Jesus was declaring that his kingdom was not of this world

JESUS WAS DECLARING THAT HIS KINGDOM WAS NOT OF THIS WORLD
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
JOHN 18:36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this
world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent
my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom
is from another place.”
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Unworldly Kingdom
John 18:36
J.R. Thomson It is not always possible to return a direct answer to a question. When Pilate asked
our Lord Jesus, "Art thou a King?" the reply could not have been either "Yes" or "No" without
misleading the questioner. In a sense he was not a king, - that is, he made no claim to an earthly,
temporal sovereignty; in another sense he was a King, - a spiritual Sovereign, although his
kingdom was not of this world. Thus the question of the Roman governor was the occasion of the
utterance of a great truth, a great principle, distinctive of the religion and Church of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
I. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN ITS COMPATIBILITY WITH AND ITS
TOLERANCE OF OTHER KINGDOMS. Earthly governments do not admit of the imperium in
imperio. The same subject cannot owe allegiance to two lords. The same land cannot admit the
promulgation of different codes of law. Oppression, confusion, rebellion, anarchy, would be the
result of such an attempt. But the kingdom of the Lord Jesus can exist and flourish in the most
diverse forms of secular government. The subjects of a despotic monarchy, and the citizens of a
democratic republic, are alike capable of acknowledging the supremacy and obeying the
commands of King Jesus. So far from destroying or imperiling a state, Christianity, when it takes
possession of a people, tends to establish a state in righteousness, freedom, and peace. The ruler
and the governed may alike confess the sway and honor the authority of the Lord and King of
men.
II. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN THE CHARACTER AND THE
APPEARANCE OF ITS MONARCH. Earthly kings are always imperfect in character, and

sometimes unjust, malevolent, vain, and selfish; yet they may maintain the outward semblance of
dignity, wealth, magnificence, and power. The Lord Christ, on the contrary, had no earthly rank,
or splendor, no gorgeous palace, no imposing retinue. He was in outward guise lowly and
obscure, and he was by men scoffed at and despised. Yet he was and is the Holy One and Just,
the faultless and benevolent Ruler of men, the Lord of heaven, the Judge of all. How wonderful
and sublime a contrast to the kings of this world is the meek Monarch, the scepter of whose
kingdom is a right scepter!
III. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN ITS OWN ORIGIN AND IN ITS
SOVEREIGN'S TITLE AND CLAIM. The conception did not spring up in a human mind.
"Now," said Jesus, "is my kingdom not from hence." Designated "the kingdom of heaven" and
"the kingdom of God," it is, in its ground and in its character, what such designations involve. It
is to the Divine wisdom and love that this unworldly kingdom must be traced. Christ is King by
inheritance, as Son of God; by conquest, as the redeeming Lord; by choice and election, being
welcomed by the joyful acclamations of his loyal subjects. In all these respects our Savior's title
to the throne is very different from the titles put forward by the kings of this earth.
IV. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN THE NATURE OF ITS DOMINION OVER
ITS SUBJECTS. The subjects of an earthly monarch are usually born beneath the sway of their
liege lord. In any case their obedience and submission, their aid and support, are required, and
the requirement is, if necessary, enforced by penalties. The sway of the king is over the outward
actions, the speech and habits of the subjects. Very different is the case with the members of that
spiritual state of which Jesus is the sovereign Ruler. They are all citizens of the commonwealth
and subjects of the King in virtue of personal faith and voluntary submission. Christ reigns in the
heart; he has no care for the mere homage of the lips, the mere prostration of the body. His is a
spiritual empire.
V. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN THE AIM IT SEEKS AND THE MEANS IT
EMPLOYS. Whilst earthly sovereignties aim at the outward order and prosperity of the
community, at peace and wealth, at conquest and glory, at power and fame, and whilst they
employ secular means towards these ends - Christ's kingdom contemplates purely moral ends -
the growth and prevalence of righteousness and holiness, patience and love; in a word, those
spiritual characteristics which are distinctive of every divinely ordered society, and by means in
harmony with such ends. No fear or constraint, no magistrates, officers, soldiers, prisons, does
Christ employ. He disclaims force; "else," said he, "would my servants fight." His is a kingdom
in which truth is revealed and embodied - truth which calls for faith, and the support of
intelligence and loyalty. The laws of the spiritual kingdom are not prohibitions; they take the
form of examples, and are sustained by the sanction of Divine love.
VI. CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS UNWORLDLY IN ITS EXTENT AND PERPETUITY. Whilst
no earthly conqueror has been suffered by Divine providence to achieve a universal dominion,
Christ shall "reign from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." Whilst all
human governments are liable to decay, and the Roman empire itself passed into a decline which
issued in its fall, Christ's "kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endureth to all
generations." - T.

Biblical Illustrator
My kingdom is not of this world.
John 18:36
The kingdom of Christ
D. Moore, M. A.I. ITS NATURE. "Not of this world," because —
1. It is spiritual. Utterly unlike those shifting, earthly sovereignties which are founded in arms,
maintained by policy, and passed, by death, from one hand to another; or to that rude and
turbulent anarchy, which has often cast down and destroyed nations. Throughout our Lord's
ministrations, He never would employ force at all. From the first, He was careful to teach that the
weapons of the Christian warfare are not carnal, that the wrath of man would never work the
righteousness of God. "Not by might, nor by power," &c.
2. The setting up of this kingdom in any individual heart is related to the principle of an invisible
administration, to the transference of service from one unseen master to another, so that our
sinful bondage may be broken and a spiritual freedom gained, which the world indeed seeth not
nor can see. "Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness
and hath translated us," &c. Messiah has no born subjects, no hereditary followers; His servants
are all the redeemed from a bondage which, until the day of His power came upon them, they
have no power to throw off. The fact is important as showing that the affairs of the spiritual
kingdom, though administered by an omnipotent hand, are yet administered only in harmony
with the conditions of our moral liberty. Christ will not have forced subjects.
3. The influences which tend to its growth and establishment, come not of observation, can never
be understood by the world, but do their work silently, secretly, making a sort of life within a
life, A life hid with Christ in God.
4. In this world, even to the spiritual eye, the sight of its glorious realities cannot be shown.
Visions of the King in His beauty are not for this earthly state: we must wait for the day of His
appearing. "Now we see only through a glass darkly."
II. HOW IT IS MAINTAINED AND SUPPORTED.
1. The means by which Christ's subjects are brought into this kingdom are not of this world.
Christ uses no force, bribes or guile. He makes us so willing that on His drawing them they run
after Him. What is the agency which works in the heart? It is the power of love; the remnants of
a better nature appealed to to say whether such a Saviour should be slighted by anybody with a
heart at all?
2. There are laws and statutes by which the spiritual government is carried on. These are not like
those which belong to a kingdom of this world — confined to the outward life, to the loyalties of
an external obedience, and the homage of the lip and knee. The empire of Christ is over the
heart, and is satisfied with nothing but the casting down of heart pride, and the rooting out of
heart sin, and the maintaining of heart-allegiance and duty. And Christ claims to have the
ordering of our whole inner life; to give the law to conscience, the rule to the judgment, the

choice to our wills, to direct the current of our affections, and to fashion the course of our lives.
And He thus maintains His dominion over us.
3. Christ has chastisements for those who infringe the laws of His kingdom; but they are not like
the chastisements of this world, nor are they administered after the same capricious and uncertain
rule. "There is a 'needs be' for this chastening. Christ sees something in us which WE see not —
something that hinders repentance, love, prayer."
4. The rewards are not of this world, by which we are urged to become His subjects. The world
has no part in this; does not even understand it; the peace of God — the consolations of Christ —
the fellowship of the Spirit — the justified and unburdened conscience — the tranquil delights of
devotion — death and the great future contemplated without dismay. Our experience belonging
to the kingdom of the invisible, "we look not," says the Apostle, "on the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen." Unseen triumphs, an unseen King; the unseen rewards of
the righteous when they shall sit with Christ upon His throne.Conclusion:
1. In this world Christians are not unfrequently afflicted and poor people, esteemed lightly and
uncared for. How comforting is the thought that there is a King to protect and bless and defend
them.
2. As children of the kingdom, Christ has a special property in us. The name He has given to us
— the blood He has shed for us — the victories He has won for us — the agencies He has set up
for us in His Word and sacraments, are all so many pledges that He will never leave us.
3. Christ is a King, then, but He is a spiritual king. Whether we look at the individual or the
collective triumphs of His kingdom, we cannot find out the law of success. We scatter the
incorruptible seed, but we know not whether shall prosper, this or that. No account can be given
why to this man the message is blessed, and to that man it should fail; why to this it should be a
savour of life unto life; to that a savour of death unto death. All is spiritual, unseen. When the
word prospers we see nothing but the fruits, and these are developed often secretly, slowly
silently.
(D. Moore, M. A.)
Christ's kingdom
J. Burroughs.I. CHRIST HATH A KINGDOM.
1. Providential.
2. Mediatorial.
II. WHAT KIND OF A KINGDOM? It differs from worldly kingdoms —
1. In pomp and glory.
2. In its subjects.
3. Rule.
4. Homage.
5. Weapons.
6. Privileges.
7. Penalties.
III. THE PRIVILEGES OF ITS SUBJECTS.

1. All their business is transacted in the court of Christ.
2. They are free.
3. They have free trade with heaven.
4. Right to all the Saviour's ordinances.
5. His protection.
6. Will be victorious.
IV. WHY CHRIST'S KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.
1. Because He would confound the wisdom of the world.
2. Because He delights to exercise the graces of His saints.
3. That His power and wisdom may appear more glorious.
(J. Burroughs.)
The spirituality of Christ's kingdom
A. G. Brown.I. WHAT DOES CHRIST MEAN BY THE TERM "MY KINGDOM"? It means
the empire Christ came to found on earth, or in other words, the Church which He purchased
with His blood. Although our Lord came on earth as Man, and that a poor, sorrowful, despised
one, yet did He come commissioned from heaven to found an empire which should outlast and
outlive all powers and dominations then existing.
1. The empire of Christ consists of those who own allegiance to Him. It was once far otherwise
with them; with the weapons of the rebel grasped tightly in their hands, and with hearts burning
with hell's hatred, they blasphemously shouted, "We will not have this Man to reign over us."
2. The empire of Jesus consists of those in whose heart He reigns. In every human breast there is
by nature some hideous hateful Dagon; some proud usurper of the Saviour's throne. But in the
hearts of those who are included in the kingdom this Dagon has been hurled with ignominy to
the ground. The ark of the Lord has entered, and before it the idol has fallen.
3. The kingdom of Jesus is, as we have already said, His Church.
4. One thought more, and I will close this first division of our subject. The kingdom of Christ
shall last for ever. And when this world, with all its proud domains, shall have been consumed in
the general fire, then transplanted into heaven, shall this kingdom shine, the only one that has
outlived the general wreck of time.
II. LET US NOW CONSIDER WHAT IS SAID CONCERNING THIS KINGDOM. It is "not of
this world."
1. Its institution was not of this world. Monarchs founded it not; princes formed it not; nor is it
the creation of a state. It is in its origin most emphatically "not of this world." So far from the
world aiding its institution, it has been set up in spite of the world's most bitter opposition. Had it
been of the world, then the world would have loved its own, but as it came from above, it hated
it.
2. Its subjects are not. There is not a single man, woman, or child, who is truly a subject of Christ
and a member of His kingdom, concerning whom it may not be said, he or she is not of this
world. All the members of Christ's Church have been "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." No man is born by nature

a child of this kingdom; were it so the kingdom would at once be of this world, which it is not.
Moreover, it is not in the power of man to introduce a subject into this kingdom; for, were it so,
then again the kingdom would be of this world, which it is not.
3. Its defence is not. It requires no imperial legislation to maintain its existence, nor armies to
subdue its foes. It thrives best when left alone, and grows the fastest when unaided by the world.
4. Its laws are not. The laws which are binding on the Church are only those which have been
framed in heaven, and are transcribed into God's statute-book, the Bible, and we laugh all others
to scorn.
5. Its commerce is not. No kingdom on the face of the whole earth has such a commerce, or
rejoices in such a trade as the kingdom of our Lord. It traffics in the costliest and choicest things,
and all its merchants are merchant princes. Its ships are never wrecked. Its bank — for it has but
one — possesses wealth that is infinite, and therefore can never break. The Church's commerce
is "not of this world." The port with which she trades is the port of heaven. Her vessels are her
prayers, some larger and some smaller, yet all equally insured against shipwreck; the faintest
sigh as well as the most eloquent petition reaches the ear of God. All come back laden with
blessing, for never was praying breath spent in vain. The costly, precious wares she is constantly
receiving consist of such treasures as pardon, peace, joy, contentment, and holiness, all of which
are "precious things of heaven." Her export consists of thanksgiving, gratitude, love, devotion.
But oh, did I not say very rightly that her trade is nearly all import? What poor returns we make
for the mercies that are literally heaped upon us l How lightly laden are our ships of praise!
6. Its precepts are not. Herein does the Church's unworldliness shine transcendently. "Do to
others as they do to you" is the maxim of the world. "Do to others as ye would that they should
do to you" is the precept of this kingdom. "Pay him back in his own coin" is the precept of the
world. "Pay him back in heaven's coinage" is the maxim of the Church.
7. Its pomp and splendour is not. We say not it has none, for it has. It is a kingdom of kings, and
a nation of priests. Every subject is arrayed in royal robes, and the poorest is an "uncrowned
monarch." The kingdom which is from above should be content with the glory that heaven gives
it, and not seek to array itself with the importance and grandeur of a world which it professes to
renounce.
8. Its weapons are not. This fact the verse seems to teach most clearly, for says our Lord, "If My
kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews." We are not allowed to pioneer the way for our religion by the spear, nor enforce its truths
by the sword, as Mahomet did his lies.
(A. G. Brown.)
The invisible growth of Christ's kingdom
H. W. Beecher.You tell your child that this pine-tree out here in the sandy field is one day going
to be as large as that great sonorous pine that sings to every wind in the wood. The child,
incredulous, determines to watch and see whether the field-pine really does grow and become as
large as you say it will. So, the next morning, he goes out and takes a look at it, and comes back
and says, "It has not grown a particle." At night he goes out and looks at it again, and comes
back and says, "It has not grown a bit." The next week he goes out and looks at it again, and
comes back and says, "It has not grown any yet. Father said it would be as large as the pine-tree
in the wood, but I do not see any likelihood of its becoming so." How long did it take that pine-

tree in the wood to grow? Two hundred years. The men who lived when it began to grow have
been buried, and generations besides have come and gone since then. And do you suppose that
God's kingdom is going to grow so that you can look at it and see that it has grown during any
particular day? You cannot see it grow. All around you are things that are growing, but that you
cannot see grow. And if it is so with trees and things that spring out of the ground, how much
more is it so with the kingdom of God! That kingdom is advancing surely, though it advances
slowly, and though it is invisible to us.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Christ's kingdom not of this world
E. de Pressense, D. D.An attempt had been made to alarm the emperor by connecting the
Christian hope of Christ's second coming with the intrigues of the Jews for the recovery of their
independence. Domitian at once questioned the grandchildren of Jude (he had heard that they
were the race of David) as to the nature of the glorious kingdom for which they were looking. He
was only reassured by learning how poor they were, and by seeing their horny hands, which
proved that these supposed rivals of Caesar were nothing more than simple labourers.
(E. de Pressense, D. D.)
M. D. Hoge, D. D.I. THE KINGDOM WAS EMPHATICALLY HIS.
1. Nothing arrests our attention more forcibly than the extraordinary claims our Lord asserted for
Himself. Commingled with the most lowly humility, there was the quiet assumption of an
authority more than regal. How would it have sounded had Aristotle said, "I am the light of the
world"? had Socrates said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour"? &c.; had Plato said, "I am the
resurrection and the life"? And yet these amazing declarations fall as naturally from the lips of
Christ as dew falls upon the grateful flowers. To the Jewish people there was no greater name
than that of Moses; but Christ put the crown on the head of Moses when He said, "He wrote of
Me." David's memory was a heritage of glory; but Christ reminded the people that while David
sat on a thone, He was His subject, and called Him Lord. Solomon was a synonym for all regal
splendour; but Christ said, "A greater than Solomon is here." All these astounding claims find
their justification in two incontestable facts — first, that they were true; and second, that it was
necessary to assert them. Their truth was demonstrated by all subsequent events, and becomes
increasingly manifest with the progress of the ages. Their proclamation was necessary to the
accomplishment of the great purposes for which He became incarnate. To have withheld any
essential fact about Himself would have been, not humility, but treason to the truth itself and
hurtful to humanity. It was therefore perfectly in harmony with the great ends of His mission
that, with nothing but a retinue of fishermen in His train, and that at the very moment when He
was about to be betrayed by one of His own followers, He should have quietly said to them, "I
appoint you a kingdom." And the strangest fact in the annals of government is this, that, after the
lapse of near two thousand years, it numbers more subjects than ever acknowledged allegiance to
any other sovereign.
2. The kingdom was His, too, by appointment and by purchase. He would not receive it from any
hand but that of the Highest. When the god of this world offered Him all the kingdoms for a
single act of homage, He rebuked the tempter. When the people wished to make Him a king, He
resisted, for He had heard the declaration of the Father, "I have set My King upon the holy hill of
Zion."

II. THIS KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD, and differs from all others —
1. In its origin. It was not the product of the historic forces then at work in the world, such as
give rise to the kingdoms of men. There was nothing in the drift of the times to develop it. There
was no existing philosophy, religion, or nation out of which such a kingdom could have
emerged. If it could not have come from —(1) The Greek, worshipping physical and intellectual
beauty, much less from —(2) The Roman, who had now entered upon the darkest period of his
intellectual and moral history.(3) Nor was it the product of dormant forces in the Jewish nation;
on the contrary, the principles of the kingdom and the spirit which animated them were
diametrically opposed both to the principles and spirit of the Judaism of the time.
2. In its purpose. The design of an earthly kingdom is to secure the temporal interests of its
subjects, and the kingdom of Christ incidentally cherishes the temporal interests of man; but its
grand aim is to restore the lost image of God in the soul, to found a kingdom which will include
what is best in all religions, being larger than any ecclesiastical organization.
3. In its character, as an inward and spiritual kingdom, in contradistinction to all that is outward
and material. We invariably associate with the word kingdom the idea of territory; the idea of
power, as expressed by fleets and armies; the idea of luxury and state, as displayed in palaces
and ceremonies; the idea of a succession to the throne, elective or hereditary. But in the kingdom
which is not of this world there are none of these accessories. It is limited by no boundaries; it is
cumbered by no pomp or insignia of authority, &c. It is a kingdom in which the subjects do not
elect their king, but one in which the King elects His subject. It is not a kingdom in which one
king succeeds another, but in which one immortal King reigns through all generations. It is not a
kingdom in which there are inequalities of hereditary rank. No coronet could add to the glory of
that title, and no wealth could augment the riches of that joint-heir with Jesus Christ.
4. In its foundation, which is —(1) In the conscience, and so regulates all the movements of the
life.(2) In the intellect. It so illumines the understanding, furnishes new ideas for the imagination,
and fills the memory with sweet and sacred treasures.(3) In the heart, and purifies all of its
emotions by the expulsive power of a new affection.(4) It sets up the kingdom of truth in the
soul.
5. In its duration, which is everlasting.
III. But while this kingdom is spiritual and inward, it is not one of secret experiences only; it is
one which KINDLES A NEW LIFE AND BECOMES A KINGDOM OF POWER. In the
estimation of men of the world this kingdom is an airy, unreal thing. They can understand a
kingdom that has a visible king in it, with a palace, &c.; but a spiritual citizenship is an empty,
abstract ideal. Nevertheless, it is a kingdom of power, as is proved —
1. By its early triumphs. Its first triumphs were in the land where it originated: under a single
sermon thousands of men entered upon a new life. It pervaded Judea, Asia Minor, Europe, that
by becoming European it might become universal. It seized upon great cities — Antioch,
Ephesus, Thessalonica, Corinth, Athens, Rome.
2. By the individual transformations it effects. The gospel of this kingdom declares its ability to
regenerate men. This is a unique claim, setting it in sharp contrast with all other religions. If it
can re-create men, then its Divine origin is demonstrated. It was the objection urged by Celsus,
that it undertook impossible things, such as "making men over again." The Christian Fathers, in
their reply, asserted that the illustrations of the power of Christianity to do this very thing were
visible everywhere. Does any candid man believe that there was no radical difference between ,

Ignatius, , Clement, and , and the educated gentlemen of the pagan civilizations? What would he
say of Fenelon contrasted with Mirabeau, Pascal with Voltaire, Henry Martyn with Thomas
Paine?Conclusion: It is evident, from what has been said, that —
1. The gospel never loses its power — never grows old. The Cross of Christ is still the world's
great magnet.
2. Though the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, that does not imply that we have no
relations to any other government than His. The civil power is ordained of God, and we are
commanded to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's." Every good citizen is under
obligation to the government whose laws protect him and whose departments are so arranged as
to minister to his convenience and advantage in numberless ways. It is greatly to be desired that
the relations between the Church and the State should ever be those of mutual respect, goodwill,
and confidence. The Church dishonours its own high calling and mistakes its true mission in the
world when, by any ecclesiastical legislation, it attempts to interfere with the functions of civil
government. And the State transcends its authority, and invades a province over which it has no
jurisdiction, when it undertakes to control Church life and order.
3. Though this kingdom is not of this world, it is the kingdom the world most needs. Its
restraining, conservative power is needed to secure its greatest temporal interests.
(M. D. Hoge, D. D.)
The true kingdom
J. ParkerIt will be necessary to guard this declaration from two misconstructions.
1. It does not imply indifference to the political government of this world.
2. It does not imply monastic seclusion from the engagements of this world. What, then, is the
Saviour's meaning? I answer — Christ's kingdom is a purely spiritual constitution. He came not
to found a physical empire, but to establish the sovereignty of great and holy principles. When
may it be justly said that a man's kingdom is of this world? I answer —
I. WHEN MAN'S ENERGIES ARE EXCLUSIVELY DEVOTED TO THE ACCUMULATION
OF EARTHLY TREASURES. There are men whose creed may be condensed into one word —
Gold! They look at all nature and institutions through this medium — Gold. When they gaze
upon the landscape, it is not to admire the undulation of hill and dale, the stately wood or
swelling river, but to speculate upon its properties as a farm.
II. WHEN MAN FAILS TO EXERT ANY EFFORT FOR THE MORAL ELEVATION OF HIS
RACE. Some men profess that their benefactions are known to none but God and the recipients.
Others determine not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth; and this is by no means
an unwise policy where the right hand is doing nothing, and therefore has no tidings to
communicate.
III. WHEN MAN DRAWS HIS HIGHEST JOYS FROM THE FASCINATIONS OF THIS
LIFE. The carnal mind knows nothing of any joy but that which flows through earthly channels.
His highest study is the promotion of self-comfort. When can it be truly affirmed that a man's
kingdom is not of this world? I answer —
I. WHEN MAN REGARDS THE WORLD AS A MEANS RATHER THAN AN END. The
watchword of the Christian is, "Here we have no continuing city." He uses this world as the
builder uses scaffolding, merely for temporary purposes, or as a waiting-room in which he tarries

till the chariot of death shall bear him home, or as a school in which he prosecutes his
rudimentary studies, with a view to the engagements of a higher academy; he never looks upon
this world as a final resting-place. If he has wealth, it is to him a means of usefulness; if he has
influence, he employs it in the promotion of the highest good.
II. WHEN MAN REGARDS THE EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD AS OF SUPREME
IMPORTANCE.
III. WHEN MAN CAN CHEERFULLY RELINQUISH HIS EARTHLY POSSESSIONS. It is
hard work for a monarch to abandon his kingdom. Into whatever region he may pass he feels
himself an exile; however far into distant realms he may travel, he can never find a throne; his
kingdom is behind him, and must remain there for ever. Not so with the Christian. He has not
entered upon his kingdom yet; he is born to it, but at present is journeying towards the land in
which he shall reign as king and serve as son. Under these circumstances he cannot feel the
strong attachment to the charms of this world which binds the hearts of those who are without
hope as to the mysterious future. The man whose kingdom is of this world is sorely tried when
death demands a separation. Young man! that which engages most of your affections is your
kingdom.
(J. Parker, D.D.)
Soame Jenyns.Christ is the only Founder of a religion in the history of mankind which is totally
unconnected with all human policy and government, and, therefore, totally unconducive to any
worldly purpose whatever; all others, Mohammed, Numa, and even Moses himself, blended their
religious institutions with their civil, and by them obtained dominion over their respective
peoples; but Christ neither aimed at nor would accept of any such power; He rejected every
object which other men pursue, and made choice of all those which others fly from and are afraid
of. He refused power, riches, honours, pleasure, and courted poverty, ignominy, tortures, and
death. Many have been the enthusiasts and imposters who have endeavonred to impose on the
world pretended revelations, and some of them from pride, obstinacy, or principle have gone so
far as to lay down their lives rather than retract; but I defy history to show one who ever made
his own sufferings and death a necessary part of his original plan, and essential to his mission.
(Soame Jenyns.)
Links/niv/john/18-36.htm
COMMENTARIES
EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this
world.—The answer of Jesus is two-fold, declaring (1) in this verse, that He is not a King in the
political sense; and (2) in John 18:37, that He is a King in the moral sense. By “of this world” we
are to understand that the nature and origin of His kingdom are not of this world, not that His

kingdom will not extend in this world. (Comp. John 8:23; John 10:16.) In the world’s sense of
king and kingdom, in the sense in which the Roman empire claimed to rule the world, He had no
kingdom.
Then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.—Better, then would
My servants have been fighting. (Comp. John 19:16.) His “servants” are His disciples, who
would be in this relation to Him if He were a temporal king, and the crowds such as those who
had sought to make Him king (John 6:15), and had filled Jerusalem with the cry, “Hosanna:
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (John 12:13). One of His
servants had drawn the sword (John 18:10), and, but that His will had checked the popular
feeling, neither the Jewish officers nor the Roman cohort could have delivered Him to be
crucified.
But now is my kingdom not from hence.—That is, “But, as a matter of fact, My kingdom is not
from here.” It was proved by His standing bound in the presence of the procurator. The clause
has been strangely pressed into the service of millennial views by interpreting it, “But now My
kingdom is not from hence. Hereafter it will be.” For the true sense of “now,” comp. John 8:40;
John 9:41; John 15:22; John 15:24.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary18:33-40 Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the
Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so,
and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion,
but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never
were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his
kingdom. Its nature is not worldly; it is a kingdom within men, set up in their hearts and
consciences; its riches spiritual, its power spiritual, and it glory within. Its supports are not
worldly; its weapons are spiritual; it needed not, nor used, force to maintain and advance it, nor
opposed any kingdom but that of sin and Satan. Its object and design are not worldly. When
Christ said, I am the Truth, he said, in effect, I am a King. He conquers by the convincing
evidence of truth; he rules by the commanding power of truth. The subjects of this kingdom are
those that are of the truth. Pilate put a good question, he said, What is truth? When we search the
Scriptures, and attend the ministry of the word, it must be with this inquiry, What is truth? and
with this prayer, Lead me in thy truth; into all truth. But many put this question, who have not
patience to preserve in their search after truth; or not humility enough to receive it. By this
solemn declaration of Christ's innocence, it appears, that though the Lord Jesus was treated as the
worst of evil-doers, he never deserved such treatment. But it unfolds the design of his death; that
he died as a Sacrifice for our sins. Pilate was willing to please all sides; and was governed more
by worldly wisdom than by the rules of justice. Sin is a robber, yet is foolishly chosen by many
rather than Christ, who would truly enrich us. Let us endeavour to make our accusers ashamed as
Christ did; and let us beware of crucifying Christ afresh.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleMy kingdom ... - The charge on which Jesus was arraigned was that of
laying claim to the office of a king. He here substantially admits that he did claim to be a king,
but not in the sense in which the Jews understood it. They charged him with attempting to set up
an earthly kingdom, and of exciting sedition against Caesar. In reply to this, Jesus says that his
kingdom is not of this world - that is, it is not of the same nature as earthly kingdoms. It was not
originated for the same purpose, or conducted on the same plan. He immediately adds a
circumstance in which they differ. The kingdoms of the world are defended by arms; they

maintain armies and engage in wars. If the kingdom of Jesus had been of this kind, he would
have excited the multitudes that followed him to prepare for battle. He would have armed the
hosts that attended him to Jerusalem. He would not have been alone and unarmed in the garden
of Gethsemane. But though he was a king, yet his dominion was over the heart, subduing evil
passions and corrupt desires, and bringing the soul to the love of peace and unity.
Not from hence - That is, not from this world.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this
world—He does not say "not over," but "not of this world"—that is, in its origin and nature;
therefore "no such kingdom as need give thee or thy master the least alarm."
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to
the Jews—"A very convincing argument; for if His servants did not fight to prevent their King
from being delivered up to His enemies, much less would they use force for the establishment of
His kingdom" [Webster and Wilkinson].
but now—but the fact is.
is my kingdom not from hence—Our Lord only says whence His kingdom is not—first simply
affirming it, next giving proof of it, then reaffirming it. This was all that Pilate had to do with.
The positive nature of His kingdom He would not obtrude upon one who was as little able to
comprehend it, as entitled officially to information about it. (It is worthy of notice that the "MY,"
which occurs four times in this one verse—thrice of His kingdom, and once of His servants—is
put in the emphatic form).
Matthew Poole's CommentaryMy kingdom is not of this world; that is, I cannot deny but that I
am the King of the Jews, but not in the sense they take it, not such a king as they look for in their
Messiah; my kingdom is spiritual, over the hearts and minds of men, not earthly and worldly.
And of this thou thyself mayest be convinced; for was there ever an earthly prince apprehended
and bound for whom none of his subjects would take up arms? There is none of my disciples that
takes up arms, or offereth to fight for me; which is a plain evidence, that I pretend to no kingly
power in disturbance of the Roman government.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleJesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world,.... By
saying which, he tacitly owns he was a king: as such he was set up, and anointed by his Father
from everlasting; was prophesied of in the Old Testament; declared by the angel, both when he
brought the news of his conception, and of his birth; was owned by many, who knew him to be
so in the days of his flesh; and since his resurrection, ascension, and session at God's right hand,
more manifestly appears to be one: he also hereby declares, that he had a kingdom; by which he
means, not his natural and universal kingdom, as God, and the Creator and Governor of all
things; but his mediatorial kingdom, administered both in the days of his flesh, and after his
resurrection; which includes the whole Gospel dispensation, Christ's visible church state on
earth, and the whole election of grace; it takes in that which will be at the close of time, in the
latter day, which will be more spiritual, and in which Christ will reign before his ancients
gloriously; and also the kingdom of God, or of heaven, even the ultimate glory: the whole of
which is not of this world; the subjects of Christ's kingdom are not of the world, they are chosen
and called out of it; the kingdom itself does not appear in worldly pomp and splendour, nor is it
supported by worldly force, nor administered by worldly laws; nor does it so much regard the
outward, as the inward estates of men; it promises no worldly emoluments, or temporal rewards.
Christ does not say it is not "in" this world, but it is not of it; and therefore will not fail, when

this world does, and the kingdoms thereof. Every thing that is carnal, sensual, and worldly, must
be removed from our conceptions of Christ's kingdom, here or hereafter: and to this agrees what
some Jewish writers say of the Messiah, and his affairs;
"the Messiah (they say (o)) is separated from the world, because he is absolutely intellectual; but
the world is corporeal; how then should the Messiah be in this world, when the world is
corporeal, and , "the business of the Messiah is divine, and not corporeal?"''
And since this was the case, Caesar, or any civil government, had no reason to be uneasy on
account of his being a king, and having a kingdom; since his kingdom and interests did not in the
least break in upon, or injure any others: and that this was the nature of his kingdom, he proves
by the following reason;
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to
the Jews: if Christ's kingdom had been a worldly one, set up on worldly views, and governed
with worldly policy, and was to answer some worldly ends, Christ would have had servants
enough among the Jews, who would have declared for him, and took up arms in his favour
against the Romans; his own disciples would not have suffered him to have been betrayed into
the hands of the Jews by Judas; nor would he have hindered them from attempting his rescue, as
he did Peter; nor would they suffer him now to be delivered by Pilate into their hands, to put him
to death; since they had such a Prince at the head of them, who, was he to make use of his power,
was able to drive all the Roman forces before them out of the nation, and oblige a general
submission among the Jews, to the sceptre of his kingdom:
but now is my kingdom not from hence; it does not rise out of, nor proceed upon, nor is it
supported by worldly principles, wherefore none of the above methods are made use of.
(o) R. Juda Bezaleel Nizeach Israel, fol. 48.
Geneva Study Bible{11} Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were
of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is
my kingdom not from hence.
(11) Christ affirms his spiritual kingdom, but rejects a worldly one.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek TestamentHYPERLINK "/john/18-36.htm"John 18:36. But Jesus accepts the
allegation of the Jews and proceeds to explain in what sense He is king: Ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ κ. τ. λ.
My kingdom is not of a worldly nature, nor is it established by worldly means. Had it been so,
my servants would have striven to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But as things are,
νῦν, since it is indisputable that no armed resistance or rescue has been attempted, it is put
beyond question that my kingdom is not from hence. “The substitution of ‘hence’ for ‘of this
world’ in the last clause appears to define the idea of the world by an immediate reference to the
representatives of it close at hand.” Westcott. Perhaps this rather limits the reference. Jesus uses
ἐντεῦθεν as one who has other worlds than this in view.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges36. My kingdom] There is a strong emphasis on ‘My’
throughout the verse; ‘the kingdom that is Mine, the servants that are Mine;’ i.e. those that are
truly such (see on John 14:27). The word for ‘servants’ here is the same as is rendered ‘officers’
in John 18:3; John 18:12; John 18:18; John 18:33, John 7:32; John 7:45-46 (comp. Matthew
5:25), and no doubt contains an allusion to the officials of the Jewish hierarchy. In Luke 1:2, the
only other place in the Gospels where the word is used of Christians, it is rendered ‘ministers,’ as

also in 1 Corinthians 4:1, the only place where the word occurs in the Epistles. Comp. Acts 13:5.
is not of this world] Has not its origin or root there so as to draw its power from thence. Comp.
John 8:23, John 20:19, John 17:14; John 17:16.
if my kingdom] In the original the order is impressively reversed; if of this world were My
kingdom. For the construction comp. John 5:46.
fight] Better, be striving (comp. Luke 13:24; 1 Corinthians 9:25). For the construction comp.
John 5:46, John 8:19; John 8:42, John 9:41, John 15:19.
but now] The meaning of ‘now’ is clear from the context and also from John 8:40, John 9:41,
John 15:22; John 15:24, ‘as it is,’ ‘as the case really stands.’ It does not mean ‘My kingdom is
not of this world now, but shall be so hereafter;’ as if Christ were promising a millenium.
Bengel's GnomenHYPERLINK "/john/18-36.htm"John 18:36. Βασιλεία, kingdom) Thrice Jesus
names His kingdom.—οὐκ, not) Jesus merely says from whence His kingdom is not, namely, not
of this world; but does not express whence it is, namely, from heaven. However He intimates it,
when He says, that “He came into the world,” John 18:37.—ἐκ) The particle of or from is to be
marked. See note on Revelation 11:15, “The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His
Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever.” For ἐν and ἐκ differ: above, ch. John 17:11; John
17:14, “I am no longer in (ἐν) the world;” “I am not of (ἐκ) the world.” Ἐκ denotes precisely the
origin, as presently after ἐντεῦθεν, from hence. [Comp. Erklär. Offenb. p. 553.—V. g.]—κόσμου
τούτου, of this world) On this account Christ did not stay long in this life.—εἰ ἐκ, if of) Of this
world is emphatically put in the beginning of the clause [not ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ ἦν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου,
but ἐκ τ. κοσμ. is put first]. The world defends its kingdoms by force of arms.—ὑπηρέται, My
servants, ministers) who are not from or of this world.—ἠγωνίζοντο, would fight) Each kind of
agent acts in its own sphere.—παραδοθῶ, that I should not be delivered) Pilate was already
contemplating this, John 18:31.—νῦν, now, as it is) The particle is adversative, not a particle of
time.
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 36. - In reply to this challenge, Jesus answered - obviously assuming
the fact that he was a king in a sense entirely different from that which had been maliciously
suggested to Pilate - My kingdom - the kingdom that is mine - is not of this world. Neither now
nor at any future period will it derive its origin from this world. So far as Christ is King, his royal
power and state are not furnished by earthly force, or fleshly ordinances, or physical energies, or
material wealth, or imperial armies. The dominion that he will wield will be one over hearts and
lives; the authority of the Lord Jesus cannot be arrested or overpowered by physical force. Most
commentators justly regard this as a spiritual manifesto of the sources and quality of the
kingdom of Christ, and a foreshadowing of the separation between the spiritual and secular
power - a declaration that all effort to embody Christian laws and government in compulsory
forms, and to defend them by penal sanctions and temporal force, is disloyalty to the royal rank
and crown rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hengstenberg regards the assertion as precisely the
reverse; sees in the passage, "rightly understood, the very opposite purpose. The kingdom that
sprang directly from heaven must have absolute authority over all the earth, and it will not
submit to be put into obscurity. The kingdoms of this world must become the kingdom of the
Lord and his Anointed, and he shall reign for ever and ever." This is true, but not along the lines

or with the machinery of earthly rule and authority. The influence and authority of Heaven works
upon the spirit by truth and righteousness and peace, and thus transforms institutions, permeates
society from the ground of the heart, modifies the relations between the members of a household,
and transfigures those between a ruler and his subjects, between the master and his slaves,
between labor and capital, and between man and man. Whenever it is triumphant, whenever the
lives of kings and their peoples are sanctified by supreme obedience to Christ the King, then war
will be impossible, all tyrannies and slaveries will be abolished, all malice and violence of
monarchs or mobs will be at an end; then the wolfish and the lamblike nature will be at peace.
Then all the means for enforcing the will of one against another will be done away. He will have
put down all rule, authority, and power; for he must reign, and he alone. This kingdom is not (ἐκ)
"from," "out of," this world's methods or resources; does not begin from without and establish
itself, or propagate or preserve itself, from the world, which is a rival, and is not to be coerced
but drawn to itself. Like the individual disciple, the kingdom may be in the world, but not of it.
Christ proceeded, If the kingdom that is mine were from this world, which it is not (mark the
form of the condition), then, on that Supposition, would the servants (ὑπηρέται, generally
translated "officers") that are mine fight, with physical force, in order that I should not be
delivered up (παροδοθῶ) to the Jews. The supposition that the ὑπηρέται of whom our Lord spoke
were "the angels" (as Bengel, Lampe, Stier, and at one time Luthardt, imagined), is distinctly
repudiated by the ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, "of this present world." If it were the case, as it is not,
then would my officers be, not a handful of disciples (whom he generally calls διάκονοι δοῦλοι),
but the servants who would be appropriate to my royal mission, - then would my servants be
busily fighting that I should not be delivered up by the Roman power that is for the moment
thrown over me like a shield, to the Jews, who are thirsting for my blood. The loud cry of hatred
and vengeance may even at this moment have pierced the interior of the Praetorium, thus giving
its force, if not form, to the sentence. Godet thinks our Lord was referring to the crowds who
actually gathered round him on Palm Sunday, and not to hypothetical ὑπηρέται; but the force of
the condition goes down deeper, and, moreover, such language might have awakened the
suspicion that, after all, Jesus had a political following, if he should choose to evoke it. Observe
that this entire severance between "the Jews" and the friends of Christ, which, though
occasionally adopted by the evangelist, is not the customary method of our Lord. The moment at
which the Savior speaks gives great significance to the phraseology (observe John 4:22; John
13:33; John 18:20; the only other occasions on which the Lord used this phrase to denote his
own people). But now (the νῦν, cf. John 9:41 and John 15:22, is logical, not temporal); i.e. But
seeing that it is so - my kingdom, he adds, is not from hence. The ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου is equivalent to
ἐντεῦθεν, and suggests that the kingdom derives its re sources and its energies "from the upper
world, from above."
Vincent's Word StudiesServants (ὑπηρέται)
Only in this passage in the Gospels, of Christians. Compare Acts 13:5; 1 Corinthians 4:1.
Corresponding with Christ as a king.
Fight (ἠγωνίζοντο)
The imperfect tense, denoting action in progress: would now be striving.

PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
STEVEN COLE
Jesus, the King of Truth (John 18:33-38a)
June 14, 2014
In 2007, John MacArthur wrote a very important book, The Truth War [Thomas Nelson], that
began (p. ix), “Who would have thought that people claiming to be Christians—even pastors—
would attack the very notion of truth? But they are.” After citing some specific examples,
MacArthur wrote (p. xi):
The idea that the Christian message should be kept pliable and ambiguous seems especially
attractive to young people who are in tune with the culture and in love with the spirit of the age
and can’t stand to have authoritative biblical truth applied with precision as a corrective to
worldly lifestyles, unholy minds, and ungodly behavior. And the poison of this perspective is
being increasingly injected into the evangelical church body.
He goes on to show how God and truth are inseparable. Satan tempted Eve with the lie that
undermined God’s truthful word. Ever since, the enemy has attacked the truth, because truth is
inextricably bound up with God (John 8:44) and His Son, who speaks the truth and who is the
truth (John 8:45; 14:6). So if we love God and love Christ we must love the truth and defend the
truth when it is under attack. One characteristic of those who incur God’s judgment is that “they
did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). All will be judged who
“did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thess. 2:12).
In John’s account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, he emphasizes two important truths about our
Savior: First, He is the King of the Jews, and by rightful extension, of all people, because His
kingdom is not of this world, but is spiritual. Second, John underscores the Lord’s emphasis on
truth. Jesus tells Pilate (John 18:37), “For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the
world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” To which Pilate
scoffs, “What is truth?” and walks away. Bringing these two points together, we can say that…
Jesus is the King of truth and everyone who is of the truth hears His voice.
1. Jesus is the King of a spiritual kingdom founded on
spiritual truth.
Pilate’s question, “Are You the King of the Jews?” was probably incredulous. You is emphatic,
so the sense is, “You! You’re the King of the Jews?” If Pilate’s question had been sincere in
terms of determining who Jesus really is, he would have been on the right path, because the most
important question for every person to answer correctly is, “Who is Jesus Christ?” If He is who
He claimed to be, then He is worthy of your trust and submission. If He is not, then no one
should waste their time being a Christian.

Jesus could not answer Pilate’s question without further clarification. If Pilate meant, “Are you
the political king of the Jews who is usurping authority from Rome?” the answer is, “No.” If he
meant, “Are You the Messianic King of Israel, promised in the Old Testament?” the answer is,
“Yes, but not in the way that most Jews envision that kingdom.” So Jesus’ question (John 18:34),
“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” is asking, “Have
you personally investigated My claims and are wondering if I am the Jewish Messiah; or are you
relying on the secondhand charges of the Jewish leaders?” Pilate’s contemptuous reply is (John
18:35): “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what
have You done?” Pilate assumed that there must be something behind the Jewish leaders’
accusations, but he wasn’t sure exactly what.
Jesus does not reply to Pilate’s question, “What have You done?” Instead, He elaborates on the
nature of His kingdom. We can learn two things from His reply:
A. As the King over the spiritual realm, Jesus is the rightful sovereignover all
rule and authority.
Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, where the concept of the kingdom is prevalent, John only mentions
the kingdom here and in John 3:3, 5 (but, cf. John 6:15). John 18:36-37: “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 handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this
realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly
that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to
the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’” Jesus’ reply was literally, “You say that
I am a king,” but the expression is “unambiguously affirmative” (D. A. Carson, The Gospel
According to John [Apollos/Eerdmans], p. 594; cf. Matt. 26:63-65).
When Pilate asked, “So You are a king?” he wasn’t looking for spiritual answers regarding
Jesus’ identity. He was just trying to navigate through the Jews’ accusations to get to the bottom
of why they really had brought Jesus to him. Jesus plainly let Pilate know that politically, His
kingdom was no threat to Rome. If His kingdom were political, Jesus would have had soldiers
defending Him from arrest. As anyone who had been in the garden could testify, Jesus in fact
had rebuked one of His followers who had taken up arms to defend Him. As seen in his answer
(John 18:38), “I find no guilt in Him,” Pilate discerned that Jesus was not a political threat.
But at the same time, Jesus makes it clear that He is a king, just not the kind that Pilate might
envision. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, but is spiritual. The kings or rulers over earthly
kingdoms rule by coercion over geographic territories and seek to conquer other territories
through military might. They force their subjects to pay taxes so that they can live in luxurious
palaces while they build and sustain their armies. But Jesus’ kingdom is different. As He
explained to His disciples (Matt. 20:25-28):
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise
authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among
you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
In His first coming, Jesus came as a humble servant to establish His spiritual kingdom in the
hearts of those He came to ransom from their sins. He came to offer salvation freely to all who
willingly submit to Him. But at His second coming, He will forcefully subdue all opposition and
judge all who have rebelled against Him. Daniel 7:13-14 describes it:

I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.
The apostle John pictured it like this (Rev. 19:11-16):
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His
head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the
armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white
horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations,
and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God,
the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS,
AND LORD OF LORDS.”
So Pilate saw a man who outwardly did not look anything like a king. He looked like a common
Galilean working man. He wasn’t wearing expensive clothing or jewelry. He wasn’t surrounded
by servants. But Jesus was and is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is presently at the
Father’s right hand, awaiting the day when He will make His enemies a footstool for His feet
(Ps. 110:1). Someday, Pilate, Caiaphas, Caesar, and every person who has ever lived, will see
Jesus coming in the glory of His Father with the angels and bow before Him as King before He
sentences them according to their deeds (Matt. 16:27; Phil. 2:9-11)! The clear application is:
Make sure that your heart is in subjection to Jesus as your King now, so that you are not terrified
by His coming later.
B. Jesus’spiritual kingdom is founded on spiritual truth.
In John 18:37, Jesus testifies, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and
for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My
voice.” This is the only reference in John to Jesus’ birth, which points to His humanity. But Jesus
has repeatedly made reference to His coming into this world, which points to His pre-existence
and deity (John 3:13, 31; 8:42; 9:39; 16:28). Here Jesus indicates that He has been born and
come into the world to be a king, but the way He establishes His kingdom is not by military
force, but by bearing witness to the truth. Mohammed established his kingdom with the power of
the sword, which his most ardent followers still use: convert or be killed. In contrast Jesus set up
His kingdom by the power of the truth and His love as seen at the cross.
Jesus’ claim shows that, contrary to the prevalent postmodern philosophy of our time, there is
such a thing as absolute, objective, knowable truth in the spiritual realm. Such truth is true

whether you feel it’s true or not. It’s true whether you like it or not. It’s true whether you believe
it or not. Spiritual truth is not determined by pragmatism, or what works. Some methods and
techniques seem to work in terms of success in business or relationships, but they aren’t
spiritually true in light of eternity because they do not bring people into submission to Jesus
Christ. Spiritual truth applies to all cultures and all people in all times. All spiritual truth comes
from God, revealed to us in His Word, which points us to Jesus Christ. Spiritual truth is centered
on the gospel, which transforms our hearts and brings us under Christ’s lordship so that we will
not face His judgment on the last day.
It’s important to understand that truth is inextricably linked to the eternal God. To answer
Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” John MacArthur offers this definition, drawn from Scripture
(ibid., p. 2, italics his):
Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory, and being of God. Even
more to the point: truth is the self-expression of God…. Therefore God is the author, source,
determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth.
He adds (p. 1), “Every idea we have, every relationship we cultivate, every belief we cherish,
every fact we know, every argument we make, every conversation we engage in, and every
thought we think presupposes that there is such a thing as ‘truth.’”
The Bible calls God “the God of truth” (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16). It is impossible for God to lie
(Titus 1:2). Since God is the only eternal being, who created all that exists, and since He is spirit
(John 4:24), we cannot know Him by human reason or speculation, but only as He has chosen to
reveal Himself to us, which He has done supremely through Jesus Christ (John 1:1; cf. Luke
10:22; Heb. 1:1-3). John 1:14 affirms that Jesus, the Word who is God, is “full of grace and
truth.” Jesus also referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth,” who would guide His
followers into all the truth by disclosing the things of Christ to us (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).
Thus truth characterizes each person of the triune God.
Since we are to glorify God by being conformed to the image of His Son, truth should
characterize every believer in Christ. We are to “practice the truth” (John 3:21). We are
sanctified by God’s Word, which is the truth (John 17:17). We are to worship God in spirit and
in truth (John 4:24). Since Satan is a liar and the father of lies, in contrast to Jesus who always
spoke the truth (John 8:44-45), all who want to be like Jesus must strive to be truthful both in
word and in behavior. As Paul put it (Eph. 4:15), we are to speak the truth in love. He added
(Eph. 4:25), “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor,
for we are members of one another.” This encompasses not only truthful speech, but also
speaking that which is in line with biblical truth or sound doctrine.
The fact that there is absolute spiritual truth also means that there is absolute spiritual error.
Some spiritual error is relatively minor in its effects, but some is devastating and damnable
(Matt. 23:23, 24). Thus in Paul’s final three pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus, he exhorts
them repeatedly to teach sound (= “healthy”) doctrine and to refute those who teach harmful
doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3-11; 4:1-3, 7, 11, 16; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2:14-18, 23-26; 3:1-17; 4:1-5;
Titus 1:1, 9-14; 2:1; 3:9). The church is “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Jude 3
exhorts, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I
felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was
once for all handed down to the saints.” He goes on to warn about false teachers who threatened

the church. Also, 2 Peter and 1, 2, & 3 John all have strong warnings against false teachers and
exhortations to hold to the truth.
To say that something is absolutely true is to say that anything contrary to it is a lie. But if you
say this in today’s tolerant, postmodern culture, you will be labeled as a narrow-minded bigot.
Over 100 years ago, C. H. Spurgeon (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit [Pilgrim Publications],
49:174) said that in his day, you would get three cheers if you went into the world and said that
you were an agnostic—that you didn’t know anything or believe anything. Others say that it
doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re sincere. This, Spurgeon said, is like believing
that you can drink acid without harm or go without food and not starve. But, Spurgeon
concluded, “Our blessed Savior is honestly intolerant.”
In our text, there are two responses to the truth that Jesus proclaimed: Pilate scoffed; but those
who are of the truth hear Jesus’ voice.
2. Those who are not of the truth scoff at the very notion that
there is truth in the spiritual realm.
I believe that Pilate’s reply, “What is truth?” was said with a cynical sneer. If he were asking
sincerely, he would not have immediately walked away. When Jesus said (John 18:37),
“Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,” He was extending an implicit invitation to Pilate
to respond: “Pilate, will you hear My voice? Will you listen to Me as I speak the truth to you
about your soul?” Really, it was Pilate, not Jesus, who was on trial, because whenever a person
comes in contact with Jesus Christ, his sins are exposed in the light of Christ’s holiness and he
has a decision to make. Will he hear Jesus’ voice calling him to come to the light? Or will he
walk away because he is uncomfortable in the presence of such light?
Apparently Pilate didn’t give much thought to his decision to scoff at Christ’s words and go back
out to the Jews, but that was a spiritually fatal decision. On the surface, it seemed like a little
thing. Pilate probably thought, “I need to get this case resolved so I can go have breakfast and get
on with my day.” But sometimes seemingly small decisions have major eternal consequences:
Will you go to church and hear the gospel preached or will you stay home and enjoy a leisurely
breakfast while you read the paper? When you hear the gospel preached on the radio, will you
listen and respond to Christ or will you hit the button for your favorite music station?
The apostle Paul said (1 Tim. 6:13) that Jesus “testified the good confession before Pontius
Pilate.” So Pilate’s skeptical response was not because Christ’s witness was somehow lacking.
You can give the gospel as clearly as you know how, and yet people scoff and walk away. Why
do they do that?
The comprehensive answer is, “Sin.” And probably the major sin that keeps people from faith in
Christ is pride. They think that they know more than God and so they sit in judgment on the
Bible, rather than letting it sit in judgment on them. Pride keeps them from asking God to reveal
the truth to them. Pride makes them think that their good works will qualify them for heaven.
Also, often as people get older, they often become cynical of any religion that claims to be
exclusively true. Perhaps they’ve been ripped off financially by professing Christians. They’ve
seen Christian leaders who preached holiness while they were secretly engaging in sexual sins.
At the same time, they’ve met unbelievers who were decent, good people. So they wrongly
conclude that no one can know spiritual truth and anyone who claims to have the truth is
arrogant and narrow-minded.

Another reason people scoff at the truth in Jesus is laziness and resistance to change. They don’t
diligently seek truth in God’s Word, because it takes effort. It’s easier just to live as they’ve been
living and not do the hard work necessary to change old habits. Plus, they love their sin and the
truth makes them uncomfortable. So, like Pilate, they scoff at the notion that there is truth in the
spiritual realm. But by God’s power, some do respond:
3. Everyone who is of the truth hears Jesus’ voice.
Being “of the truth” suggests spiritual origin. As Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:6-7), “That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I
said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Those who have been spiritually reborn by the Spirit of
truth are “of the truth.” They become seekers of the truth in Christ. So the crucial question is,
“Have you been born again?”
If you wonder, “How can I know whether I’m of the truth? How can I know whether I’ve been
born again?” Jesus gives the answer: You will hear His voice. Jesus often cried out (Matt. 11:15;
13:9), “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” He was challenging people to ponder the meaning
of what He proclaimed and apply it to their hearts. Hearing Jesus in this sense means not only
listening, but also obeying what He commanded. The fact that spiritual truth is knowable and
objective means that, like science, it must be studied. God’s truth is like precious metal or hidden
treasure that must be diligently sought after (Prov. 2:1-6). If you are “of the truth,” you will be a
truth-seeker by studying God’s Word. But the aim is not just to acquire knowledge, but to apply
that knowledge wisely so that your life is pleasing to God.
Conclusion
Years ago on a TV talk show, the Archbishop of Canterbury was speaking with actress Jane
Fonda. He said, “Jesus is the Son of God, you know.” Fonda replied, “Maybe he is for you, but
he’s not for me.” To which the Archbishop wisely answered, “Well, either he is or he isn’t.”
Although most Americans and even a large percentage of evangelical Christians reject the idea
of absolute truth in the spiritual realm, that doesn’t undermine the fact of it. Jesus is the truth and
He testified to the truth. And He is the King. If you are of the truth, you will hear His voice and
submit your life to Him.
Application
THE COMING KING
Dr. W. A. Criswell
John 18:33-37
11-19-72 8:15 a.m.
On the radio of the city of Dallas you are sharing with us the services of the First Baptist Church.
This is the pastor, bringing the message entitled The Coming King.
Then Pilate entered the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto Him, Art Thou the
King of the Jews? . . .

Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and chief priests have delivered Thee unto me;
what hast Thou done?
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then would
My servants fight . . . but now is My kingdom not from hence.
Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a
king.
This is the strongest affirmative in the Greek language.
Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and
for this cause came I into the world.
[John 18:33-37]
He is the promised and covenant King of Israel [2 Samuel 7:16; 1 Chronicles 17:11].
By an unconditional guarantee Jehovah God gave to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and to their
seed forever the land of Palestine for an everlasting possession [Genesis 35:10-12]. And the
same Lord God promised to David that he should have a son who would sit upon his throne for
ever [2 Samuel 7:13]. The prophet Isaiah spake of that incomparably glorious promise:
For unto us a Child is born, and unto us a Son is given: and the government shall rest upon His
shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace.
And of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end . . . to establish it upon
the throne of His father David… The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it.
[Isaiah 9:6-7]
Seven hundred fifty years later the angel Gabriel was sent to a little city in Galilee named
Nazareth, to a virgin Jewess named Mary and announced to her that she should be the mother of
this foretold and foreordained Child [Luke 1:26-31].
And the angel answered and said unto her, Behold, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore that holy thing that shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.
He shall be the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His
father David;
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
[Luke 1:35, 32-33]
Then upon a night of nights when the heavens were filled with the harmonies of the glory of God
and the very air was filled with the resonant rhythm of the singing of the stars that God had
created in the beginning [Genesis 1:16], the Child was born. An angel messenger came from
heaven and announced to the startled shepherds that the Child was born in Bethlehem. Let them
go see for themselves [Luke 2:8-12]. Then the scroll of the glory above was rolled back, and the
angelic choir that had been waiting since the dawn of creation flung upward their hymn of glory
and praise, “Glory to God in the highest!” and then flung downward and earthward their
heavenly benediction, “On earth peace, good will toward men!” [Luke 2:13-14]. The Child was
born! [Luke 2:10-11].

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar [Luke 3:1], Jesus, then being about thirty
years of age, was baptized by John the Baptist [Luke 3:21-22]. And He went forth to announce
the coming kingdom and to present Himself as that covenant King [Matthew 4:17]. He carried
with Him the credentials of His legal and spiritual authority. Through His mother Mary He was
descended from David through the line of Nathan [Luke 3:23-31]. And through Joseph, the
husband of Mary, He was descended from David through the line of Solomon [Matthew 1:6-16].
By legal right He was a king [1 Chronicles 17:11]. Even the wise men came from the East to
Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He that is born the King of the Jews?” [Matthew 2:2].
And He carried with Him the credentials of His spiritual leadership: He had with Him the
credentials of a sinless life [Hebrews 4:15]; He had with Him the credentials of incomparable
and marvelous words [John 7:46]. He had with Him the credentials of marvelous miracles
[Matthew 11:4-]. No man ever wrought as that Man did [John 10:37-38].
Then at the exact moment that the angel Gabriel revealed to Daniel the prophet [Daniel 9:21-25],
in the exact way as it was prophesied by Zechariah [Zechariah 9:9], the Lord God, the King of
the Jews, the covenant promise, the Son given, the Child born [Isaiah 9:6], came riding into the
Holy City to present Himself as the promised King and to bring with Him the glory of the
promised kingdom [Matthew 21:9; Luke 19:37-38]. Amid the shouts of the people and the
acclamation of the multitudes, the Lord rode into Jerusalem while the people said, “Hosanna in
the highest! Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed be the kingdom that cometh. Glory to God in the highest!” [Matthew 21:9]. And the
chief priests and the elders said to His disciples “Hush the throngs! Hush the throngs!” But the
Lord replied, “If these were to hold their peace, the very stones would cry out” [Luke 19:39-40].
It was the great covenant moment in Israel’s history; their promised King had come [Matthew
21:5-9]. But He is also a rejected king [John 1:11]. The high priest, before the Sanhedrin, placed
Him on witness and said, “I adjure Thee by the living God, tell us whether Thou be Christ, the
Son of the Blessed” [Matthew 26:63; Mark 14:61]. And the Lord replied, saying, “I am. And
henceforth shall thou see the Son of Man coming in power with the glory of the angels”
[Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62]. And the high priest rent his garments and said to the Sanhedrin,
“What need have we for further witness? Thou hast heard His blasphemy. What dost thou
think?” And the Sanhedrin, the highest court of the Jews replied, “He is worthy of death”
[Matthew 26:65-66].
At that time, the power of capital punishment had been taken away from the Jewish nation, and it
was lodged in the hands of the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate. The high priest and the
Sanhedrin, therefore, took the Lord Jesus before the Roman governor and accused Him of
sedition and treason saying, “He calls Himself a king.”
And Pilate turned to the Lord Jesus and said, “Art Thou a king?”
And the Lord replied, I am.
[John 18:37]
Then Pilate turned to the Jews and said, Shall I crucify your King?
And they shouted an answer, We have no king but Caesar. Away with Him! Let Him be
crucified!
[John 19:15]

And the Lord Jesus was crucified a king; He died a king [Matthew 27:32-50]. Above His cross
the superscription of that avowal was written for the whole world to see, in Hebrew and in Latin,
and in Greek, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” [Luke 23:38]. “He came unto His own, and
His own received Him not” [John 1:11]. He is an exiled king, as He taught His disciples in the
nineteenth chapter of the Book of Luke, “For there was a nobleman who went into a far country
to receive a kingdom . . . And he said, ‘Occupy till I come’” [Luke 19:12-13]. He is an exiled
king. He has gone away into another country.
What now? What then? Then follows a mustērion, then follows the great interlude and the vast
intermission [Ephesians 3:2-12]. How Satan must have exalted in triumph in the day of the cross.
Israel has crucified her own Son; she has slain her own King [1 Corinthians 2:8]. The people of
God are in unbelief, and Satan shall reign forever. Sin shall be here forever; death shall be here
forever. Every promise of God and every prophetic utterance has fallen to the ground. Darkness
and the grave have triumphed, for the coming King has been slain; He is crucified and buried
[Matthew 27:32-50, 57-60].
But Satan did not know, nor was it revealed to the prophets, there was a mustērion, a secret in the
heart of God. No prophet ever saw it, nor was any word ever uttered about it. It was something in
the purpose and plan of God from the beginning of the ages that there should be this great
interlude and intermission that we call the age of grace, the age of the Holy Spirit, the age of the
church, all of which is beautifully presented by the apostle Paul in the third chapter of the letter
to the church at Ephesus [Ephesians 3:1-12]. And in this period of time, there should be the
calling out of the called, the ek kaleō, and the formation of the ekklēsia, the called out people of
God, that the Jew and the Gentile should belong to the same household of faith, that the glory of
the gospel of grace and forgiveness and redemption should be preached to all people, and that
anyone who believes could be an elect member of the family of the chosen [Ephesians 3:2-12].
This is the time when God is building, in the name of His Son, a new body called the church
[Ephesians 3:10]. And all of us who look in faith to Jesus are accepted [Ephesians 1:6, 2:8], we
are elect, we are engrafted into the family of the Most High [John 1:12]. In this interlude, in this
period of grace there is the announcement that any soul anywhere can belong to the household of
God, chosen into the family of the Highest [Ephesians 3:6, 14-21].
But what of the kingdom; has God forgotten it? And what of the King; is He never to reign? The
Lord Christ is the head of the church [Ephesians 5:23]. There is no such nomenclature as that He
is the King of the church. What of the kingdom and what of the King? Is it never to come? Is He
never to reign? The apostles said to the Lord when He ascended up into glory, “Wilt Thou at this
time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [Acts 1:6]. What of the kingdom and the King? And that
thief on the cross, in faith, turned to the Lord Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when Thou
comest into Thy kingdom” [Luke 23:42].
Is there to be no kingdom? And is there to be no King? Is this earth plunged into despair and
darkness and sin and death forever and forever? Is Satan to reign over an immortal kingdom of
destruction and darkness forever?
No, for beyond this interlude and beyond these days of waiting, we are to look forward to the
great consummation of the age. For someday, sometime, somewhere, these heavens will open
apart, and through the vistas of glory there shall appear the coming King and the coming
kingdom [Matthew 24:27].

In the providence of God, in the plan of the Lord, when the plērōma of the Gentiles is filled,
when the last number, elect and chosen to be added to the household of faith has come in, when
the last soul has walked down that aisle, then the end shall come, and we shall reach the
consummation of the age, and Christ shall appear for His people [Romans 11:25-27].
He is coming under a twofold simile: He is coming under the likeness of a thief in the night [1
Thessalonians 5:2], and He is coming under the likeness of the vivid lightning that splits the
bosom of the sky [Matthew 24:27]. As the glorious light shines from the east to the west, so the
Lord shall visibly, openly, and publicly appear [Revelation 1:7].
He is coming first as a thief in the night, with sandaled feet, with clandestine, furtive, secret
approach [1 Thessalonians 5:2]. He is coming to steal away His jewels, His pearl of price, His
treasure in the earth [Matthew 13:45-46]. He is coming to rapture His saints to glory, to snatch
them away [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. As God took Noah and placed him in the ark [Genesis 7:1,
7], then the judgment fell [Genesis 7:16-24]; as the Lord snatched out of Sodom and Gomorrah
righteous Lot, then the fire and the brimstone fell [Genesis 19:15-29]; so it is in the days of the
coming of the Son of Man: He shall come secretly, furtively, clandestinely, as a thief, to take out
of the world His own, His bride, His church—raptured to the Lord in heaven [1 Thessalonians
5:2].
And all of us shall share in that triumph. These who have fallen asleep in Jesus, these who have
died in the Lord, they “shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain to the coming of the
Lord shall be caught up with them to meet our Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the
Lord” [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17]. “For, we all shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump” [1 Corinthians 15:51-52], when the dead are raised and the living are
glorified—secretly, furtively [1 Thessalonians 5:2], any moment, any time, any day, when the
Lord shall come for His own.
He is also returning unto the figure and under the simile of the vivid, livid lightning that brings
judgment to the earth [Matthew 24:27]. He is coming with His saints; He is coming with His
people. The text of the revelation is Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and the families and tribes and peoples of the
earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” As Jude says, “Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of His saints” [Jude 14].
He is coming in the glory of God: God the Son and the Son of God [John 17:4-5]. He is coming
in the glory of the angels: the Captain of the hosts of heaven [Joshua 5:14]. He is coming in the
glory of the church: the bridegroom with the bride [Matthew 25:6]. And He is coming in His
own glory: as the Son of God, as the Son of Abraham, as the Son of David and as the Son of
Man [Matthew 25:31], the virgin-born Man [Matthew 1:23], the crucified Man [Matthew 27:32-
50], the risen Man [Matthew 28:5-6], the ascended Man [Acts 1:9], the great God-Man: Christ
Jesus [John 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:5].
And He is coming as the King of Israel and as the King of the Jews and as the King of the
Gentiles and as the King of the nations [Revelation 12:5], and as the King of the Kings and the
Lord of all Lords [Revelation 19:16]. He is coming as the Lord God pantokratōr—the Almighty
[Revelation 1:7-8]. He is coming as the restorer and the re-creator of this earth [Acts 3:21]. Then
shall be brought to pass those incomparable promises:
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

[Isaiah 2:4]
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid . . . And the
ravenous carnivorous lion will eat straw like an ox . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in all
God’s holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea.
[Isaiah 11:6-9]
And out of heaven shall come down the New Jerusalem [Revelation 21:1-2], our home, our
mansion [John 14:1-3], our fellowship with Christ and His redeemed, forever and forever
[Revelation 21:3, 22:3-5].
Lo, He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favored sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluiah, Alleluiah!
God appears on earth to reign.
Yea, amen, let all adore Thee,
High on Thy eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow’r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own:
Oh, come quickly, Oh, come quickly!
Everlasting God, come down.
[“Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending,” Charles Wesley, 1758]
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come,
blessed Lord Jesus” [Revelation 22:20]—the coming King and the coming kingdom!
In this moment when we stand to sing our hymn of appeal, a family you, a couple you, or just
somebody one, you, to give your heart to Jesus; to take the Lord as your Savior; to join the
family of God’s redeemed; to be numbered among those who look for Him and wait for Him; to
have the Lord as the King of your life, to bow in His presence in faith and in trust, to pray to
Him; someday to live with Him, as the Spirit of Jesus shall press the appeal to your heart, make
the decision now. And in a moment, when we stand up to sing, stand up walking down one of
these stairways, here to the front. On this lower floor, into the aisle, “Here, pastor, I come. I have
made that decision in my heart, and I’m coming now.” Do so, on the first note of this first stanza.
Come, while we stand; while we sing.
THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST
Dr. W. A. Criswell

John 18:36
2-5-89 10:50 a.m.
Once again we welcome the throngs of you who share this hour on radio and on television. This
is the First Baptist Church in Dallas, and I am the pastor delivering the message entitled The
Kingdom of Our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.
In our preaching through the Gospel of John, the Fourth Gospel, we have come to the last and
climactic and concluding days of His life in the flesh. And out of that scene and trial, we read in
John chapter 18, verses 33 to 37:
Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall, called Jesus, and said unto Him, Art Thou the King of
the Jews?
Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee of Me?
Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered Thee unto
me: what hast Thou done?
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would
My servants fight, that I should not be delivered: but now is My kingdom not from hence.
Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king—
[John 18:33-37]
the strongest affirmation in the Greek language.
To repeat it, “Thou sayest I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the
world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice”
[John 18:37].
In these hours of the trial and finally the crucifixion of our Savior, there was an incredible and
unbelievable series and successions of paradoxes and anomalies. He who came to set the
prisoner free [Luke 4:18], is now arrested and arraigned and imprisoned [John 18:12-37]. He
who came to lead us into life is now bound over and delivered into death. He who was the center
of angelic worship through all of the ages before, the eternity past [John 17:5], is now that lone
and forsaken figure standing in the judgment hall [John 18:33]. And He of whom the prophet
Isaiah said, “His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor” [Isaiah 9:6], is now standing before
a vapid and vacillating judge [Matthew 27:24].
The Jewish people who were crying for His blood refused to enter the Gentile judgment hall lest
they be defiled [John 18:28]. And yet He stands there in their presence, the Holy One of the God
of Israel [Mark 1:24]. And the most amazing anomaly and paradox of all; He says, “I am a king”
[John 18:37]. Pilate listened incredulously and looked in amazement. “You,” this peasant from
an undistinguished village in Galilee, “You are a king?” [John 18:37]. Betrayed by one of His
own disciples [Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50], delivered up to death by His own countrymen [Acts
3:13-14]; instead of being exalted and honored, He is denied and derided [John 1:11].
Had He been of the line of the pharaohs, had He been of the family of Nimrod, had He been of
the race of the Caesars, Pilate might have looked upon Him at least in interest if not in honor.
But this Man despised and spit upon, derided and denied [Matthew 27:29-30], and soon to be
crucified and killed, He is a king? And not only did He speak that He was of royalty, and I might
say that intrinsically imperial He was, and however He might be spit upon and denied, the

centuries cannot deny the nobility of the truth on which He stood and on which He stands. A
king, and He says, “I am the Lord of a kingdom” [John 18:36]. He speaks of “My kingdom”—
one whose reality lies not in things seen, but in things unseen. And Pilate curled his lips in
contemptuous disdain, “A kingdom, You?” [John 18:37]. The only kingdom to which Pilate had
ever been introduced was the iron kingdom of the imperial Caesars of Rome, a kingdom of
armies and of tax gatherers and of marching men, a kingdom that exacted obedience and tribute
from its enslaved and unwilling subjects. And this Man is king of a kingdom! His power to rule,
where was it? Standing there crowned with thorns, with a castoff dirty purple robe over His
shoulders and with a reed for a scepter, where was His power to rule? [John 19:2; Matthew
27:28-30].
And in the exchange of words in the next chapter, Pilate says to Him as a representative of the
Roman government, “I have power to crucify Thee, or to release Thee” [John 19:10]. And in
keeping with that imperial ableness and might and glory, he delivered that peasant to crucifixion
and to death [John 19:16-30]. But I ask you, dear people, who was triumphant, and who was
victorious, and who was in ascendancy? Upon the brow of that humble Galilean is not today a
crown of thorns but a diadem filled with all the everlasting stars of God’s heaven above us. And
His sovereignty of spirit has grasped and seized the hearts, and minds, and admiration, and
worship of the noblest men and women of the ages. And His kingdom has arisen in increasing
glory and power above all the dust heaps of all of the dominions and kingdoms of this enduring
world.
There is none like Him and the domain over which He rules. And as for Pilate himself, the
candle of rulership that he held in his hand has been extinguished into the darkness for two
thousand years. And the domain and the empire he represented has been lost, its grandeur
forgotten. And as for Pilate himself, the only remembrance of it lies in this encounter he had with
the Lord Jesus. And he lies in an utterly forgotten grave.
The kingdom of our Lord, bringing with it imperishable riches to those who call upon His name,
is in ascendancy over all of the dominions and nations and empires of the world. There’s none
like Him, and there’s none like the kingdom over which He rules. He speaks of His kingdom as
not of this world. “My kingdom is not from hence. It is not of this. It is not of the earth. It is not
of time. My kingdom is in another realm, in another glory, in another definition, in another age,
in another life. My kingdom is not from hence, not in the earth.” He could have built His empire
down here in this earth. He said to Pontius Pilate, “If My kingdom were of this world, then
would My servants fight” [John 18:36]. We’d declare war. We’d conquer the earth.
I want to show you, if I can, that was not empty speech and vain language. Do you remember the
verse that closes the story of His feeding the five thousand? There were five thousand men fed.
How many other thousands there, women and children, we’re not told. There were five thousand
men fed with a little handful of food, with a little boy’s lunch [John 6:9-13]. And when they saw
that miracle, do you remember the next verse? “And they sought by force to make Him a king”
[John 6:15].
The reason is obvious. Here is a man that can feed an army in a handful of food. And as you’ve
heard all your life, an army marches on its stomach. If the army starves, the battle is lost. Here is
a man that can feed an army in a handful of food, and not only that, but here is a man who can
raise the dead. If a soldier is slain, He can speak him back to life [John 11:43-44]. How would
you face an invincible foe like that? He could have been the head of a great, vanquishing,
triumphant army and conquered the world. Instead, He said to Simon Peter, “Put up your sword”

[Matthew 26:52]. Do you remember again when He was arrested and arraigned, and Peter drew
that sword [Matthew 26:51], the Lord said, “Simon, Simon, if I will, I could ask My Father for
twelve legions of angels” [Matthew 26:52-53]. A legion is six thousand soldiers. Twelve legions
would be seventy-two thousand angels.
And do you remember in the [thirty-seventh] chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the days of
Hezekiah when the Judean king was shut up in Jerusalem and the Assyrian army held him in a
vise? [Isaiah 36:1-22]. That night one angel—one—passed over the Assyrian host, and the next
morning they counted one hundred eighty-five thousand dead corpses [Isaiah 37:36]. And the
Lord says, “If I will, I could ask My Father for seventy-two thousand angels” [Matthew 26:53].
He repudiated a conquest of this present darkened world.
Would you look again? Had He built His kingdom in this world, if His kingdom were of this and
now; one, He would have shared it with Satan, and with darkness, and with sin, and with death.
What a bargain that would have been for Satan to be coequal with the Prince of glory! And what
would God have been in His definition and character thus to compromise the world with Satan?
The Lord repudiated it [Matthew 4:8-10]. In the third temptation when Satan brought before the
Lord Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and Satan said, “This, all of this will I
give You if You will bow down and worship me,” and our Lord said, “Get thee behind Me
Satan: [for it is written,] thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve”
[Matthew 4:8-10]. Had our Lord acquiesced in building His kingdom in this earth, its foundation
would have been by force, by a marching army.
There was a Pax Romana, world peace, because the army of Rome had conquered civilization
itself. There could have been a Pax Christiana, the force of the marching armies of Christ, the
sword of God conquering and vanquishing the entire population and nation and civilization of
this world. The Lord repudiated it, “Simon Peter, put back that sword in its sheath” [John 18:10-
11]. The only empire and kingdom that those men could think of, could recognize, was that
represented by the iron will of Rome [John 19:15].
But our Lord, looking upon that vision of Daniel [Daniel 2:31-44], our Lord repudiated it all.
That head of gold represented the kingdom of Babylon, gone [Daniel 2:32, 38]. Those shoulders
and arms represented the kingdom of the Medo-Persians, gone [Daniel 2:32, 39]. The mid-
section and thighs represented the kingdom of the Greeks, gone, perished in the dust heap of the
earth [Daniel 2:32, 39]. And those iron legs represented the kingdom of Rome [Daniel 2:33, 40],
represented by Pilate, and its seven hundred years of history was already beginning to
disintegrate and to die.
Jesus will never be known as the king of the glitter of pomp, or of the conquesting conversion by
the sword, or by the fascinating, sensuous display of the ephemeralities of this time and of this
earth. His kingdom is in another category, and its glory is not of this age. The glory of the
kingdoms of this world can be found in marble palaces and colonnaded halls and jewel diadems.
And the Lord repudiated it all [John 18:36].
My sweet people, there is more meaning in the humble manger of Christ in a cattle stall [Luke
2:8-16], and in the bare, rugged cross on Mt. Calvary [Luke 23:32-46], than in all the sweep of
all the palaces and colonnaded alabaster columns of this world. And the entrance into the
kingdom is not by might, and not by power, and not by riches, and not by force. When they
asked, “Who is the greatest?” He took a little child and set the youngster in the midst and said,
“The more like that little child you are, the greater you are” [Matthew 18:1-4]. And when the

disciples quarreled about who would be next in the kingdom after Jesus [Luke 22:24], our Lord
disrobed and girded Himself with a towel and began to wash their feet [John 13:4-5]. This is the
kingdom of our Lord.
May I describe it in the few minutes that remain? The kingdom of Jesus; first: He alone is Lord.
It is not shared with Satan, or with darkness, or with death, or with sin. He alone is King, King
Jesus. In the fifty-ninth and in the sixty-third chapters of Isaiah, twice repeated, “God looked for
someone to deliver, and found none” [Isaiah 59:16]. Then He said, “My arm shall bring
deliverance and salvation” [Isaiah 63:5]. That arm of deliverance and salvation is Jesus our Lord,
He alone and none other.
All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
[“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” Edward Perronet]
It’ll be King Jesus, and He alone.
Again, the kingdom of our Lord is one of truth. “To this end was I born, and for this cause came
I into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth” [John 18:37], truth incarnate; truth in flesh
and in blood; truth not in a book, in a creed, in a philosophy, in a discourse, but truth living and
viable, the truth of God. John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” And the
truth of God in Christ Jesus is ever here before us. He is transparent from head to foot. His whole
life was in public. And even in solitude, the disciples were there to observe and to describe.
Truth; you can handle it. You can touch it. You can feel it. You can see it. You can hear it, truth
of God that lived and walked in our midst, truth incarnate [John 1:14, 14:6]. How desperately we
need somebody who is like us, who can understand and sympathize with our foibles, and our
weaknesses, and our trials, and our temptations, and our sins [Hebrews 4:14-16].
Had it been an angel come down, what kind of a kingdom over which could he rule? He’d know
nothing of us. But someone in our nature made like unto us! There are no more beautiful
passages in all God’s Word than those glorious Scriptures in the Book of Hebrews:
It behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren.
Tried in all points as we are, though He without sin.
Able to sympathize with those who suffer and hurt.
Wherefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
might find grace to help in time of need.
[Hebrews 2:17, 4:15-16]
There is no trial, there is no hurt, there is no suffering, there is no despair, there are no tears and
no sorrows that He has not experienced. He knows all about us—that kind of a Lord. We did not
and do not need another echo of a Seneca, or of a Marcus Aurelius, or even of a Socrates and a
Plato and an Aristotle. We need a Savior, one who can walk with us, who loves us [Galatians
2:20; Revelation 1:5], who understands us, who sympathizes with us [Hebrews 4:14-16], who

Jesus was declaring that his kingdom was not of this world

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