John 18:38 Commentary and Bible Study

Truth – that word catches the attention of Pilate. ‘What is truth?’ he says with heavy contempt. He was supposed to be a polytheist, a believer in umpteen Roman gods. He did not buy that. He did not believe that there was any clarity, any truth, anybody who really knew what was really what, whether there were gods or not. Though a superstitious man, in his heart he had given up the gods of Rome. He is able to say with great contempt, ‘What is truth?’ How can anyone talk about truth? Pilate was indifferent; he was ready to be bullied by the Jewish leaders into pronouncing sentence, death sentence on Christ. He was indifferent. He made feeble efforts to deliver him but he soon gave up. As for the Jewish leaders, they were filled with hate for Christ because he condemned them and he pointed out their ignorance and their hypocrisy and so Christ is duly delivered up to suffering and to death.So Pilate says to the Jews: ‘I find in him no fault’ and our translators have added ‘at all’ to try to get across the emphasis of the Greek. ‘I’ve charged him with setting himself as a king and he comes out with something I don’t understand, that he’s only a king in hearts; he’s only a king of a heavenly kingdom, a non-earthly kingdom. That is no offence under Roman law, or any law. I find no fault in him at all.’ And yet he would be sent to Calvary! The Jews try him: it’s an illegal trial; trumped up false witnesses, and they find him guilty. Pilate tries him, and he finds him not guilty, and yet not guilty and he goes to execution.