”In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
”What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
What is truth? Pilate’s question is simple, yet profound.
In the world Pilate lives in, truth changes depending on who is in charge. If the Romans are in charge, then their idea of truth is what people use. If Pilate had been a slave in a world ruled by a Jewish king, then the rules that king espoused would be his idea of truth. Political truth is a matter of power. The strongest political force gets to define reality.
We see this played out in the Old Testament. Good kings recognized the truth of God and honored him. Bad kings said truth was worshipping foreign gods or idols of wood and metal.
From a spiritual perspective, truth is not affected by politics or power. Truth is what is. God exists and the truth of that claim will be self-evident to everyone when they pass from this life to the next. The truth of God’s word is self-evident to people who recognize the reality of God. The truth of who Jesus is and what he said and did will also stand the test of time.
Application: Truth is not the same thing as belief or knowledge. A person can “know” something they read or heard, and they might believe that it is true, but that doesn’t make it true. Only by knowing God can we hope to understand what is true. (Proverbs 1: 7)
Food for Thought: What truth was Jesus born to testify to?
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He is truth… The way, the truth and the life. He shows us who God is and what His character is by being God in flesh. We can know God’s character and nature through observing Jesus (John 1: 18; John 14: 6 – 9; Colossians 1: 15 – 17; Hebrews 1: 1 – 3). Through His life, death and resurrection He also demonstrates that He is God. Thus, He is the source of truth and has the ultimate knowledge of all truth. The irony for Pilate is that he asks “what is truth” and then walks away from the ultimate authority on truth that is standing right in front of him.
Rich,
Well summarized!
I second that. He testified of himself.