OPINION —
Most of us have a pretty clear picture in our minds when we hear the word “king.” We think of crowns, thrones, armies and power. We imagine someone surrounded by guards, protected by wealth and recognized by everyone around him as a person of authority.
That’s what makes the scene in John 18 so striking. Jesus is standing before Pilate with none of those things. He’s not sitting on a throne. He’s not surrounded by an army — He doesn’t appear to be in control of the situation. From the outside, Pilate looks like the one with power, and Jesus looks like the prisoner.
Pilate asks Him directly, “Are You the King of the Jews?” It’s a political question, because Pilate is trying to figure out whether Jesus poses a threat to Rome. But Jesus answers in a way that immediately changes the conversation. He tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
That doesn’t mean Jesus’ kingdom has nothing to do with the world around us. It means His kingdom isn’t built the way earthly kingdoms are built. It doesn’t depend on armies, political influence, force or human approval. Jesus even says that if His kingdom were of this world, His servants would fight for Him.
That’s an important distinction for us. It’s easy to become so wrapped up in the kingdoms of this world that we forget the kingdom we actually belong to. Nations rise and fall, political parties come and go and leaders eventually leave office, but Daniel 2:44 speaks of a kingdom that “shall never be destroyed.” That kingdom belongs to Christ.
Pilate seems confused by the conversation and asks Jesus again, “Are You a king then?” Jesus doesn’t back away from the title. He tells Pilate that He was born for this purpose and came into the world to bear witness to the truth.
What stands out to me is that Jesus never asks Pilate to approve of His kingship. He doesn’t need Rome to recognize Him in order to be King. Matthew 28:18 later records Jesus saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” That changes the way we should think about our relationship with Him. Jesus isn’t King because we agree with Him. He isn’t King because a majority votes for Him, because a culture accepts Him or because His teachings happen to fit our preferences. He’s King because He’s King.
That means the real question isn’t whether Jesus has authority. The question is whether we’re willing to live under it. Jesus goes on to tell Pilate that He came to bear witness to the truth. In a world where truth is often treated like something flexible, personal or negotiable, Jesus speaks very differently. In John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
If Jesus is King and Jesus is truth, then following Him means allowing His truth to shape us. It means Scripture has the right to correct us, challenge us and change us. We don’t get to follow Jesus only in the places where He already agrees with us. That may be one of the harder parts of calling Jesus King. Most of us like the idea of a Savior who forgives us, comforts us and gives us hope. We sometimes struggle more with the King who tells us how to live.
Yet Jesus says in John 18:37, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” That same idea appears in John 10:27 when He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Listening to the King isn’t simply hearing His words; it’s allowing those words to direct our lives. That’s where this passage becomes very personal. What voice has the most influence over my decisions? Is it Jesus, or is it culture, politics, friends, fear, convenience or my own feelings?
Luke 6:46 records Jesus asking, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” That question is difficult because it exposes the difference between admiring Jesus and actually submitting to Him. A king isn’t someone we merely respect from a distance. A king is someone we obey.
Pilate looked at Jesus and saw a man standing on trial. We look back at the same scene knowing something Pilate didn’t yet understand. The One standing before him would be mocked, beaten and crucified, but death wouldn’t have the final word. Three days later, the tomb would be empty.
Jesus was King when Pilate questioned Him. He was King when the crowd rejected Him. He was King when the nails were driven in, and He was King when He walked out of the tomb. His authority never depended on human approval. And it still doesn’t.
So perhaps the most important question isn’t, “Do I believe Jesus is King?” Maybe the better question is, “Does the way I live show that He’s my King?”
