Pilate asked Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33). The way Jesus is king was alien to Pilate’s concern over kingship; it was even alien to what the Jews who brought Jesus to Pilate had in their minds regarding a king. Thus, Jesus could not simply answer “yes” or “no” to this question, but instead asked, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” (John 18:34).

The Jews thought of a king in the sense of the Davidic dynasty. David ruled in the golden years of Israel’s history when their wealth was immense and their influence over the world stage was far-reaching. Since the deportation into Babylon, no one in the lineage of David had ruled as king over the Jews. Unlike today, there were still complete genealogical records in the days of Jesus where one’s lineage could be traced back to David (cf. Matthew 1:1-17). However, the political landscape in Judea was different when Jesus was on earth than when His physical forefathers reigned. For centuries the Jews had been subjugated under foreign powers. Rome was ruling then. The reason Jesus was brought to Pilate was that capital punishment could only take place under Roman sanction. The Jews looked for a time when Messiah, the anointed king, also called Christ would come. Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the scriptures that pointed toward this king. While Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah, He did not fit the mold Judaism had constructed for their coming king. Of course, Pilate knew nothing of the Messiah. He asked Jesus, ““Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” (John 18:35). Pilate wanted to know why Jesus had made these people so angry as to be dead set on crucifying Him.

Pilate’s idea of a Jewish king would immediately be perceived as a threat to Caesar’s authority. Pilate likely knew from history of uprisings by the Jewish people to overthrow their Gentile rulers. The Maccabean Revolt was one such time when some Jews engaged in guerrilla warfare tactics to rebel against the Seleucid empire and recapture Jerusalem. The Jews used this fear of uprising to ensure that Jesus would be crucified. Later when Pilate wanted to release Jesus, they said, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar” (John 19:12). Jesus, however, was not a rival king to Caesar in the sense of an earthly, military campaign. To Pilate He replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).

When Pilate asked Jesus again if He was a king Jesus showed the nature of His kingship, saying, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). God is king in the sense that He created all of us and is the rightful center of the universe. When people sin, however, they put themselves on the throne as the center of the universe. Many today act as if God should serve them, and if He doesn’t they will find a new god. Jesus is God’s Son. This truth was rejected by those who brought Him to be crucified. Nevertheless, He is king in the sense of the truth of the Gospel breaking through and reigning in the hearts of those who respond to Him in obedience. Thus, the kingdom of Jesus is not observable with the physical eye, but rather is in the hearts of those who believe and practice the truth (Luke 17:20-21). Does Jesus reign in your heart? Is He king of your life?

-Mark Day

“Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land’” (Ezekiel 8:12). In this second vision of the book, Ezekiel witnessed the leaders of God’s people worshipping idols in secret. They thought that God was somehow limited like humans. Because God had forsaken the land, they thought He would no longer be present to witness their doings (Ezekiel 9:9). But nothing could be further from the truth.

David by inspiration extolled the Lord’s omnipresent knowledge of man, when he wrote, “Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Psa. 139:12). This is comforting for those who follow God. Jesus instructed, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt. 6:5, 6).

However, for those who are disobedient, it is unsettling to be told God sees all. Isaiah 29:15 warns, “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, “Who sees us?” and, “Who knows us? ”. Men love darkness when their deeds are evil for they think it will hide them from God (Jn. 3:19). But it is not God who is blind; those who sin secretly are really the ones who are unable to discern the truth (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2:11). The wicked man says that the Lord does not see (Psa. 10:11; 94:7).  But God is able to judge through the deep darkness (Job 22:13). Indeed, “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). As the old song goes, “There’s an all-seeing eye watching you.”

God took Ezekiel to see what was done in secret. The prophet initially was outside the wall of the outer court of the temple and dug through into a room which was inside the wall. God asked Ezekiel, “Have you seen what they do in the dark?” to reveal to him the behind-the-scenes sins of men. Do not be deceived by sin (Heb. 3:13). Keep yourself from “secret” sins for no sin is really hidden from the Great Judge (1 Cor. 4:5). Come to the light and live a life of integrity before God (John 3:19-21; Eph. 5:13-15).

-Mark Day

Considerable discussion has occurred in secular society in the last 50 years concerning gender – from the Feminist Movement of the 1960s to the more recent attention to transgenderism. The Bible speaks very precisely and definitively on the matter of gender. The phenomenon of gender is the result of God’s own divine determination when He created the first human beings on the sixth day of Creation week: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

When God created gender, He clearly intended to set the stage for all of human history. He sought to convey for all time the interrelationship between men and women. In the New Testament, this interrelationship is discussed in considerable detail in 1 Timothy 2 where Paul explains gender roles as they relate to worship. However, Paul also discussed gender in one of his letters to the church at Corinth. His pronouncements on gender are clearly tied to how men and women in the church are to interact with each other. The respective roles of male and female in the church are affected and informed by gender.

Paul’s remarks demonstrate that gender, as it relates to role function in the church, is a matter of Creation – not culture (as some have alleged). He explains the origin of gender as it was instigated by God at Creation:

For man is not from woman, but woman from man…. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of the woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.  For as the woman was from the man, even so the man also is through the woman; but all things are from God (1 Corinthians 11:8,11-12).

The bolded words represent prepositions in the original language. The term rendered “from” is the Greek preposition “ek” which means “out of.” The man was not “out of” the woman, but rather, the woman was “out of” the man. He is referring very specifically – and literally – to the origin of the first woman on Earth. Her body was constructed from a portion of the man’s body. Her physical origin was literally dependent on having been taken “out of” the man’s body. No wonder Adam declared: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). In Hebrew, the word for man is “ish.” Adam employed a play on words by building on the word for man to indicate a woman: “ish-ah.”

Three verses later, Paul further clarifies gender by stating that though the woman was “from/out of” man, nevertheless, the man is also “through” the woman. Here the Greek preposition is dia meaning “by/through.” Once again, Paul is speaking very literally. All men throughout human history (except for Adam) have come into this world through a woman. Women are the designated child bearers. Men have no reason to consider themselves – or their role – to be superior to women. God intends for the male to fulfill very precise responsibilities in and out of the church, and He likewise has created the female to do the same. Their respective roles are, indeed, rooted in the creation of gender by God at the very beginning of time.¹

-by Dave Miller as submitted by Jerry D. Sturgill

¹ For a discussion of gender roles in the church, see Dave Miller (2014), “Male and Female Roles: Gender in the Bible,” Apologetics Press, http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=5007&topic=389

Parents of children should be ready to give time to promote the spiritual welfare of the little ones in their care (Deut. 6:7-9; Eph. 6:4). There are so many evils in the world, that we should not only pray that the Lord will deliver us from evil (Mt. 6:13), but we should also place the lives of our children into the Lord’s hands and pray earnestly that He will deliver them and bless them in the way of righteousness throughout their days. Little children were brought to Jesus that He would lay His hands on them and pray for them (Mt. 19:13). Jesus took time for children, but His disciples on this occasion wanted none of it. The disciples rebuked them. They thought Jesus had more important things to do than to be bothered by these children.

Jesus, however, placed importance on children, reversing the conventional values that the disciples had learned in their day. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 19:14). While children have much to learn, they often possess simple trust and dependence that adults often lack. They also lack the pride, self-assertion, and brooding revenge that are often in the hearts of adults. In the previous chapter of Matthew, the disciples were wondering who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 18:1). Jesus taught them an object lesson. He placed a little child in their midst and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Mt. 18:3-5).  While the child must have seemed small and insignificant in the midst of grown men, it is this very quality of humility that Jesus highlights as key to entering His kingdom. Each of us must possess humility if we are to have the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5-8). A child possesses the humility to learn and grow that a self-sufficient adult often does not have. Children can be taught the gospel and can grow to become like God. Solomon said, “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished” (Ecc. 4:13).

The church, Christ’s kingdom, values children. Sadly, many homes do not provide the environment where the welfare, especially spiritual welfare, of children is promoted. If the church is to practice pure religion, then we must care for the fatherless (Jas. 1:27). God’s righteousness includes being a father and helper to the fatherless (Psa. 10:14; 68:5). Those without natural affection, i.e. love for their own children, will meet God’s judgment (Rom. 1:31; 2 Tim. 3:3). Some of the worst forms of harm in our world today are inflicted on children. God’s kingdom of light must overcome this evil darkness with doing good (Rom. 12:21; Phil. 2:15). We must open our mouths and stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves (Prov. 31:8). Let’s do all we can to provide a way for precious souls of little ones to come to Jesus and be blessed in this life and the life to come.

-Mark Day