Let someone be tortured, someone freeze to death under your house, pensions are taken away, the rich are getting richer, there is no money and medicine, but we hold on, people are imprisoned for single pickets, social injustice, politics, economics. We, believers, don’t give a damn about all this mouse fuss. Isn't it clearly stated: My kingdom not from this world ? Only the spiritual is important. Prayer, sacraments, worship, cleansing of the soul - and subsequent salvation...

And the common expression “not of this world” is grist for this stupid mill.

No. This, my friends, is a wicked caricature of New Testament thought and a misreading of the meaning of the words of John 18 (given in context at the very bottom).

1. Immediate context. It was a very political conversation, an interrogation from Pilate, who is deciding on the measure of punishment and will soon pronounce a death sentence on what he considers an innocent man. And the conversations there are all the time around the king and Caesar.

Here Pilate needs a clear answer: yes - no. “Do you, Jesus, consider yourself king of the territory that I rule by Caesar’s command? are you claiming it?" A positive answer would mean that this is a rebel who should be executed - and the students should be caught too.

And then the words “not of this world” (and further) mean: “If you, Pilate, are asking about an armed uprising and seizure of power, my movement has not had and will not have such plans.” The continuation of verse 36 actually deciphers this: If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. Now My Kingdom is not from here.

2.Greek languages to: Ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου· - here is a preposition ἐκ , “from (the world),” more often translated as from, speaks of origin. The short dictionary talks about the following meanings: movement from inside to outside, origin, source, separation, allocation, cause, means, composition: from, from, with.

This strange “reign” (so it would be more correct to translate the Kingdom) does not come from, does not grow from this world: from power, strength, war, money, the decision of Caesar or, if you like, democratic elections and the struggle of parties. It doesn't look like Pax Romana, supported by the strength of legions.

But this does not make it a non-touching reality, it is for the world (there in the next verse Jesus says that he came into the world) and inside this world.

So someone could say: “I am not [from] Moscow, but I will work in Moscow.”

3. And finally, there is broad context this Gospel, New Testament literature, and Jewish literature around the first century. These authors would have been outraged if they had been told that the Kingship of God was not at work in or concerned with this world. It exists quite realistically on earth and its subjects face very real consequences. Starting with persecution. But this fight is not carried out according to the laws of the world, where the strongest and most impudent wins. It still exists precisely for the sake of this world. Christians, after all, pray daily for the Kingdom to come to earth.

So it’s better not to use this text of the Gospel for arguments like: spiritual people care about such nonsense as the life of this world.

33 Then Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered, Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What did you do? 36 Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jews. Now My Kingdom is not from here. 37 Then Pilate said to Him: That means. You, after all. Tsar? Jesus answered; you say that I am the King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice. 38 Pilate said to Him: What is truth?

St. John Chrysostom

Art. 36-37 Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world: even though my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought, lest they be delivered up by Judea: but now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate said to him: Art thou a King? Jesus answered: You say that I am a King: For this I was born and for this I came into the world, that I may bear witness to the truth: (and) everyone who is of the truth will listen to My voice

What about Christ? My kingdom is not of this world (v. 36). He builds up Pilate, who was not very angry and not like the Jews, and wants to show that He is not an ordinary man, but God and the Son of God. And what does He say? Even if My kingdom had been of this world, My servants would have fought, lest I be handed over to Judea (v. 36). By this He destroyed what Pilate had hitherto feared - he destroyed the suspicion that He had stolen royal power. Is His Kingdom really not of this world? Of course from the world. How does He say: carry? This does not mean that He does not rule here, but that He has authority in heaven and that His power is not human, but much higher and more glorious than human. But if His power is higher, then how was He taken by this latter? He gave Himself up voluntarily. But He doesn’t reveal this yet, but what does He say? If I were of this world, My servants therefore fought, lest I should be betrayed by Judea. This shows the weakness of the kingdom of the earth, since it receives its strength from its servants; and the Kingdom above is strong in itself and does not need anyone. Heretics find in these words an excuse to assert that Christ is different from the Creator. But what is it said about Him: in due course(1, 11) ? And what, on the other hand, do His words mean: are not of the world, just as I am not of the world(17, 16) ? In the same sense, He says about the Kingdom that it is not of the world. By this He does not take away from Himself power over the world and provision for it, but shows that His Kingdom, as I have already said, is not human and fleeting. What about Pilate? Are you a king? Jesus answered: You say that I am a king: For this I was born.(v. 37) If He was born a king, then from birth He has everything else, and He has nothing that He would acquire later. Therefore, when you hear: Just as the Father has life in Himself, so will the Sons have life in Himself(5, 26), then do not imagine anything other than birth here. Understand other similar places in the same way. And for this reason I came into the world, that I may testify to the truth(18, 37), that is, to announce this to everyone, teach everyone about it and convince everyone of it.

Right John of Kronstadt

So, Lord: these blind men thought that You wanted to be an earthly king, but they were mistaken. You were the eternal King; You had royal glory with Your Father before the world existed(John 17.5).

Diary. Volume II. 1857-1858.

Blzh. Theophylact of Bulgaria

Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here

Evfimy Zigaben

Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world: even if My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have fought, lest they be delivered over to Judea: now My kingdom is not from here

Lopukhin A.P.

Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here

Christ answers Pilate that, as a representative of the Roman authorities, the power to which Christ claims His rights does not pose a threat. The kingdom or power of Christ is not of this world or from here. It is of heavenly origin (cf. John 3:5) and must be established on earth not by the means by which earthly kingdoms are usually founded and established: Christ does not have strong supporters who could make a political revolution in His favor. The very handing over of Christ to the Jews could not have taken place without strong resistance from His adherents, if He had such in sufficient number (“ now" - obviously).

Having said this,

The evangelist did not say “Jesus prayed in this way,” but “having said this.”

For the preceding speech was not a prayer, but a conversation, and was for the comfort of the disciples.

Jesus and His disciples went out beyond the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He and His disciples entered.

Jesus walks in the middle of the night, crosses the river and hurries to come to the place known to His betrayer. He reveals Himself to the murderers in order to show that He goes to suffer voluntarily, and frees the Jews from the labor of looking for Him. So that they do not have difficulty moving here and there and looking for Him, He Himself goes to them, He Himself gives Himself into their hands; for in the garden they find Him, as if in some kind of prison.

. The garden in which our salvation began can be compared to paradise. For in the garden we fell from paradise; In the garden, we see, the saving suffering of Christ begins and corrects all previous disasters.

Judas, His betrayer, also knew this place,

So that you do not think that Jesus retired to the garden to hide, the evangelist adds that Judas also knew this place. Therefore, Jesus goes to this place with the intention of being revealed rather than hidden.

because Jesus often met there with His disciples.

Judas knows this place because Jesus often went there. For the Lord loved to go to empty places and quiet havens, especially when he conveyed something mysterious.

. Why did Judas know that Jesus was currently in the garden and not think to find Him sleeping in the house? He knew that the Lord spent many nights outside the city and home, and therefore even then he went out. And differently: he knew that during the holiday the Lord especially had the custom of teaching his disciples something higher. And, as we said, He taught His disciples mysterious things and in mysterious places. And since there was a holiday then, Judas guessed that Jesus was there, and, according to custom, was reasoning with His disciples regarding the holiday. So Judas, taking a detachment: and ministers from the chief priests and Pharisees,

They persuade a detachment of warriors to help themselves for money; for warriors are such that they can be bribed with gold. Many of them come because they are afraid of the followers of Jesus, who are attached to Him for the sake of His teachings and miracles.

comes there with lanterns and lamps and weapons.

They carry lanterns and lamps with them so that Jesus, hiding in the darkness, does not run away from them. And He did not need to escape so much that He Himself came out to them and gave Himself away.

. Jesus, knowing everything that would happen to Him, went out and said to them: Whom are you looking for?

The Lord does not ask them because he needed to know; the evangelist says that He knew "all that befalls Him." And how He knew what would happen to Him, He asks not out of the need to know, but in order to show that even then, when He was present, they did not see Him and did not recognize Him.

. They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them: It is I. And Judas, His betrayer, stood with them.

He asks how the other person is, and neither the others nor Judas himself recognizes Him by his voice. And that they did not recognize Him not because of the darkness is evident from the fact that, according to the evangelist, they came with lanterns. If we assume that they did not recognize Him because of the darkness, then they should have recognized Him by his voice. So, the Lord asks, as we said, to show that we did not recognize Him either by appearance or by voice. So, it means that His power was inexpressible, that they could not have crucified Him if He Himself had not surrendered voluntarily.

. And when he said to them, “It is I,” they stepped back and fell to the ground.

The Lord not only blinded their eyes, but also threw them to the ground with just one question. The fact that those who came to Jesus fell was a sign of the general fall of this people, which befell them later, after the death of Christ, just as Jeremiah predicted: “The house of Israel has fallen, and there is no one who restores.” And so all those who resist the word of God fall.

The Lord cast them to the ground in order to show both His power and the fact that He goes to suffer voluntarily. On top of this, He arranges something else. Lest anyone say that the Jews did not sin at all, for He Himself surrendered into their hands and appeared to them, that is why He shows this miracle over them, and it was enough to admonish them. But when even after this miracle they remained in their malice, then He gives Himself into their hands.

. Again he asked them: Who are you looking for? They said: Jesus of Nazareth.

. Jesus answered: I told you that it is I; So, if you are looking for Me, leave them, let them go,

Look how the Lord does not abandon his love for his disciples until the last hour. You are looking for me, leave them, let them go.”

. May the word He spoke be fulfilled: Of those whom You gave Me, I have not destroyed any.

May the word He spoke be fulfilled: “Of those whom You gave Me, I did not destroy any”(). The Lord speaks of spiritual destruction, which none of His disciples suffered, and the evangelist understood this also about bodily destruction.

It is wonderful how the soldiers did not take the apostles with Him and did not kill them even when Peter irritated them. Obviously, this was accomplished by the power of the One who was taken by them, and by the saying that He had previously said that none of them perished (). That the disciples remained unharmed by the power of the Lord’s saying, the evangelist also teaches us this when he says “That the word which He spoke might be fulfilled, that I destroyed none of them.” Because of their weakness, he places them outside temptations.

This is how He arranges it even now with us, although we are not aware. Therefore, if temptation comes to you, believe that if the Lord did not know that you could overcome it, He would not have allowed it to come to you, as He did then to the disciples.

. Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.

Peter saw that the Lord had thrown them to the ground; words of the Lord "leave them, let them go" filled him with courage, and he thought that it was time to take revenge, he took out his sword and struck the slave. If you ask why someone who is commanded not to have a sword has a sword “not a bag, not two clothes”(), then know that he needed it to slaughter the lamb, and carried it with him after the supper; or - that he, fearing an attack, had already prepared a sword for this case. If you are perplexed how one who was not ordered to hit the cheek () was ready to commit murder, then listen to the fact that Peter in particular took revenge not for himself, but for the Teacher. Moreover, they were not yet completely perfect. For later I ask you to look at Peter: he suffers extremely and rejoices. And now, indignant at the injustice to the Teacher, he makes an attempt on the head itself and, without beheading it, at least cuts off the ear. Jesus applies and heals the ear, and by this miracle again restrains the mad Jews from their zeal for murder. And since the miracle above the ear was great, the evangelist notes the name of the slave, so that those reading, in case of doubt, can find and investigate whether it really was so.

I ask you to notice that cutting off the right ear of the high priest's servant was a sign of their disobedience. For blindness came upon Israel, so that those who heard would not hear, because of their wickedness against the Savior, which was especially strong in the high priests, which is why the sign - the removal of an ear - was on the servant of the high priest. The restoration of the ear points to the future restoration of the understanding of the Israelites, which they have now lost. For Elijah will come and lead them to Christ, and he will unite them, the fathers, with us, the sons, as Malachi prophesied ().

. But Jesus said to Peter, Sheathe your sword; Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?

The Lord restrains Peter and says threateningly: “Put your sword in its sheath.” At the same time he consoles, saying: “Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” For this shows that suffering does not depend on their strength, but on His will, and that He is not an opponent of God, but fulfills the will of the Father even to death. By calling suffering a “cup,” it makes it clear that it is pleasant and desirable for human salvation.

. Then the soldiers and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him,

When the Lord did everything that could tame them, but they did not understand, then He allowed Him to lead them.

. And they took Him first to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.

They tie Him up and take Him to Anna, with some kind of triumph on this occasion and boasting, as if they had won a great victory.

. It was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it was better for one man to die for the people.

The evangelist recalls the prophecy of Caiaphas () in order to show that this happened for the salvation of the world, and that this truth is so important that even the enemies themselves predicted it. So, so that you would not be embarrassed when you hear about the bonds, he reminds you of the prophecy, that is, that the bonds were saving, and that is why the Lord tolerated them.

. Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus;

Who was this other student? The same one who wrote about this, but he hides himself out of humility. Because he wants to show perfection, that he followed Jesus, while others fled: therefore he hides himself and puts Peter in front of himself. “For Jesus,” he says, “ followed Simon Peter" then he adds:

"and another student."

This disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.

Look again how he rejects praise. Lest you, having heard that John went with Jesus, think anything great about him, he says that he "was known to the high priest."“I,” he says, “went in with Him, not because I was more courageous than the others, but because I was known to the high priest.”

. And Peter stood outside the doors.

He declares about Peter that he followed Jesus out of love for Him, and stopped outside the courtyard because he was not familiar.

Then another disciple, who was known to the high priest, came out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.

That Peter would have entered if he had been allowed is clear from the fact that when John went out and told the gatekeeper to bring him in, Peter immediately entered.

Why didn’t John introduce it himself, but ordered the woman to do it? Because he held fast to Christ, followed Him relentlessly and did not want to be separated from Him.

. Then the servant servant said to Peter: “Are you not one of this Man’s disciples?”

The woman asks Peter without insolence, without rudeness, but very meekly. For she did not say, “And are you not one of the disciples of this deceiver,” but - "This man", and these, rather, were words of regret and imbued with love for a person. Said “And aren’t you one of the disciples?” because John was inside the courtyard. This woman spoke so meekly, but he did not notice anything, and ignored Christ’s prediction.

He said no.

Human nature itself is so weak when it is abandoned by God. Some, in vain wanting to please Peter, say that Peter denied not because he was afraid, but because he constantly desired to be with Christ and follow Him; and he knew that if he declared himself a disciple of Jesus, he would be excommunicated from Him, and he would not be able to follow Him and see his beloved. Therefore, he renounced, saying that he was not a disciple.

. Meanwhile, the slaves and servants, having lit a fire because it was cold, stood and warmed themselves. Peter also stood with them and warmed himself.

He warmed himself with the same thought. For for the sake of appearance, he did the same as the servants, as one of them, so that they would not expose him by the change in his face, would not be driven out from among themselves as a disciple of Christ, and would not be deprived of the opportunity to see Him.

. The high priest asked Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching.

The high priest asks Jesus about the disciples, perhaps like this: “Where are they, who are they, for what purpose did He gather them, and what is His purpose?” He wanted to expose Him as some kind of innovator or troublemaker.

He also asks about the teaching: what is it, does it differ from the Law, is it not contrary to Moses, so that in the teaching he can find a reason to kill Him as an opponent of God.

. Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and I did not say anything secretly.

What about the Lord? He answers his suspicions. “I,” he says, “ I didn’t say anything secretly.”

You suspect that I am some kind of rebel, secretly plotting some kind of conspiracy; but I tell you that secretly I did not say anything, that is, nothing outrageous and, as you think, I am not introducing anything new, and with a cunning and secret intention I did not say anything of My own.

If we do not understand these words of the Lord in accordance with the suspicion of the high priest, then He will appear to be speaking a lie. For He spoke many things in secret, precisely those things that exceeded the understanding of the common people. Christ, saying"I didn't say anything secretly" reminds me of the prophecy that says: ().

. “I did not speak in secret, not in a dark place of the earth.”

Why are you asking Me? ask those who heard what I said to them; behold, they know that I have spoken.“Why are you asking Me? ask those who heard.” These are not the words of an arrogant man, but one who is confident in the truth of his words. “Ask,” he says, “these enemies, these haters, these servants who bound Me.” For this is the most indubitable proof of the truth when someone brings his enemies as witnesses to his words. And these same ministers previously responded like this: ().

. "Never did a man speak like this Man"

When He had said this, one of the servants who was standing close struck Jesus on the cheek, saying, “Is this the answer you give to the high priest?”

. And after such an answer they are not surprised at Him, but strike Him on the cheek! What could be more impudent than this? But the One who can shake and destroy everything does not do anything like that, but utters words that can tame all brutality.

Jesus answered him: If I said something bad, show me what is bad; What if it’s good that you beat Me? “If,” he says, “you can blame what I said, then prove that I said something bad; If you can’t, then why do you beat Me?” Or so."If I said something bad"

This minister struck the Lord in order to get rid of a great crime. Since Jesus called those present as witnesses, saying: “Behold, they know what I said”; Then this servant, wanting to divert from himself the suspicion that he was one of those who marveled at Jesus, struck Him.

. Annas sent Him bound to the high priest Caiaphas.

Since they did not find any guilt in Him, they took Him to Caiaphas, perhaps hoping that he, as the more cunning one, would find something against Jesus worthy of death, either by convicting Him of an answer, or by convicting Him of some action.

. Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Then they said to him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied and said: no.

. One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said: Didn't I see you with Him in the garden?

. Peter denied again; and immediately the rooster crowed.

And Peter, an ardent lover, is obsessed with such insensibility that the Teacher has already been led away, but he still does not move from his place and warms himself, so they ask him again, and he denies, and not only for the second time, but also for the third.

Why did all the evangelists write about Peter in agreement? Not in order to condemn our fellow disciple, but to teach us how bad it is not to turn to God in everything, but to rely on ourselves.

One must also be amazed at the Lord’s philanthropy. He's tied up; He is taken from place to place; however, He did not abandon care for His disciple, but, turning, looked at Peter, as another evangelist notes (), and with this look he reproached him for weakness and aroused repentance and tears in him.

What happened to Peter then is what many of us are experiencing now, as you can see. The Word of God existing in us is bound and, as it were, taken captive, enslaved either by sorrow or by pleasure. For we are bound by both and are led into captivity, either by worldly pleasures or by sorrows, forgetting God. Then the Word is condemned, and dumbness wins, and the slave strikes the master, for such is the rebellion of the passions. Our mind, like another Peter, often hopes for itself that it will not renounce the Word, and therefore it stands and warms itself. “Stands” because he does not bow down, does not humble himself, but equally and stubbornly remains self-confident. “He’s warming himself” because he hurts with self-confidence, with ardor and arrogance. But he is convicted by a “slave,” some small and relaxing pleasure, and he immediately renounces the Word and submits to wordlessness. Or he is convicted by some sorrowful temptation, just as Peter was convicted by the “slave” then, and then his powerlessness is revealed. But let us pray that Jesus, the Word of God, will look at us and move us to repentance and tears when we come out of the court of the prince of this world, this high priest who crucifies the Lord. For when we come out of this world, which is the court of the prince of peace, then we will only rise up for sincere repentance, as the Apostle Paul says: “Let us go out to Him outside the camp, that is, this world, bearing His reproach" ().

. They took Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.

The Lord is taken to many courts, thinking that they will dishonor Him; and the truth, on the contrary, was revealed even more through the consideration of the case by many courts. For the Lord came out from all of them unaccused and received unquestionable power.

They take Him to the praetorium because they themselves did not have the power to kill, since they were under the rule of the Romans. At the same time, they were afraid that they would subsequently be subjected to trial and punishment for having killed without trial.

It was morning;

“It was morning” says so that you know that Caiaphas interrogated the Lord at midnight, for He was taken to Caiaphas before the rooster crowed. This evangelist kept silent about what he asked the Lord, but others said. When the night had passed in these interrogations, the next morning they took Him to Pilate.

and they did not enter the praetorium, lest they become defiled,

What madness! When people kill unjustly, they do not think that they are being defiled. And they consider it a desecration for themselves to enter the judgment seat.

but so that: it could be there is Easter.

The Lord performed it on the first day of unleavened bread (). Therefore, by Easter we must understand either the entire seven-day holiday, or understand it in such a way that this time they had to eat Easter on Friday evening, and He celebrated it one day earlier in order to keep the sacrifice of Himself on Friday, when the Old Testament Passover was also celebrated.

. Pilate came out to them and said: What do you accuse this Man of?

Pilate acts somewhat more justly. He comes out himself. And although he saw the Lord bound, he did not consider this sufficient to accuse Christ, but asked why He was bound.

. They answered him: If He had not been an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.

And they, having nothing to say, say: “If He had not been a villain, we would not have delivered Him to you.” You see how they evade evidence everywhere. Anna asked and found nothing, so he sent him to Caiaphas. This one, after judging a few times, refers to Pilate. Then Pilate asks again: “What do you accuse this Man of?” They can’t say anything here either.

. Pilate said to them: Take Him, and judge Him according to your law.

Since they are not bringing any charges, he says: "Take Him you." Because you assign judgment to yourselves and boast that you would never act unjustly (for they say: “If He had not been a villain, we would not have handed Him over to you.”), then take Him yourself and judge. If you brought Him to me and give His case the appearance of a trial (legal form), then it is necessary to express what This Man is guilty of. So, judge Him, for I cannot be such a judge; If your law punishes without guilt, then judge for yourself.

The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,”

To this they say: "We are not allowed to put anyone to death." They say this knowing that the Romans condemn the rebels to crucifixion. So that the Lord would be crucified, and He would be more disgraced, and He would be declared damned, for this they pretend to say that they are not allowed to kill anyone. How was Stephen stoned? But I said that they say this because they want the Lord to be crucified. They seemed to say: “We are not allowed to kill anyone on the cross, but we would like this one to be crucified.”

. May the word of Jesus be fulfilled, which He spoke, indicating how He would die.

“Let the word of Jesus be fulfilled” about His death, namely: either that He will be crucified (), or that He will be killed not by Jews, but by pagans (). So, when the Jews said that they were not allowed to kill, then the pagans took Him and, according to their custom, crucified Him on the cross, and thus the word of Jesus comes true in both respects, in that He was betrayed to the pagans, and in that that He was crucified.

. Then Pilate again entered the praetorium, and called Jesus, and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews?

Pilate called Jesus in private. Since he had a high opinion of Him, he wanted to know everything more precisely, away from the confusion of the Jews. So, he asks Him, is He a king? What everyone said, that’s what he puts on display.

. Jesus answered Him: Are you saying this on your own behalf, or have others told You about Me?

And Christ asks him whether he is saying this on his own behalf, or on behalf of others? Not because he doesn’t know, but because he wants to reveal the evil intent of the Jews so that Pilate will accuse them.

And otherwise. The Lord asks Pilate whether he is asking this on his own behalf, or at the suggestion of others, and thereby accuses him of unreasonableness and an unfair trial. He seems to be saying this to Pilate: “If you say this on your own, then indicate the signs of My rebellion; if others have informed you, then carry out an accurate investigation.”

. Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what did you do?

Therefore, Pilate correctly answers that His traitors are Jews, and deflects the blame from himself. Pilate does not say what he heard from others, but simply refers to the opinion of the people and says: “They betrayed You to me; what did you do?" These seem to be the words of someone who is sad and bitter. “For,” he says, “what have you done? "

. Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world;

The Lord answers: and with this answer he accomplishes two things: firstly, he leads Pilate to the knowledge that He is not a simple man and not one of the earthly creatures, but the Son of God, secondly, destroys the suspicion of the theft of supreme power. "My kingdom is not of this world": Therefore, do not fear Me, supposedly a tyrant and rebel.

If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews;

Here it also shows the weakness of our (earthly) kingdom, for it has strength in servants, but the Kingdom of the Highest is strong in itself and does not need anyone. And the Manichaeans find in these words an excuse 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 fools, first delve into this saying.

but now my kingdom is not from here.

He said "My kingdom is not of this world" and again - “not from here,” but did not say “it is not in this world and not here.” He reigns in this world, provides for it and governs everything according to His will. But His kingdom "not of this world", but from above and before the centuries and “not from here,” that is, it did not take place from the earth, although it has power and abides here, but not from here, and does not consist of what is below, and does not fall. Then, how should one understand the words "came to his own"(), if this world were not His own?

. Pilate said to Him: So are You a King? Jesus answered: You say that I am a King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth;

When Pilate asked the Lord if He was a King, He answered: "I was born for this" that is, to be a King. I have this in 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 everything else (), then understand the word “gave” instead of “gave birth” to Him, so that He has life, judges, and all this comes from the Father to the Son by nature . “For this reason I came into the world” this to say this, and teach, and convince everyone that I am the King, the Master and the Lord.

Some in words "I was born for this" they understood the indication not of a pre-eternal birth from the Father, but of a recent birth from the Virgin. For this reason I became a man and was born of Mary, in order to destroy lies and the devil and prove that the Divine nature reigns over everyone. So, the truth is that they should know Me and through this knowledge they should be saved. I came to tell people the true knowledge of God and to grant them salvation.

everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.

Wanting to attract Pilate’s attention and persuade him to listen to His words, he says: “Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Therefore, you too, Pilate, if you are a child of truth and love it, listen to My voice and believe that I am a King, but not like the kings of this world, I have power not acquired, but natural, inherent in Me by my very birth from God and Tsar. He also makes a hint here that the Jews are not of the truth, because they do not want to listen to His voice; if they are not from the truth, then, without a doubt, they have invented everything false about Him, and He is truly not guilty of death.

. Pilate said to Him: What is truth?

With these few words He so captivated Pilate that Pilate asked about the truth, what it is. For she almost disappeared among people, and no one knew her, and everyone was already in disbelief.

And having said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them: I find no guilt in Him.

But since this issue required special time to resolve, and now it was necessary to save Jesus from the fury of the Jews, Pilate comes out to them and says: "I find no fault in Him" and he says it intelligently.

. You have a custom that I give you one for Easter;

It is worthy of investigation as to why the custom arose among the Jews of releasing one prisoner for the sake of Passover. To this we can, firstly, say that the students "the doctrines, the commandments of men"(), they introduced a lot from their wisdom, but did not keep the commandments of God. So this too was introduced without any reasonable basis, while in other cases the rituals prescribed by law were left in place. Then, we can say that in Scripture there is a similar legal provision from which they could take the reason for introducing such vacations for convicted persons into the custom. For it is written about involuntary murder: “if someone, not out of enmity and without any special intention, causes harm to his neighbor, throws a vessel or a stone, and the fallen thing hits a passer-by, and that person dies; then such a killer is an involuntary one. The whole synagogue (assembly) will judge this, and they will free him from death, for he did not kill maliciously, but they will place him in the city of refuge, that is, they will punish him with exile.” From here, perhaps, as we guess, they took the occasion and introduced such a custom to release one of those convicted of murderous intent. The law prescribes that this matter should be conducted by the Jewish synagogue, but since the Jews were in the power of the Romans, they gave the right to release prisoners to the Roman commanders, as they now do to Pilate.

Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?

For he did not say, “although He sinned and is worthy of death, forgive Him for the sake of the holiday,” but first declared Him free from all guilt, and then offered them His release. Therefore, if Jesus is released, then He is not obliged to them at all: for they released the innocent. If they condemn Him, this will prove their wickedness, because they condemned an innocent person.

Look: and the name "King of the Jews" has some meaning. By this, Pilate obviously expresses that Jesus is not at all to blame, but that they are in vain accusing Him, as if He was coveting the kingdom. For anyone who pretends to be a king and rebels against the rule of the Romans, the Roman governor would not let go. Therefore, having said "I will release the King of the Jews" Pilate declares Jesus decisively innocent and mocks the Jews, saying, as it were: “Whom you slander that He claims to be a king, Whom you call a rebel and a rebel, Him I deem necessary to release, obviously because He is not such.” .

. Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not Him, but Barabbas.” Barabbas was a robber.

Look at the extent to which the malice of the Jews is shown. Barabbas, a famous robber, is begged for freedom, and the Lord is betrayed.

In response to Pilate’s question: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). It is impossible to comprehend this kingdom in terms of Pilate's life philosophy. On the contrary, this philosophy must be decisively abandoned. The first thing that is required of a person is to realize the insignificance, the secondary importance of all earthly goals and aspirations. We must correctly define the scale of values ​​and understand one truth: “Whatever is high among men is an abomination to God” (Luke 16:15). Jesus made his choice in the desert, where he fasted for forty days and forty nights, preparing to present his own teaching. At the end of Lent, the devil approached him with three temptations. The first temptation was that the tempter invited him to turn stones into bread. Jesus answered, “Man cannot live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4). You can be left without bread altogether, as during Lent. You can have an infinite amount of it, like stones in Palestine. For a person, his meaningful life, this is not significant. The second temptation was that the devil suggested that Jesus throw himself down from the wing of the Jerusalem Temple in order to check whether, as predicted, God would really prevent him from falling onto the stones. Jesus, as in the first case, responded with a line from ancient scripture: “Do not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7). He apparently wanted to say that hope in God does not free a person from responsible actions. The third temptation is that the devil promises Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in exchange for him to bow down at his feet. Jesus answers this time with the Old Testament saying: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:10). The world, Jesus believes, does not contain its own value; in perspective heavenly kingdom it is insignificant, no matter how significant and seductive it may seem. In a word, earthly life in itself is imperfect, and nothing in it, be it wealth, luck, fame, is worth being the hidden goal of human aspirations. The heart cannot belong to the world.

At the same time, Jesus is against ascetic renunciation of the world. In this he differs from John the Baptist, who “had a robe of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4). Asceticism is also a kind of attachment to the world, albeit in a negative form. Therefore, no matter how great John is, even “he who is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than him” (Matthew 11:11).

Jesus neither affirms the world nor denies it. He leaves it behind, sees beyond the world. None of the forms of earthly activity, nor all of them taken together, can have the dignity of a moral absolute. Therefore, a person must develop a free attitude towards them. To a rich young man who wanted to earn eternal life, Jesus advised to sell the property and give everything to the poor, then he will receive treasure in heaven. And the same should be the attitude towards everything else, including the attitude towards father, mother, brothers, sisters, wife and children. Willingness to give up all this is an indispensable condition of righteousness. In his decisive choice, a person should not be constrained by anything. This is the thought of Jesus.

By defining his own horizons of morality, Jesus frees it from its original material load. It does not prescribe any specific actions, giving a person complete freedom with regard to the material content of behavior, its objectivity. This is a very important point: a person receives not only the opportunity for an unfettered moral choice, at the same time he receives the opportunity for unfettered objective activity. Man cannot hide behind learned or sacred formulas in his practical decisions. Always, in every situation, he must act on his own, at his own peril, at his own risk, at his own responsibility, not only without feeling any dependence on the circumstances, but, on the contrary, acting as if the circumstances were completely dependent on him. It is significant for the position of Jesus Christ that he detabulates actions to which Judaism gave the dignity of sacred actions. The most typical example is the attitude towards the Sabbath. Jews dedicate the Sabbath to God, and worldly activities were prohibited on this day. Jesus and his disciples did not observe this prohibition with the required care: one Saturday the disciples picked ears of corn in the field, Jesus healed the sick that day. In response to the Pharisees' reproaches about the holiness of the Sabbath, Jesus responds with a surprisingly laconic formula: “The Sabbath is for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). It is wrong to think that Jesus was indifferent to the customs of his people or even trampled on them. Neither one nor the other. He respected the customs and specific prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. He just did not agree that any external actions could have the character of absolute norms and be considered a criterion of worthy behavior.

Jesus lays out a clear criterion for determining whether a person has developed the right attitude towards the world. This is the position of man in the world. If a person's position is high, he is rich, he is shrouded in fame, then this means that he has made a false choice. And vice versa, poverty, humiliation, persecution are a sign that a person correctly understands the objective proportion of values. Jesus is persecuted by the world and ultimately executed. This, Jesus believes, must be so, for he is not of the world. The same will happen to everyone who takes the path of truth. He tells the disciples: “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). The earthly fate was just as sad the best people- prophets. But all the more reason for joy. Earthly sadness is joy. Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you” (Luke 6:22).

Jesus' image of the world may seem vague and vague. In fact, he has a strict exact value: the world is that which is marked by death. With this understanding, the general attitude that the world is not worth the effort spent on it can only mean one thing: there is something in a person that does not fit within the boundaries of the world and finds resolution beyond its borders. We are talking not only about the meagerly measured boundaries of the lives of individuals, but also about the boundaries of kingdoms, the human race - any boundaries, no matter how extended in physical terms they may be. The average person lives within a hundred years, this constitutes his century. One can imagine that his age could last five hundred, a thousand, hundreds of thousands, millions of years. Something (and a lot) would, of course, change, but in a sense nothing would change. There is a certain beginning in a person that cannot be reconciled with any finitude. This principle is the most authentic in a person, and it is this that obliges him to relate to the world from high - from the heights of the heavenly kingdom. The parable of the wise and foolish builder captures Jesus's thought well. A prudent man built a house on a rock, and that house withstood the flood of rivers and strong winds. A foolish man built a house on sand, and that house fell from the rains and winds, “and its fall was great” (Matthew 7:27). People are mired in the vanity of the world, like a man who built a house on the sand. Offering the prospect of a heavenly kingdom, Jesus offers to move into a house built on a rock.

How less people strives to have here on earth, the more he will have there in heaven. The less he is attached to the material, the more he thinks about the spiritual. The last will be first, the first will be last. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Jesus overturns the established order of values. People care about material things, about their daily bread, in order to eliminate their suffering, not realizing that this is precisely the cause of suffering. Jesus urgently calls people to reflect on their sad experiences. For thousands of years people have been concerned about what they should eat, what they should drink, what they should wear. And they don’t have enough of either one, or the other, or the third. But there is only constant torment and endless conflicts. Is it because people are not concerned about what they should care about, because they have confused what is important and what is secondary? Jesus Christ offers a radically different program of life: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Jesus cannot be understood as if he contrasts the material and the spiritual (the ancient Jews, as experts note, did not have a word at all to designate the body, as opposed to the soul). It's really about priorities and, accordingly, about in different ways existence, various ethical perspectives, which are determined by the choice between the willful focus of an individual’s life on earthly goods or its aspiration towards the heavenly kingdom.

The Ecumenical Union of Churches hopes in vain for the millennial prosperity of the peoples on earth. This deceptive doctrine destroys faith in the Word of God, which states Jeremiah 4:23-26 “I look upon the earth, and behold, it is desolate and void; and the heavens, and there is no light in them. I look at the mountains, and behold, they tremble, and all the hills shake. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had flown away. I looked, and behold, Carmel was a wilderness, and all its cities were destroyed at the presence of the Lord, because of the fury of His wrath.”

Why is the church needed, from the point of view of political and public figures? To be, well, at least some kind of alternative to security - to restrain the anger of the people from the actions of the authorities. World leaders understand that political and economic expansion collides with the ethnic and religious components of society, so unification in these areas is also necessary. With few exceptions, modern churches today are able to tell people the truth as it is in Jesus. It is important that everyone coexists peacefully - this will lead to a thousand-year kingdom, universal prosperity. This is what a mortal man thinks! But what does the eternal God say through His Word? 1 Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, just as labor pain comes upon one who is pregnant, and they will not escape.”
The Bible talks about the millennial kingdom only after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth. His arrival will be preceded by terrible events in the world, ranging from wars to... natural disasters(see Matthew 24). When Christ apparently appears on the clouds, He will loudly command the dead righteous from Adam to the present day to rise (see 1 Cor 15: 51-55). Rev.20:6 “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: the second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Where will the righteous be located? The Word of God clearly says - Rev. 7:9 “After this I looked, and behold, a great many people whom no one could number, from all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb in white robes and with palm branches in their hands.” All those resurrected in the first resurrection stood near the throne of God, which is in heaven! There is no talk of land here at all! And whoever today, picking up the Bible, speaks of universal earthly prosperity for a thousand years is an outright liar.
What will happen on earth after the ascension of the righteous? Rev. 20:1-3 “And I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and he bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and imprisoned him, and he set a seal over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years were completed; after this he should be released for a short time.” John on the island of Patmos saw that after the rapture of the saints the wicked were destroyed, and the devil and his angels were “chained for a thousand years in the abyss.” The ancient Greek word "abyss" here means chaos, abyss, hell. Everything on earth will be destroyed and destroyed, and the devil will be pitiful and lonely, being among the ruins of cities and the imaginary greatness of this world. For a thousand years he will consider the fruits of his rebellion against God and man.
Rev. 20:5 “But the rest of those who died did not live again until the thousand years were fulfilled.” The beginning and end of the millennial kingdom are marked by two resurrections. The first is the resurrection of the righteous who were taken into heaven, and the second is the resurrection of the wicked who will be resurrected for judgment!
After a thousand years, Christ will come to earth for the third time and the devil will be released “for a little time.” Zechariah 14:4 “And His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will split in two from east to west into a very large valley, and half of the mountain will go to the north, and half of it to the south.” Together with the host of saints, Christ will descend to earth. His feet will touch the Mount of Olives, and it will turn into a wide valley, where the city of Jerusalem - “the tabernacle of God with
people." Isaiah 32:19 “And the city will go down into the valley.” The redeemed will be in the city with Christ.
After a thousand years, all the wicked who rebelled against the Law of God rise from the dust. In Rev. 20:7-9 “When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and to gather them together for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they went out into the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire fell from heaven from God and consumed them.” The devil will try for the last time to unite his efforts against God and the people devoted to Him. The next uprising will be thrown “into the lake of fire. This is the second death." The final separation of the saints from the wicked will take place through the just destruction of those who rebelled against God and His rule. Isaiah 24:21,22 “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will visit the great host on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they will be gathered together as prisoners into a ditch, and they will be shut up in prison, and after many days they will be punished.”
The thousand-year reign on earth will be a time of great Sabbath rest (Ex. 20 chapter, Lev 5:4, 5 and in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of rest for the earth, a Sabbath of the Lord: You shall not sow your field, and you shall not prune your vineyard; whatever grows in your harvest, do not reap, and do not remove the grapes from your unpruned vines; let this be a year of rest for the earth), since throughout the six thousand years of the history of the human race the earth and its inhabitants have been tormented under the curse of sin. For the earth, a thousand years will become rest, as the prophet Jeremiah said about the land of the people of Israel: “it kept the sabbath all the days” (2 Chronicles 36:21), so during the thousand years it will keep the sabbath. Hebrews 4:9 “Therefore there remains a Sabbath for the people of God.”
After destroying the devil and the wicked, God will restore the earth to its original Edenic state - the Kingdom of God on earth.