Jn. 18:34. Jesus answered him: Do you say this of yourself, or did others tell you about Me?
And Christ asks him whether he says this of himself, or from others? Not because He does not know, but because He wishes to expose the evil intent of the Jews in such a way that even Pilate would condemn them.
And in another way. The Lord asks Pilate whether he asks this of himself or at the suggestion of others, and thereby exposes him of foolishness and unjust judgment. He speaks to Pilate as if to say: "If you say this of yourself, then point out the signs of My insurrection; but if others have reported this to you, then conduct a thorough investigation."
Jn. 18:35. Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me; what have You done?
Therefore Pilate also rightly answers that His betrayers are the Jews, and deflects the blame from himself. Pilate does not say that he heard it from others, but simply refers to the opinion of the people and says: "They delivered You to me; what have You done?" This seems to be the words of one who is, as it were, grieved and embittered. "For," he says, "what have You done?"
Jn. 18:36. Jesus answered: My Kingdom is not of this world;
The Lord answers: "My kingdom is not of this world," and by this answer accomplishes two things: first, He leads Pilate to the knowledge that He is not a mere man nor one of earthly beings, but God and the Son of God; second, He destroys the suspicion of seizing supreme power. "My kingdom is not of this world": therefore do not fear Me, as though I were a tyrant and rebel.
Jn. 18:36. if My Kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be delivered to the Jews;
Here he also shows the weakness of our (earthly) kingdom, for it has power in its servants, whereas the Kingdom on High is powerful in itself and has need of no one. But the Manichaeans find in these words a pretext to say that this world is alien to the good God. "For," they say, "the Son of God says that My Kingdom is not from here." But, O madmen, first examine this saying carefully.
Jn. 18:36. But now My Kingdom is not from here.
He said "My kingdom is not of this world," and again — "not from here," but He did not say "it is not in this world and not here." He reigns in this world, provides for it, and governs all things according to His will. But His kingdom is "not of this world," but from above and before the ages, and "not from here," that is, it did not originate from the earth, although it has power and abides here, but it is not from here, and does not consist of what is below, and does not fall. Then, how would one need to understand the words "He came to His own" (John 1:11), if this world were not His own?
Jn. 18:37. Pilate said to Him: so You are a King? Jesus answered: you say that I am a King. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth;
When Pilate asked the Lord whether He was a King, He answered: "For this I was born," that is, to be a King. I have this by essence and by birth from the Father. For the very fact that I was born of a King testifies that I am a King. Therefore, when you hear that the Father gave the Son life, and judgment, and all else (John 5:22, 26), understand the word "gave" as meaning He "begat" Him, so that He has life, judges, and all this comes from the Father to the Son by nature. "For this I came into" this "world," to say this, and to teach, and to convince all that I am King, Master, and Lord.
Some understood the words "For this I was born" as indicating not the pre-eternal birth from the Father, but the birth in the last times from the Virgin. I became man and was born of Mary in order to destroy falsehood and the devil and to prove that the Divine nature reigns over all. Thus, the truth consists in knowing Me and being saved through this knowledge. I came in order to impart to people the true knowledge of God and to grant them salvation.
Jn. 18:37. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.
Wishing by this to attract Pilate's attention and incline him to hear His words, He says: "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Therefore you too, Pilate, if you are a child of the truth and love it, will hear My voice and believe that I am a King, but not such as the kings of this world are; I have authority not acquired, but natural, belonging to Me by My very birth from God and King. He also hints here that the Jews are not of the truth, because they do not wish to hear His voice; and if they are not of the truth, then without doubt they have fabricated everything against Him falsely, and He is truly not deserving of death.
Jn. 18:38. Pilate said to Him: What is truth?
With these few words He so captivated Pilate that Pilate asked about truth, what it is. For it had nearly vanished among men, and no one knew it, and all were already in unbelief.
Jn. 18:38. And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them: I find no fault in Him at all.
But since this question required special time for resolution, and now it was necessary to deliver Jesus from the fury of the Jews, Pilate goes out to them and says: "I find no fault in Him," and he says this reasonably.
Jn. 18:39. But you have a custom, that I should release one unto you at the Passover;
It is worthy of investigation on what occasion the custom arose among the Jews of releasing one prisoner for Passover. To this one may say, first, that those who teach "as doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7) introduced very much from their own reasoning, yet did not keep the commandments of God. So too they introduced this without any rational basis, while in other matters they neglected the rites prescribed by the law. Then, one may say that in Scripture there is also found a similar legal provision, from which they could have taken occasion to introduce into custom such releases of condemned persons. For concerning involuntary murder it is written: "If someone, not out of enmity and without particular intent, causes harm to his neighbor, throws a vessel or a stone, and the fallen object strikes a passerby, and that person dies, then such a killer is involuntary. The whole synagogue (assembly) shall judge concerning this, and they shall free him from death, for he did not kill with malicious intent, but they shall place him in a city of refuge, that is, punish him with exile." From this, perhaps, as we conjecture, they took occasion and introduced such a custom of releasing one of those condemned for murderous intent. The law prescribes that this matter be conducted by the Jewish synagogue, but since the Jews were under the authority of the Romans, the right to release prisoners they also yielded to Roman governors, as now to Pilate.
Jn. 18:39. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?
For he did not say "although He has sinned and is worthy of death, yet for the sake of the feast forgive Him," but first declared Him free from all guilt, and only then proposed to them His release as well. Therefore, if Jesus is released, He owes them nothing at all, for they released an innocent man. If they condemn Him, their malice will be proven by this, because they condemned an innocent man.
Look: even the title "King of the Jews" has a certain meaning of its own. By this, Pilate evidently expresses that Jesus is not at all guilty, but that they accuse Him in vain, as though He were seeking kingship. For one who proclaims himself king and rises up against the dominion of the Romans, a Roman governor would not have released. Therefore, by saying "I will release the King of the Jews," Pilate declares Jesus to be utterly innocent and mocks the Jews, speaking as if to say: "The One against Whom you bring false accusations that He proclaims Himself king, the One you call an insurgent and rebel—Him I find it necessary to release, evidently because He is not such a person."