John 18:32-40

Context
18:32 (This happened¹ to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated² what kind of death he was going to die.³)

Pilate Questions Jesus

18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence,⁴ summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”⁵ 18:34 Jesus replied,⁶ “Are you saying this on your own initiative,⁷ or have others told you about me?” 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I?⁸ Your own people⁹ and your chief priests handed you over¹⁰ to me. What have you done?”

18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being¹¹ handed over¹² to the Jewish authorities.¹³ But as it is,¹⁴ my kingdom is not from here.” 18:37 Then Pilate said,¹⁵ “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to¹⁶ my voice.” 18:38 Pilate asked,¹⁷ “What is truth?”¹⁸

When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders¹⁹ and announced,²⁰ “I find no basis for an accusation²¹ against him. 18:39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner²² for you at the Passover.²³ So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 18:40 Then they shouted back,²⁴ “Not this man,²⁵ but Barabbas!”²⁶ (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.²⁷)²⁸

[18:32] ¹tn The words “This happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[18:32] ²tn Or “making clear.”

[18:32] ³sn A reference to John 12:32.

[18:33] ⁴tn Grk “into the praetorium.”

[18:33] ⁵sn It is difficult to discern Pilate’s attitude when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some have believed the remark to be sarcastic or incredulous as Pilate looked at this lowly and humble prisoner: “So you’re the king of the Jews, are you?” Others have thought the Roman governor to have been impressed by Jesus’ regal disposition and dignity, and to have sincerely asked, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Since it will later become apparent (v. 38) that Pilate considered Jesus innocent (and therefore probably also harmless) an attitude of incredulity is perhaps most likely, but this is far from certain in the absence of clear contextual clues.

[18:34] ⁶tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:34] ⁷tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”

[18:35] ⁸sn Many have seen in Pilate’s reply “I am not a Jew, am I?” the Roman contempt for the Jewish people. Some of that may indeed be present, but strictly speaking, all Pilate affirms is that he, as a Roman, has no firsthand knowledge of Jewish custom or belief. What he knows of Jesus must have come from the Jewish authorities. They are the ones (your own people and your chief priests) who have handed Jesus over to Pilate.

[18:35] ⁹tn Or “your own nation.”

[18:35] ¹⁰tn Or “delivered you over.”

[18:36] ¹¹tn Grk “so that I may not be.”

[18:36] ¹²tn Or “delivered over.”

[18:36] ¹³tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.

[18:36] ¹⁴tn Grk “now.”

[18:37] ¹⁵tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:37] ¹⁶tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”

[18:38] ¹⁷tn Grk “Pilate said.”

[18:38] ¹⁸sn With his reply “What is truth?” Pilate dismissed the matter. It is not clear what Pilate’s attitude was at this point, as in 18:33. He may have been sarcastic, or perhaps somewhat reflective. The author has not given enough information in the narrative to be sure. Within the narrative, Pilate’s question serves to make the reader reflect on what truth is, and that answer (in the narrative) has already been given (14:6).

[18:38] ¹⁹tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. The term also occurs in v. 31, where it is clear the Jewish leaders are in view, because they state that they cannot legally carry out an execution. Although it is likely (in view of the synoptic parallels) that the crowd here in 18:38 was made up not just of the Jewish leaders, but of ordinary residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, nevertheless in John’s Gospel Pilate is primarily in dialogue with the leadership of the nation, who are expressly mentioned in 18:35 and 19:6.

[18:38] ²⁰tn Grk “said to them.”

[18:38] ²¹tn Grk “find no cause.”

[18:39] ²²tn The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:39] ²³sn Pilate then offered to release Jesus, reminding the Jewish authorities that they had a custom that he release one prisoner for them at the Passover. There is no extra-biblical evidence alluding to the practice. It is, however, mentioned in Matthew and Mark, described either as a practice of Pilate (Mark 15:6) or of the Roman governor (Matt 27:15). These references may explain the lack of extra-biblical attestation: The custom to which Pilate refers here (18:39) is not a permanent one acknowledged by all the Roman governors, but one peculiar to Pilate as a means of appeasement, meant to better relations with his subjects. Such a limited meaning is certainly possible and consistent with the statement here.

[18:40] ²⁴tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.

[18:40] ²⁵tn Grk “this one.”

[18:40] ²⁶sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.

[18:40] ²⁷tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.

[18:40] ²⁸sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.