This English phrase “from above” is translated from the Greek anōthen, a word used throughout the New Testament in reference to that which is established by God and comes from heaven. This makes for an astonishing rebuke to Pilate. Even though the Roman governor will decide whether He lives or dies, Jesus is telling him that God set these events into motion from the beginning of time; that He cast Pilate in these proceedings as an actor who would read lines from a divine script; that neither Rome nor its rulers have inherent power of their own. Jesus’s words to Pilate echo throughout all of
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