Re:Verse passage – John 18:33-40 (day six)
His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them…John 18:28b-29a
The Apostle John captures significant drama for us in this narrative. The religious leaders, worried about being defiled, especially in light of the Passover festivities, where unwilling to risk missing out by entering Pilate’s courtyard. This forced Pilate to go out to them several times in the process of questioning Jesus and rendering a verdict. Between chapters 18 and 19 Pilate alternates at least six times between Jesus and the religious leaders.
John is intent on capturing more than drama, but aims to illustrate that Jesus is a whole world problem. He more than a Jewish problem, or a gentile problem; the whole world is intertwined in its culpability. Furthermore, the whole world must respond to the Truth; it has no choice.
