God's Faithful Saving Action: John 18:33-37

The Gospel of John tells the story of the Roman trial of Jesus in seven dramatic, highly symbolic scenes (Jn 18:29–32; 33–38a; 38b–40; 19:1–3; 4–7; 8–11; 12–16a). It is in the second scene (Jn 18:33-37), that Pilate asks Jesus directly: “So you are a king?” This scene is proclaimed on the Feast of Christ the King, a feast at the end of the liturgical year.

Many today feel uncomfortable calling Jesus “King” as the title conjures up ideas and artwork of a ruling monarch associated with wealth and pomp. However, reading John’s Gospel where Jesus is called “king”, aware of both the context of the ancient Roman empire and our context today, may open new, practical and inspiring ways for us to understand and live as disciples.

Humble Beginnings

In John’s Gospel, persons who come to Jesus are often led to him by another. Philip found Nathanael and told him about “Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth”. Nathanael asked: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:48). Joseph and Jesus, who lived in that despised town, were carpenters and most likely day labourers. It could be that they worked on the reconstruction of Sepphoris, the largest city in Galilee, which was about an hour’s walk from Nazareth. Nathanael’s response indicates that Jesus is not the expected messiah.

Roman Governors

Governors functioned in the Roman hierarchical, imperial system as a small core of allied elites. Men appointed to the position of Governor, like Pilate, came from the wealthy, Roman aristocracy. Their role included keeping order, collecting taxes, fiscal administration, engaging in building projects, commanding troops and administering justice — including the power to put people to death.

Jesus as King

Against the background of the powerful role of the Roman governor, the portrayal of Jesus as a different kind of king is accentuated -— 13 times in Jn 18:33-19:21 and earlier in the Gospel Jesus is addressed as king (Jn 1:49; 6:15; 12:13, 15). The word for “king” (basileus) was often used of the Roman emperor so Jesus is presented in an opposing relationship to Caesar and his representative, Pilate. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is not silent before Pilate as he is in the other three gospels.

When Jesus asserts that his basileia (kingdom) “is not from this world,” he is contrasting his basileia with the feared Roman basileia. The issue is about power and sovereignty and how this is expressed. Jesus is a political threat to how Rome and Jerusalem order the world.

Jesus’s Basileia

The origin of Jesus’s basileia is central to Jesus’s understanding. He knows the world is created and loved by God (Jn 1:10; 3:16; 15:18-19). Jesus’s basileia is from God (John 3:31; 8:23, 42; 16:28) and he reveals God’s claim over all human lives and structures. Jesus makes a strong political statement when he establishes God’s basileia over all, including Pilate.

Jesus’s followers offer no armed resistance when he is arrested (Jn 18:36). Jesus uses the same word for his followers (usually translated as “police”) as that used for those sent by the temple elite to arrest him (Jn 18:3, 12, 18, 22; 19:6).

The sense of this word is to work with another as the instrument of that person’s will. The will of Pilate and his Jerusalem allies is based on coercive power and domination while the will of Jesus is to testify to the truth.

Truth — God’s Faithful Action

Truth is a key word in John. We might think of it as meaning “genuine” or “real”. Jesus describes himself as “truth” (Jn 8:32; 14:6). But in the biblical tradition, it often means “faithfulness” or “loyalty” in the sense that a person is faithful to their obligations and commitments.

The Hebrew term for “truth” or “true” (‘emet), is often translated as “faithfulness”. God acts “truthfully” when God is faithful to God’s covenantal promises by showing hesed (mercy, steadfast love or loving kindness) to save the people. For example, in Exodus 34:6, God is described as “abounding in mercy (hesed) and faithfulness (‘emet)”.

When Jesus declares that his mission is to testify to “the truth,” he is telling Pilate that he witnesses to God’s faithfulness in saving the people. Jesus witnesses to the truth (Jn 3:33), declares he is the truth (Jn 14:6) and reveals that God is acting faithfully to save the world God so loves (Jn 3:16-17; 8:14-18). Truth, then, refers to God’s faithful, saving action.

Jesus also explains to Pilate that the characteristic of those who “belong to the truth” is to listen to his voice — as the sheep listen to the Good Shepherd and Mary of Bethany listens to Jesus. Pilate does not listen, nor does he “see” who Jesus is, his origin nor his mission.

Choice About Reality

At this point in the Gospel there are two trials taking place. On the story level is the trial of Jesus. But on the symbolic level is the trial of “the Jews”, Pilate and all humanity. Those in the symbolic trial have two choices — the reign of God in the world as revealed by Jesus or “the world”.

“The world” (cosmos) frequently mentioned in John (78 times) has three senses. The first is the created universe that God found to be “very good”. In creation we find the revelation unfolding through time.

The second sense of “the world” suggests creation which is able to respond.

And the third sense of “the world” is a choice about how we see reality: for God or for the Evil One. Evil becomes flesh in the world by individual and collective actions in political, economic, social and religious systems. Ongoing creation and renewal are needed for disciples to be faithful to their obligations and commitment.

Jesus Is Not Silent

We hear Jesus’s challenge in the choices we need to make for the world today: “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (Jn 18:37). Sandra Schneiders wrote: “The ‘world’ with which we are concerned … [is] the good world to which we are missioned, the evil world which we confront, and the alternative world” we are called into with Jesus to complete the works of God.

We may associate the word “king” with absolute power — the power to dominate, to decide the fate of others, even, in the case of the Roman empire, to put people to death. “Christ the King” is a direct challenge to this — Christ seeks to bring about God’s alternative world and we are called to respond by engaging with Christ in God’s mission in God’s “very good” unfolding universe.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 298 November 2024: 24-25