Who Is Truth? (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 18)
Do you feel overwhelmed by conflicting voices claiming to be true? In John 18 Jesus says He came to testify to the truth and invites us to listen.
Matthew 27:1-31; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Do you ever struggle to separate truth from fiction?
In an age of fake headlines and inflated narratives, knowing what or who to believe is tough. It feels like everyone has an agenda and their own truth. Truth seems not like an objective reality but a subjective experience.
This is what makes Jesus’ exchange with Pilate in John 18:33-40 so refreshing. “Pontius Pilate was the fifth Roman governor of the province of Judea, ruling from A.D. 26 to 36. As governor he had numerous troops stationed at Caesarea (his chief maritime link with Rome), where he spent most of his time. Jerusalem was the Jewish heart of the country; when there he likely used the old palace of Herod the Great on the city’s western hill.”[1] He was known for his harsh rule over Judea. The Sanhedrin, lacking the power to execute Jesus, had brought him to Pilate, seeking the Roman authority to sentence him to death.
Though already briefed on the charges, Pilate questions Jesus directly, asking, “Are you the king of the Jews?” This question, loaded with political meaning, likely reveals a mixture of sarcasm and concern over a potential threat to Roman rule. The idea of a Jewish king was something Rome had not tolerated since the days of Herod the Great. Jesus essentially responds to Pilate by saying, “King is your word, not mine.”[2] Jesus then continues by saying,
36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked.
“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus' response redefines what Pilate expects. He does not deny being a king but explains that his kingdom is not from this world. Then, he pivots. As Gary Burge writes, “Having said what his kingdom is not, Jesus can now say what it is—a kingdom of truth. His mission began in heaven and so he possesses a divine charge: He has come to unveil the truth to the world—not to point out true things as he finds them, but to unveil himself, his voice (which is God’s voice), and his words (which are God’s words).”[3] Burge continues, “Therefore ‘truth’ does not refer to a commitment to truthfulness (or honesty) in the first instance. Rather, truth is a theological term. ‘Truth’ is what we see when we see God. Jesus is thus ‘the truth’ (14:6; 1 John 2:20–23). It is reality lived out in divine light, which by virtue of its spiritual link with God is thereby genuinely truthful and honest.”[4]
