March 23

PILATE.

Then Pilate said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews.—John 18:33.

THE charge preferred against Jesus was that he perverted the people, wishing to alienate their affections and obedience from the civil authorities, and to claim the supremacy himself. Pilate therefore asks Jesus, "art thou a King?" Dost thou profess to be the King of the Jews? To this Jesus replies, "my kingdom is not of this world," a direct and public denial of the charge which they had brought against him. In this avowal, we are taught the true spirituality of Christ's church. Kingdoms of this world have certain geographical limits,— Christ's kingdom is destined for the whole earth.

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun, Does his successive journies run."

Kingdoms of this world have earthly potentates, Jesus as King was the Lord from heaven, who had never been preceded in his spiritual dominions, and who shall have no successor, for he shall reign for ever and ever. Kingdoms of this world have earthy laws, and legislate for temporal purposes, Christ's laws are spiritual and divine, and are to be found only in the sacred volume of the holy scriptures. Earthly kingdoms have carnal weapons, and employ the sword for their defence or extension, the truth, the hallowed sword of the divine word is the only weapon Jesus ever employed, or will ever sanction in the defence or extension of his reign. Kingdoms of this world shall all finally perish in the great and general conflagration, Christ's kingdom shall exist for ever, his reign shall be everlasting, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Jesus therefore while he denied the charge the Jews brought against him, confessed himself a king, but whose kingdom was not of this world. Pilate must have perceived at once the falsity of the charge, and therefore he went out to the Jews, and said, "I find no fault in this man." Here then is high official testimony publicly borne to the innocence of Jesus.