John
18:28-40a
“What
is Truth?” – …retorted
Pilate.” That’s a fair question and question for the philosophical age Jesus
and Pilate lived in. They inhabit a world only 350 years removed from
Aristotle, and the Greeks ruled this region until 63BC—until 90 years before
this conversation. Little did we that this question from the 1st
Century would be important for us in the 21st Century. We find
ourselves surrounded by cries of lies, half-truths, fake news, and so much
more. Can we even know truth? Jesus says that we can know the truth, so it must
be something accessible.
What
is truth? Aristotle’s says simply, “Truth is the way things are.” Truth is what
actually is. Thanks to the “spin” of the 21st Century, truth has
become elusive in a time when we have more information than ever before, yet we
are inundated with lies and deceptions. We long for truth…to simply know things
as they are.
Jesus
and Truth – In today’s
reading, we find an often-overlooked statement: “…The reason I was born and
came into the world is to testify to the truth” (John 18:37b). Jesus’ very
reason for being is to “testify to the truth.” In this Gospel, we find that
John is the philosopher among the disciples as he records Jesus speaking about
truth almost 20 times.
“…A
time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in the Spirit and in truth….” (John 4:23)
“To
[those] who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘…you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:31-32)
“But
when…the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the
truth. ” (John 16:12)
But,
the truth about what? What is the truth he testifies to?
Truth
– Truth is the way things
are. Jesus reveals who he is and what this truth means:
“I am the
bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes
in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn. 6:35)
“I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness….” (Jn 8:12)
“I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn.10:11)
“I am the
resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though
they die… (Jn. 11:25)
“I am the
way and the truth and the life. (Jn. 14:6)
“I am the
vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear
much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (Jn. 15:5)
Here
is the truth of God in Christ Jesus: God fills our deepest longings, our
greatest hungers; God is light in our darkness; God allows Jesus to die that we
might have life—real life; God gives us life beyond this temporal existence on
Earth; God provides a way for us to know and come to God; God gives our lives
meaning, purpose, and direction…and enables us to live a life of goodness and
kindness. Jesus reveals the truth about God, the truth about us, and the truth
about life.
Conclusions
– Perhaps the truth that
Jesus declares comes together best in John’s truth declaration:
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him.
The
truth about God—God loves the world…everyone…you, me, America, Mexico, Canada,
Colombia, Germany, Norway, Algeria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, India,
Pakistan, China, Japan…the whole world.
The
truth about us—We are a broken and rotten bunch bound for death and
condemnation, and we need God, all of us…Americans, Mexicans, Canadians, Venezuelans, Israelis, Palestinians, Iranians, Chinese…you get the idea.
The
truth about life—The God who loves us wants us to have life, real life, lasting
life…all of us…Americans, Mexicans, Canadians, Venezuelans, Israelis, Iranians, Chinese…you
get the idea.
This
is how things are. Compared to this, all other truth becomes secondary, all
other truth pales. We cannot change the truth that Jesus reveals to us…but the
truth can change us and how we see the world. Today, let us take hold of the
truth Jesus reveals that we might know God, that we might have life…we, all of
us…Americans, Mexicans, Canadians…you get the idea. AMEN
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Towards the Cross - Truth
Watch/Listen:
9AM - HERE
11AM - HERE
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