anything but a calm trial.

On November 6, 2006, Saddam received his death sentence by hanging. The judge told him to stand, which he refused, saying, “No, I’ll remain seated.” The judge ordered the court officer to make him stand, which he did. The judge began the sentence: “The court has decided to sentence the accused, Saddam Hussain Al-Majeed, to death by hanging, because he committed ..." At this point, Saddam was speaking over the judge, shouting out, “Long live the people [of Iraq]. Long live the nation [of Arabs and Muslims]. Down with the traitors. Down with the invaders. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar” (a common phrase of Muslims, meaning Allah is the greatest). The judge could hardly read the sentence in. Saddam continued his rant, “Go to hell, you and the court.” When the judge mentioned the crime against humanity, Saddam broke out, “We are the people of humanity! The invaders [USA] are the criminals. They are the enemies of humanity. Their puppets are the enemies of humanity.” Eventually, the judge simply said, “Escort him out, please!”^[1]

His trial was over. A month and a half later, on December 30, 2006, he was hanged at an Iraqi Army base in north-east Baghdad.

Now, I bring this up because the title of my message this morning is “The King on Trial.” We will look at the trial of Jesus Christ as he stood before Pontius Pilate. It was a trial of a king, much like the trial of Saddam Hussein, who was essentially a toppled king, getting his due day in court. Saddam Hussein reacted as most dictators would probably act in total defiance of the court.

The tenor of the trial of Jesus could not have been more different than the trial of Saddam Hussein. In no way was Jesus hostile toward anyone. Jesus was not arrogant, nor did he resist the proceedings. Jesus was not guilty of any of the things that Saddam Hussein was guilty of. Jesus killed nobody. He was gentle and kind. He went about healing all who were sick. He taught people the ways of God. Of anybody who had reason to be angry at the injustice of the proceedings, it was Jesus, who was accused unjustly and wrongfully condemned. But Jesus never lashed out. As Peter said, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22–23).

The trial of Saddam Hussein was the trial of a toppled king who was angry and resistant and defiant in every way. But the trial of Jesus Christ was the trial of a humble king who died in our place. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

So, let’s look at the account. It’s found in John 18, verses 28-38a. To give you some context, Jesus has already stood before the religious authorities, Annas and Caiaphas. Now, Jesus stands trial before the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate. So, let’s read the account.

John 18:28–38a
Then they [that is, the Jewish religious authorities] led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Now, in our text, we have two scenes. The first takes place outside the headquarters of Pilate. The second takes place inside the headquarters of Pilate. We see the transition begin in verse 28.

John 18:28
Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.

The religious trial of Jesus took place in the house of Caiaphas. I would imagine that this house was similar to a governor’s mansion. In other words, this house wasn’t owned by Caiaphas, but it was where the high priest always lived, near the temple, with easy access, and large enough to host large meetings of the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas, the current high priest, was living there. The roman trial of Jesus took place in the headquarters of Pontius Pilate. This is where Jesus was transferred. Don’t miss the next phrase in verse 28:

John 18:28
It was early morning.

This tells us that the trial of Jesus went well into the night, up until the early hours of the morning. On the one hand, this signifies the sort of trial that Jesus experienced. It was an unjust trial, with proceedings taking place under the cover of darkness and lasting long into the early hours of the morning. What sort of court would hold such a trial, but an unjust court.

Yet, on the other hand, John may have another reason here as to why he mentioned, “It was early morning.” There is a little tie to the victory of the resurrection: when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, it was early as well. One commentator said, “The day of victory of Jesus over the world is breaking.”^[2] It’s a ray of hope after a dark night of torment by the religious leaders.

1. The Hypocrisy of the Jews (verse 28)

John 18:28b
They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.

It was perfectly fine for these Jews to spend the night conducting an unjust trial, to bring about the execution of an innocent man. But now, they are concerned for their ritual purity, so that they could eat the Passover with their people? Do you see the hypocrisy?

If you are at all familiar with the New Testament, you understand how the Jews kept separate from the Gentiles. It took a vision from God to convince Peter to enter the house of Cornelius, an unclean Gentile. When entering his house, Peter said to those who had assembled, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation” (Acts 10:28). Here, for the Jews to enter into the headquarters of Pilate would bring them to a state of ritual impurity. Such hypocrisy!

In Matthew 23, we read of how Jesus pointed it out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who were concerned with all of the minutia about the law, all the while forgetting the main things. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” (Matthew 23:23–24).

This was the very thing that they were doing in our passage. They were concerned about the minutia of being defiled by entering into Pilate’s headquarters, all the while being confident that they could run a kangaroo court. Is not their hypocrisy obvious?

While we may see the hypocrisy in them, it may be difficult for us to see it in ourselves. We may be pro-life, but not pro-love. We may be careful not to swear, but careless about the tone of our communication. We may defend our doctrine, but be clueless about how we destroy people in the process. We may be quick to promote our public reputation, but slow to repent in private.

This is the core of hypocrisy: to stand and show oneself as righteous, to be so concerned about the letter of the law, and miss the spirit of the law. Oh, may the Lord protect us from such hypocrisy.

2. The Hesitancy of Pilate (verses 29-32)

Pilate had been summoned early in the morning about a criminal who was to be tried in his courts. He begins by asking of the charges.

John 18:29
So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

This question really begins the proceedings of the trial. Pilate gets a non-answer:

John 18:30
“If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.”

These religious leaders declared Jesus guilty without giving any evidence, without giving any proof, without even giving a charge. They simply said that Jesus was “doing evil.” But they never said what any of the evil was. Instead, they felt almost insulted that Pilate would ask for the accusation against him.

In the end, this was really a challenge against the authority of Pilate. There was no love lost between the religious leaders and Pontius Pilate. Here, they were demanding that Pilate find Jesus guilty, without an accusation, without any proof or evidence.You can see the hesitancy of Pilate in verse 31: “

John 18:31a
"Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

Pilate saw where this was going. He didn’t like it. The Jews were bringing a criminal to him without a charge, and Pontius Pilate was hesitant. He saw the difficulty from the start. His Spidey sense was tingling. He knew that something wasn’t quite right. We will see next week how his hunch was confirmed, as he declares Jesus innocent. In verse 38, Pilate will say, “I find no guilt in him.” In chapter 19, verse 4, Pilate says, “I find no guilt in him.” In chapter 19, verse 6, Pilate says, “I find no guilt in him.” He was the innocent one who died for us. ... But that’s next week.

In our text, we see Pilate trying to give Jesus back to the Jews, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” But the Jews reply in verse 31,

John 18:31b
“It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”

Here we see the crux of the issue. The Jews claimed that Jesus was deserving of death, but they didn’t have the political power to execute the death sentence. They wanted Pilate to do what they were not allowed to do.

Now, this might sound a bit strange, because there were several moments in the life of Jesus, particularly noted in the gospel of John, when the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him” (John 7:1). “So from that day on they made plans to put him to death” (John 11:53). None of these statements speak anything about needing Roman permission to carry this out.

Furthermore, there were several times in the gospel of John when they actually picked up stones to carry out the death sentence.In John 8:58, Jesus said to the religious leaders, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus was claiming to be the great “I am,” Yahweh himself! Then we read in John 8:59, “So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (John 8:59). This happened another time in the temple at the Feast of Dedication. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), once again, a claim to deity. We read again, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone him” (John 10:31).

So, why are they saying here, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death”? There is certainly a difference between mob violence and a legal execution for a crime. Apparently, the Jews wanted to kill Jesus through legal means. This put it back into the hesitant hands of Pilate, who will return again inside the headquarters in verse 33.

However, before we read of Pilate returning inside the headquarters, John speaks to us (as readers). John writes,

John 18:32
This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

John is calling us back to remember what Jesus said in chapter 12, where Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). Then John adds, “He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die” (John 12:33). When you are stoned to death, you are not lifted up; you are beaten down to the ground. But Jesus had prophesied that he would be “lifted up from the earth” (John 12:32), indicating that he was going to die, death by crucifixion, which was only lawful to be carried out by the Romans.

It shows that the death of Jesus was no accident. Jesus knew in the garden that he was going to die, and Jesus knew how he was going to die. The Jews were playing right into his hands in handing him over to Caesar.

In verse 33, we see the scene change to inside. While inside, we see Pilate ask Jesus four questions. The first is 

3. “Are you the King of the Jews?” (verses 33–34)

John 18:33-34
So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

As readers of John's gospel, we should be surprised that this Pilate’s first question. Our surprise should come because John doesn’t tell us of any time that the Jews communicated with Pilate about Jesus being “King of the Jews.” But it’s right where Pilate went first in his line of questioning. And s we shall see, this will stay with Pilate throughout this trial, as the official charge for why Jesus is put to death will be placed upon a placard above him on the cross, which reads, “King of the Jews” (John 19:19). This will become the official reason why Jesus died, because of his claim to be the King of the Jews.

Now, this line of questioning may be surprising to us. Ad it also seemed to surprise Jesus, who responds in verse 34,

John 18:34
“Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”

Jesus was asking Pilate if this was his own confession, or whether he was merely saying the same thing that others said.

This question that Jesus puts to Pilate is really a question for us all. So, I ask you: Do you say that Jesus is the King of the Jews? Do you say it of your own accord? Or do you say it because this is what others say about Jesus?

Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Confessing Jesus as Lord is to confess him as king in your life. This is fundamental to our salvation, that we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in our lives, that we acknowledge that Jesus is the King of the Jews, that we acknowledge that Jesus is our King. It's important for you to confess this for yourself.

Pilate seemed offended by the question of Jesus. He says,

John 18:35a
"Am I a Jew?"

Pilate answers the question of Jesus by saying, “I’m not part of you. I’m not part of your people. How am I to know? It’s just what I heard from others.” Then Pilate gets down to his real question,

John 18:35
“Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”

This is the next question of our outline:

4. “What have you done?” (verses 35–36)

I do believe that Pilate here is very surprised at the circumstances. Jesus is standing before him, disheveled from a sleepless night of relentless accusations from the Jews. He hardly looks like a king at the moment. He had little dignity at the moment. He had no crown. He had no royal robes. He was a peasant carpenter. But this is exactly as prophesied. Isaiah 53 says he had no stately form or majesty that we should look at him, and Pilate certainly didn’t look at him with much respect. Thus Pilate’s question: “What have you done?”

Jesus could have answered this question by saying,

What have I done? I have gone about doing good, opening blind eyes and strengthening lame legs. I have touched lepers whom others would not touch. I have spoken peace. I have healed those tormented by demons. I have fed the hungry and I have welcomed children. I have proclaimed good news to the poor and liberty to the captives. I have taught the truth about My Father. I called sinners to repentance and faith. I have exposed hypocrisy, comforted the brokenhearted, and invited the weary to find rest in Me. I have obeyed My Father in all things, seeking not My own will but His. Now I stand here, not because I have done evil, but because I have loved righteousness and testified to the truth.

Jesus could have answered this way. But in verse 36, Jesus goes back to answer Pilate’s first question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” by describing his kingdom:

John 18:36a
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Jesus says this as if to say that he is no threat to Pilate and the Romans. Jesus begins and ends with the same statement: “My kingdom is not of this world.” He proves this by noting that nobody is taking up arms in protest or fight against the Romans. Nobody is even fighting against the Jews, which would have been the case if he were a revolutionary. The kingdom of Jesus is a spiritual kingdom. His kingdom is one which will come in fullness when he comes again.

We need to catch this for our own lives. We are dual citizens. Yes, we are Americans, who love our country and will be loyal to our country. But we have a greater country, a heavenly one, to which we have a greater loyalty. “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20–21).

Do you live as a citizen of heaven ought to live? Setting your mind on things above, not on things that are on earth? Do you look to Jesus often in prayer? Is your hope and expectation in Christ and his kingdom? Are you fearful when war erupts in the Middle East? Are you confident in God’s kingdom? Do you fear when troubles come upon our nation? Do you realize that when troubles come, it may be bad for America, but it’s good for the church, it’s good for our heavenly country. Our kingdom is with Jesus, not of this world.

We continue in verse 37 with another question:

5. “So you are a king?” (verse 37)

John 18:37a
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answers in the affirmative. He said,

John 18:37b
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

After affirming his kingship, Jesus goes on to give his purpose in coming. It’s not to overthrow the Romans. It’s to turn people to the truth. He came to bear witness of the truth.

What a succinct statement of why Jesus came! He came to tell the truth. Truth about God. Truth about people. Truth about salvation.

The truth centers around Jesus. In the gospel of John, Jesus said,

- “I am the bread of life.” We come to him for life.
- “I am the light of the world.” He shines in a dark place.
- "I am the door.” You come to salvation through him.
- “I am the good shepherd.” He cares for those who believe.
- “I am the resurrection and the life.” We who believe in Jesus will never die.
- “I am the true vine.” Our life comes through him.

This is the truth that Jesus came to declare. If you are of the truth, you will hear his voice and believe.

Then we hear Pilate's response:

6. “What is truth?” (verse 38a)

John 18:38a
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Post-modernism is nothing new. Pilate speaks like people speak today. People talk today like there are many truths. Your truth. My truth.

Pilate doesn’t realize that he didn’t quite get the question right. The question shouldn’t be “What is truth?” Rather, the question should be “Who is truth?” The truth was standing right in front of Pilate and he didn't recognize it at all.

Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The truth was standing right there. He had every opportunity to hear the truth. But Pilate left quickly.

John 18:38b
“After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews.”

Pilate wasn't really interested in the truth. Are you?

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on March 1, 2026 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] You can watch the actual sentencing (with English subtitles) here.

[2] Rudolf Bultmann, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, quoted in Edward W. Klink III, John (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 760.