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Good morning, Covenant Family.

Each week, when preparing my sermon, one of the hardest things to determine is what not to include on Sunday morning. Sometimes that becomes clear by the angle I ultimately use to approach the text. Sometimes it is simply determined by how long my draft sermon is. Other times, I balk at including something because it may be just a little too nerdy. The text this past Sunday, John 19:1-16, had one such nerdy thing in it. But I think it is interesting enough, maybe even cool enough, that I’d like to share it with you briefly on this Covenant Weekly for March 24, 2026.

Just a couple words of clarification before we get into things. First, I don’t really know Greek. I rely on much smarter people than me to bring out many nuances in a text. Second, while what I’m sharing has a bit of a nerdy element to it, those who are much smarter than me could get far nerdier and deeper into the weeds than I will this morning. Third, in addition to the point I’ll be making, I hope and pray that sharing something a little nerdy might get some of you super excited to dig into nerdy Bible reading yourself! There are many tools out there that can help you. If you ever want to connect to talk about those resources, please reach out to me! You can call the church at 705-549-8477, email me at jon@covenantchurch.ca, or grab me on a Sunday morning and we can set up a time to meet over coffee. Tell me that you want to talk about nerdy Bible stuff and I’ll be excited!

Now…let’s dig in.

On Sunday morning I read from the New International Version. The NIV translation of John 19:13 says, “When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).”

It seems straightforward enough. But a different excellent version, the Common English Bible, translates the same verse to say, “When Pilate heard these words, he led Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench at the place called Stone Pavement (in Aramaic, Gabbatha).”

Wait. What? Who was seated on the judge’s bench? One says it was Pilate. The other says that Pilate sat Jesus on the bench. Which was it?

A third translation, the New Revised Standard Version updated edition, which is known to be a very scholarly translation, says this, “When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha.” That suggests that Pilate sat on the judge’s bench. However!!! It has a footnote beside the word “sat” that says, “Or seated him.” It translates it one way, but basically says, “the other way can work, too!”

Here’s the nerdy thing. The writer of the gospel used a verb form that leaves it unclear.

But how can both work? They mean very different things. Either Pilate sat on the judge’s seat or Jesus did. But they couldn’t both sit there. How are we supposed to read this passage if it’s not clear?

Here’s a suggestion that I heard this week that I find both intriguing and very exciting. The suggestion is that John, in writing this down, left it unclear on purpose because of what it communicates. In the flow of the story, it seems to only make sense that Pilate sat in the judge’s seat. He was, after all, the judge. This is why the majority of English translations identify Pilate as the one sitting in the seat.

But as John writes, he knows that more is going on than meets the eye. That’s been a part of what he’s been communicating all along. Nicodemus, you must be born again. Peter, put away your sword because Jesus’ kingdom won’t be won through violence. Pilate, my kingdom is not of this world. Pilate, you think you have power, but you don’t have real or ultimate power! Things in this story are not as they appear.

So when Pilate brings Jesus out and sits on the judge’s seat, it appears that he is the judge. But Jesus is the one who is actually the judge in this story. John’s use of nebulous language helps us as readers see both the visible reality within the story and the actual reality of the situation. And ultimately it creates space for us to discern who we will see as the judge. Is it the one in the fancy clothes, with an army at his disposal, and the legal means to crucify? Or is it the one who has chosen suffering love for the sake of the world? The gospel is an invitation to see Jesus as the judge and, in response, to choose the way of Jesus.

This is something we’re invited to embody as we live in relationships with others. And it is something we’re invited to believe even when the evidence around us and the messages inside us tell us otherwise. An angry parent is not the ultimate judge, even if they sit in the seat of power. The online messages we’re receiving aren’t the ultimate judge, even when they strike us to the core. The person quoting Bible verses or standing in the pulpit are not the judge, even when they claim to speak for God. The elected or acclaimed officials with courts and armies on their side are not the judge, even when they have the power to take someone’s life. In a very real way they sit on what Buddy the Elf once called “a throne of lies.”

The truth is that the suffering servant has not abdicated his judge’s seat or his throne. We can trust in his ultimate goodness, love, and justice whatever we are facing.

Jon