Jesus tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But does that mean God's Kingdom has nothing to do with this world—or have we misunderstood what Jesus was actually saying?
In this episode of Bible Bible Bible, we walk through John 18:33-40 verse by verse as Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate and explains what kind of King He really is. We unpack why His Kingdom doesn't advance through political power or force, how it grows through the proclamation of truth, and what that means for Christians living under the reign of Christ today.
We also explore Pilate's famous question, “What is truth?”, why Jesus says He was born to be King, and the powerful picture of substitutionary atonement found in Barabbas—the guilty man who goes free while the innocent Jesus takes his place.
📖 Scripture: John 18:33-40 (ESV)
🎙️ Bible Bible Bible is a verse-by-verse podcast hosted by brothers Stephen and Ben Joffer. New episodes every week.
🔔 Subscribe as we continue through the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate
0:25 “Are You the King of the Jews?”
1:02 Why Jesus is accused of insurrection
2:10 What kind of King is Jesus?
3:58 Is Jesus offering Pilate a chance to believe?
5:07 Pilate's real motivation
5:45 “My Kingdom is not of this world”
6:13 What does Jesus actually mean?
8:06 Is God's Kingdom active in this world?
10:15 D.A. Carson on the Kingdom of God
11:32 How does Jesus' Kingdom expand?
12:25 “So You are a King?”
13:50 Why Jesus says He was born
16:03 The Kingdom of God and truth
18:12 How the Kingdom conquers without force
19:17 The Word of God is our sword
21:30 “I was born for this”
22:23 Pilate asks, “What is truth?”
23:05 Does the Kingdom grow over time?
25:13 Ezekiel's river and the expanding Kingdom
28:37 What does this mean for everyday Christians?
30:06 The Kingdom of God vs. the Church
31:51 Pilate finds Jesus innocent
32:25 Who was Barabbas?
34:22 Why did they choose Barabbas over Jesus?
34:49 Barabbas and substitutionary atonement
36:13 The guilty goes free
#John18 #KingdomOfGod #JesusChrist #BibleStudy #GospelOfJohn #WhatIsTruth #PontiusPilate #Barabbas #ChristianPodcast #BiblePodcast #Christianity
Instagram Caption
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” But He wasn't saying His Kingdom has nothing to do with this world. In John 18, Jesus reveals a completely different kind of Kingdom—one that doesn't advance through force, but through truth, conversion, and lives transformed under the reign of Christ. And in Barabbas, we get a powerful picture of the gospel itself: the guilty goes free while the innocent takes his place.
#John18 #KingdomOfGod #Jesus #BibleStudy #GospelOfJohn #ChristianPodcast #BiblePodcast #Christianity #Barabbas #WhatIsTruth