Daily Scripture Reading John 18:18-36

People who live in democracies like to assume their judicial system is fair and just. Likewise, Christians assume their church leaders are honest and dispense discipline justly. It is difficult to convince many people that there is rampant corruption within representative government or evangelicalism.

However, power corrupts. Anyone in leadership has power. They are susceptible to corruption, particularly when the checks and balances on power is defective. Part of the reason power corrupts is that once people have power, they want to keep it and expand it.

The 18th chapter of John records the trials of Jesus. It was actually the Jewish religious leaders, the ones who should have been defending truth and justice, who most corrupted justice in the case of Jesus. As we read how Jesus was subjected to a fraudulent trial, we need to remind ourselves that travesties of justice can happen today, both in the legal system and inside evangelicalism.

After eating the Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus prayed for them. Then they crossed the Kidron Valley and entered a garden. Judas led the authorities to the garden where they arrested Jesus. Jesus was taken to Annas.

Peter and another disciple followed Jesus and entered the court of the high priest. Peter denied being one of Jesus’ disciples.

John 18:18 Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.

John 18:19 ¶ The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching.

The text does not give us specifics about what exactly the high priest asked. It only gives us two broad categories. The categories were the disciples and teachings of Jesus. The disciples of Jesus were not on trial. Furthermore, the teachings of Jesus were mere words. Pay attention to what is missing. The high priest did not question Jesus about His actions.

The reality is the Jewish leaders knew they did not have any legitimate grounds to get rid of Jesus, so they were trying to manufacture a reason.

John 18:20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret.

John 18:21 Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; behold, they know what I said.”

Jesus very effectively pointed out the emptiness of the high priest’s questions. Jesus taught in public. He was followed by huge throngs of people. If He had been doing something illegal, it would have been easy for the high priest to bring forth witnesses who could testify that Jesus did something wrong. The fact that the high priest did not question those who heard Jesus teach was an admittance that the high priest had no basis on which to convict Jesus.

John 18:22 And when He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby gave Jesus a slap, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?”

John 18:23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?”

Jesus challenged the officer to testify as to what Jesus said wrong. There was no way the officer was going to do that because the truth was Jesus did not say anything that was not true.

The reality is the Jewish leaders were against Jesus because He exposed their corruption and threatened their power. The Jewish leaders abused their power in an attempt to silence Jesus.

This is something that has happened throughout human history and it happens today. Power corrupts. People who have power, particularly unchecked power, become corrupt. Then they use their power to silence anyone who exposes their corruption.

Today, the legal system is being abused in order to silence those who are trying to expose rampant corruption. Many church leaders are guilty of adultery, sex abuse, spiritual abuse, and other immorality. They abuse church discipline in order to cover up their nefarious behavior.

Many people give political and church leaders the benefit of the doubt and assume they are good people. However, the trial of Jesus demonstrates the extent to which religious leaders will abuse power in order to cover up their sordid deeds. We need to be aware today’s church leaders may be doing the same thing.

John 18:24 So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

John 18:25 ¶ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”

In John 13:37-38 we read that Peter had vowed to lay down his life for Jesus, but that Jesus has predicted Peter would deny Him three times. This was the second denial. The first is recorded in John 18:17.

John 18:26 One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”

John 18:27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

This was the third denial. The other gospel writers tell us Peter wept bitterly at his failure. John did not mention that, perhaps because his account was written after the other accounts and he didn’t think it was necessary to repeat that information.

John 18:28 ¶ Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.

The Praetorium was the Roman palace or headquarters. The Jews did not want to enter it since it was not a ceremonially clean place. If they had made themselves unclean, they would not have had enough time to purify themselves before Passover.

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

This verse tells us Pilate went out to the Jews. Instead of forcing the Jews to choose between making themselves unclean or waiting till after Passover, Pilate went out to them so that they did not have to make themselves unclean. As much as there was antagonism between the Romans and the Jews, this shows that Pilate was willing to accommodate the religious standards of the Jews.

Pilate had a reasonable question. The Jews should have had a legitimate accusation against Jesus before bringing Him to Pilate.

John 18:30 They answered and said to him, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”

The Jews did not give an accusation. They asked Pilate to assume they had a legitimate reason for condemning Jesus.

John 18:31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

John 18:32 in order that the word of Jesus which He spoke would be fulfilled, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.

John 18:33 ¶ Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

From Pilate’s perspective, he knew Rome did not recognize Jesus as the king of the Jews. Therefore, if Jesus had claimed to be the king, he would have had a reason to accuse Jesus of insurrection or something similar.

John 18:34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this from yourself, or did others tell you about Me?”

Jesus understood the dilemma of the question. Jesus knew He is the heir to the throne of David. He also knew Pilate would not understand that. Instead of answering, Jesus put Pilate on the spot with a question.

John 18:35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what did You do?”

John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be delivered over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not from here.”

Jesus admitted to being a king; however, He also accurately described His kingdom as not of this world.

Many people give political and church leaders the benefit of the doubt and assume they are good people. However, the trial of Jesus demonstrates the extent to which religious leaders will abuse power in order to cover up their sordid deeds.

What are some contemporary examples of political leaders abusing the legal system to hide their corruption?

What are some examples of contemporary church leaders abusing their power and church discipline in order to cover their sins?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”