John 18:33b-37
Lead in: Pilate was suspicious of this Jesus who he’d heard so much about. Like Pilate, we can be suspicious of people based on what we’ve heard about them.
Prompt : Reflect on a time when you met someone who you were suspicious of based on what you had heard about them. Were your suspicions confirmed, or did they prove
otherwise? Give examples of both. What can you learn from both?
Lead in: The people of Jesus’ day were longing for a king who would deliver them from the tyranny of Rome. But when interrogated by Pilate, Jesus made it clear. He was not the king the people were hoping for. For as Jesus says in John 18, “My Kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” Like the people of his day, it’s easy to wish for a Jesus who would deliver us from all our problems.
Prompt: What do you say to the person who has given up on their faith because God didn’t help them the way they were hoping He would?
Lead in: The Kingdom Jesus proclaims does not look to power and might as its weapon. The power of his Kingdom is found in love, not might.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you were tempted to react in a violent way, not with physical violence but with the violence of blaming, shaming, bad mouthing, scapegoating, harsh judgments, or words that sting. If you were to encounter a situation like that, remembering how Jesus was with Pilate and those who mistreated and eventually killed him, how would you want to respond?
Prompt: If yours was not the Christ-like response you want it to be, what would you do so the hurt you see inflicted around you doesn’t become a hurt that you inflict on yourself or others?
Lead in: Pilate is on guard with this Jesus who now stands before him. Is Jesus the revolutionary who is going to lead a mutiny rebellion against its Roman oppressor?
If so, Pilate is the one who needs to put a stop to any potential for rebellion. Like Pilate, today there are those who are suspicious of religion and on guard with those who want to convert others to their way of thinking.
Prompt: Were you to have a conversation with such a person, how would you respond?
Lead in: Pilate is looking face-to-face at Jesus who stands before him.
Prompt: If you were to have a face-to-face conversation with Jesus, what would you say to him? What would you want to ask him?
