John 18:28-40
Jesus Before Pilate
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
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?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
John 17:1-5
Jesus Brought Glory to God in His Ministry
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
When Jesus was in His trial before Pilate, Pilate ask Him, if He were a King...And Jesus tells us that His Kingdom is not of this world...If His Kingdom were of this world, His servants would have been fighting and would have saved Him from the cross...But Jesus is not from this world and His kingdom is not from this world...Jesus brought God glory on earth by completing the work God had given Him to do...And He ask God to Glorify Him in His Presence with the glory He had with God before the world began...
Jesus is a Real King, with a Real Kingdom...And He certainly recognized that as a Real King is the One that recognizes God and that God is a part of His governing Kingdom...Jesus is a True Rabbi and Minister of God...Jesus knew how to serve God and to show people God's Glory is the Way His Kingdom must be ruled...Jesus is a True Minister of God's...
Theologian John Calvin put it this way, “A real king is the one who recognizes that, in governing his kingdom, he is a true minister of God...Conversely whoever does not reign with a view to serving God's glory acts not as a ruler but as a robber.”...