John 18:38 – “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”
This is one of my favorite scriptures in the bible. The background of this verse comes when Jesus was arrested and trialed in front of the governor of the area where the Israelites lived. Pontious Pilate was speaking to Jesus to understand what crime he has committed, in which the Jews wanted him to die. Jesus did not admit to any crime but instead replied that he was “Born to testify the truth.” In which Pontious Pilate replied, “What is truth?”
This question is significant in our day and age, as the meaning of truth depends on who you ask. The actual meaning of “truth” changes with different people. It’s as if the meaning of “truth” lost its truth. In the scripture above, the governor Pontious Pilate spoke truth. He did not find any basis for a charge against him. Yet Jesus still paid a price for a crime he was not convicted for.
So why is this a challenging scripture? Here are some quotes I found about truth.
“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth” -Lao Tzu (4-6th century BCE)
“The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” – James A Garfield (1830s-1880s)
“Truth exists; only lies are invented.” – Georges Braque (1900s-1960s)
“We swallow greedily any lie that flatters up, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.” – Dennis Diderot (1700s)
“Truth is so rare that it is delightful to tell it.” – Emily Dickenson (1800s)
Now why is this so challenging? It is because TRUTH is always challenging. Especially when we are in the wrong. It doesn’t feel comfortable to accept truth at times and it really doesn’t feel comfortable to give truth at times. It is our human nature, to reject truth.
Romans 1:19-25
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.
To truly understand this scripture, one will need to know the bible. But I will give you what I took from it. The “They/Them” referred to God’s holy people, the Israelites. The entire Old Testament was about the history of the Israelites, where they came from and where they were heading, all of it foreshadowing the coming of the messiah who will rescue the Jews and the World. These Israelites believed in the one true God and has seen miracles and evidence that he is real and is with them. Yet they still rebelled and dishonored God. They exchanged their hearts to impurity and exchanged the truth of God for a lie. They were so much into this lie, that when the messiah did come, they did not recognize him, instead they had him killed.
The Truth Is…
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 18:37-41
“You say that I am a king. 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.”
John 8:31-32
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”
This truth is challenging to accept. So challenging, that many people died testifying to this truth, both in the Bible and today. People have been persecuted for 2000 years because of this truth. But even worse, people has distorted the truth, changed it, and added lies to it. They did the same thing the Israelites did, but even worse, as they use these lies to hurt people and spread even more lies. But God gave us scripture and the “spirit of truth [John 16:13].”
This is challenging to both believers and nonbelievers, We must remain on the side of truth. We must continue in the Word of God. And we must always remain truthful, even when lies run rampant, and our lives are jeopardized.
With Love,
Ayodeji Alaketu
Happy Thanksgiving
