Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "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."

Human ears have never heard more majestic words than our Lord’s reply to Pilate’s accusation. When Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world, He did not mean that it had nothing to do with this world, but that it did not originate here. It has descended from heaven, and seeks to bring the inspiration, principles, and methods of heaven into all the provinces of human activity. The one conspicuous proof of its absolutely foreign origin is its refusal to employ force. Christians do not physically fight, but sacrifice and suffer. Our Lord therefore showed that His Kingdom is based on the manifestation of the truth. There is no soul of man or woman which is pure and true that does not recognize Christ’s royalty, as King of Truth, when it hears Him speak.

A Devotional Commentary by F. B. Meyer, B.A.