Jump Start # 3821
John 18:38 “Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no guilt in Him.”
Poor Pilate was in a corner that he could not get out of. An internal Jewish problem became his problem and he didn’t want to deal with it. All of this surrounded Jesus Christ. The Jewish hierarchy hated Jesus and wanted Him out of their hair. Multitudes were following Him and He was creating a real stir among the hardcore traditions that they revered. The solution to getting rid of Jesus was to have Rome execute Him. A quick, illegal and false Jewish trial has brought Jesus to the Roman governor Pilate. The charges against Jesus were weak and Pilate saw that. But he also saw that the Jews were not satisfied unless Jesus was executed. Jesus was innocent of the charges. Killing an innocent man didn’t set well with Pilate. The Jews were threatening to send word to Rome if Pilate caved in. This Jewish mess was now threatening his political future and possibly even his life.
In our verse today, Pilate declares, “What is truth?” So many things were being said. Many were distortions, lies and coming from closed minds and wicked hearts. Just what is right?
Pilate’s question is very relevant in these times. “What is truth?” Some do not want to know the truth. Others claim that there is no absolute truth. What is right for you may not be right for me, they say. We all follow our own truth. No one can say that something is absolutely wrong. It all depends. Sometimes wrong can be right. And, with such foggy thinking like this these days, it spills over into religious thinking. The Bible is viewed by many as an incredible guide book, but not a system of absolutes. One can deviate from the Bible if it helps the community or does good to a person. And, because of this, “what is truth?” thinking, modern churches engage in all kinds of activities that resembles nothing in the Bible.
When truth doesn’t matter, it is easy to be deceived. When truth doesn’t matter, decision making comes down to what I want or what I like. When truth doesn’t matter, inconsistency becomes the norm. And, when truth doesn’t matter, nothing is wrong. It’s only different. We do things differently than you. I see that verse differently than you do. I can’t do what you do, but I would never say that it is wrong.
Such strange sounds fill our times. And, to answer Pilate’s question, ‘What is truth?’ God’s word is truth.
· John 17:17 …your word is truth
· John 8:40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth
· John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, the life
· John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I wold have told you…
Consider:
First, God’s word is truth because it says so. The credibility of God is based upon the truthfulness of His word. If we cannot trust what God said, can we trust God at all? How do we know we have forgiveness? It’s not a feeling. We know because of what the Bible says. How do we know there is a Heaven? We know because of what the Bible says. All the promises. All the blessings. All the hope. They are all encased and wrapped around the idea that what God says is truthful. If I can’t believe the Bible, then I can’t believe anything about God.
Second, the accuracy of the Bible through the fulfillment of prophecies, the accuracies with history, science, geography illustrate that the Bible is right. God’s word is not a contradiction to the world around us.
Third, God’s truth is understandable. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free, is what our Lord said. You can know it. You can follow it. You can be changed by it. God’s word stands the test of time. What worked in the first century works all these years later. Grace, forgiveness, purity, righteousness builds society, families and develops quality in our character. The increase of crime, fear and worry does not come from following the Bible. It’s just the opposite. Walking away from what God says destroys families, churches and communities.
What is truth? God’s word is truth. It saved people in the small villages throughout Europe long ago. It saved pioneers in the early days of our country. And, it saves us today, if we would be embrace those words, believe those words and obey those words.
What is truth? Thus saith the Lord…that’s the answer.
Roger