King of the Jews
Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”
The Jewish leaders trumped up charges against Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They wanted Jesus to be executed, and they told Pilate they didn’t have authority to kill Him (John 18:31). They told Pilate, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Luke 23:2). These were serious charges hinting at treason and revolution.
But Pilate was not convinced. So he asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. The Gospel of John gives more details of the conversation:
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’
“Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’
“Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth’” (John 18:36-37).
See our related articles “Born to Be a King” and “10 Reasons the Trial of Jesus Was Illegal.”
Jesus Christ came the first time to die and become our Savior, but He promises to return as King of the Kingdom of God! See the article “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” for more about this wonderful promise.
