The Jews brought Jesus to Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea) as he had the authority to judge and pass death sentence to a criminal. (The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus be crucified and dead.) So Pilate had a rare occasion to encounter Jesus. The following is the conversation between Pilate and God (Jesus):
John 18:33-38 (New King James Version)
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?”
36 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.”
37 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. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.
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Pilate and Jesus were talking on two different levels. Pilate asked questions and Jesus answered. But Pilate could not understand what Jesus was telling him.
1. Pilate’s Question: “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus’ Answer: “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?”
What Jesus was interested was Pilate’s motive behind the question. What was he trying to find out? Was he seeking God for himself? Or was he just repeating what others had accused as a routine part of the interrogation? Jesus was also trying to alert Pilate to ponder and see beyond his narrow vision.
2. Pilate’s Question: “Am I a Jew?” (meaning: what you are is none of my personal concern. I am not interested in who you are. I am just doing a job here) “What have you done?” (another interrogation question)
Jesus’ answer: ““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.” (Jesus told him plainly who He is, so Pilate had a chance to rise to a higher level)
3. Pilate’s Question: “Are You a king then?” (Alas, he remained uninterested, merely continuing his usual interrogation)
Jesus’ answer: “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. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jesus gave Pilate another chance to know Him, the King of kings, Lord of lords)
4. Pilate’s Question: “What is truth?” (Pilate missed the chance. He was still engrossed in doing his normal usual mundane mortal chores as a governor. He missed the once in a life time opportunity to know God, whom he had encountered face to face!) He wasn’t looking for an answer to life. He remained a sceptical, hardened, pragmatic military-political-administrative man.
After this discourse, Pilate thought he had done his job and told the Jews his conclusion. “I find no fault in Him at all.” He told them.
The kingdom of God had come so near to Pilate but he missed it. Why? He was just a natural human, walking according to what can be seen and perceived by the senses. He could not understand the supernatural (spiritual) realm and its reality.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
So, this is how you can get so close to entering the kingdom of God and and yet miss entering the narrow gate…
