John 18:28-40

Jesus Before Pilate

28 ¹Then they led Jesus ²from the house of Caiaphas to ³the governor's headquarters.^[a] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, ⁴so that they would not be defiled, ⁵but could eat the Passover.

29 ⁶So Pilate went outside to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?"

30 They answered him, "If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you."

31 Pilate said to them, ⁷"Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death."

32 ⁸This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken ⁹to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

33 ¹⁰So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, ¹¹"Are you the King of the Jews?"

34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"

35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?"

36 Jesus answered, ¹²"My kingdom ¹³is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, ¹⁴my servants would have been fighting, that ¹⁵I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."

37 Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, ¹⁶"You say that I am a king. ¹⁷For this purpose I was born and for this purpose ¹⁸I have come into the world--¹⁹to bear witness to the truth. ²⁰Everyone who is ²¹of the truth ²²listens to my voice."

38 Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"After he had said this, ²³he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ²⁴"I find no guilt in him.

39 ²⁵But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"

40 They cried out again, ²⁶"Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.^[b]

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 27:2; Mark 15:1; Luke 23:1
• 2. ver. 24
• 3. ver. 33; John 19:9; See Matthew 27:27
• 4. Acts 10:28; Acts 11:3; [John 11:55]
• 5. [John 19:14]
• 6. For ver. 29-38, see Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:2, 3
• 7. [John 19:6]
• 8. [John 13:18]
• 9. John 12:32, 33; Matthew 20:19; Matthew 26:2; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:32
• 10. John 19:9
• 11. [John 19:12]
• 12. [John 6:15; Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14, 27; Luke 17:21]
• 13. John 8:23; [John 15:19; John 17:14, 16; 1 John 2:16; 1 John 4:5]
• 14. [Matthew 26:53]
• 15. John 19:16
• 16. See Luke 22:70
• 17. [John 12:27; Romans 14:9]
• 18. John 16:28
• 19. John 3:11, 32; John 5:31; John 8:13, 14, 18
• 20. 1 John 4:6; [John 8:47]
• 21. 1 John 2:21; 1 John 3:19
• 22. John 10:16, 27
• 23. John 19:4
• 24. John 19:4, 6; See Luke 23:4
• 25. For ver. 39, 40, see Matthew 27:15-18, 20-23; Mark 15:6-14; Luke 23:18-23
• 26. Acts 3:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek the praetorium
• [b]. Or an insurrectionist