I’ve entitled our message this morning, “What Is Truth?” based on a question posed by Pontius Pilate toward the end of our text. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “truth” is defined as, “the body of real things, events, and facts.” It is also defined as “a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality,” and as being “in accordance with fact.”(1) The definition we just heard of truth “being in accordance with fact” is the reason why we need to consider today’s passage of Scripture. You see, the word “fact” has become a substitute word for truth, one that’s deceptively being weaponized to redefine our understanding of truth and morality; and our passage today reveals to us what truth really is.
We live in a day and age of something called “moral relativism,” where the notion of truth is “relative” to our own life circumstances, our own preferences, and our own biased opinions. People will say, “There is no absolute truth. We define our own truth. I have my truth that works for me; however, it might not work for you. You can believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe. Just don’t tell me that your belief is the only correct view, or the truth.” The notion of “tolerance” stems from moral relativism; the view that we should all tolerate everyone else’s truths.
I find it interesting that we have transitioned from the idea of “there is no truth,” and “tolerating everyone else’s truths,” to now relying heavily on something called “fact-checking,” which is being used by big-tech, such as Facebook and Instagram, to censor free speech by deleting information deemed to be false. So, what is a fact? Well, the term “fact” is defined as, “something that actually exists; reality; [and] truth.” Also, “a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true,” and “something said to be true or supposed to have happened.”(2) So, the word “fact” is defined by using the word “truth.” This tells us that fact-checking is really just “truth-checking.”
The website BallotPedia, which is dedicated to voting, says the goal of “fact checking” “is to provide accurate, unbiased analysis of statements made in public in order to correct public misperceptions and increase knowledge of important issues. Modern fact-checking analyzes claims and rates them as true or false.”(3) True or false, huh? Let me be clear in pointing out that an individual, or an organization, cannot determine what is true unless they claim to know the truth or hold the keys to truth. That sounds a little exclusive and intolerant to me.
You see, fact-checking goes against moral relativism, because there are people holding their own opinion, claiming that their beliefs are the only correct ones, and then forcing those views on the rest of society. And if you’ve been paying close attention, you’ve probably noticed that the civil unrest in our country right now stems from a clash of truths, where one group is trying to force its notion of truth on another group. So, the battle in our nation right now is really about truth, and the real war – the spiritual war – hinges around truth. So, I think it’s important that we ask the question, this morning, “What is truth?” Or better yet, ‘What is the truth?” So, I want to invite you to stand in honor of God’s Word, as we read John 18:33-38:
John 18:33-38
33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 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 fault in Him at all.”
So, let’s begin looking at this passage. Notice that when Pilate began questioning Jesus, He in turn asked Pilate, “Are you speaking for yourself about this?” (v. 34), as if to say, “Are you wrestling with this matter in your own heart?” Perhaps Pilate was searching for something spiritually; perhaps searching for truth, as we see when we get to verse 38. But in asking Jesus if He were the King of the Jews, Pilate was wanting to know two main things. First, Pilate was checking to make sure that Jesus wasn’t exalting himself above Caesar, for there was to be no king nor god above Caesar; and anyone claiming such would have committed a crime worthy of death. Jesus answered by saying that His kingdom and His servants were not of this world.
This is an important statement and something the followers of Jesus must realize. “The subjects of Christ’s kingdom . . . are chosen and called out of [the world]; the kingdom itself does not appear in worldly pomp and splendor, nor is it supported by worldly force, nor administered by worldly laws; nor does it so much regard the outward, as the inward [state] of men; [and] it promises no worldly [gain] . . . Christ [did] not say [that His kingdom] is not ‘in’ this world, but it is not ‘of’ it; and therefore, [it] will not fail when this world does, and [all of its] kingdoms.”(4)
Secondly, Pilate was checking to make sure Jesus wasn’t a Zealot leading some kind of insurrection. Wikipedia says, “The Zealots were a political movement in first-century Second Temple Judaism which sought to incite the people of Judea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy Land by force of arms,” and, “The Zealots were . . . founded by Judas of Galilee.”(5) Judas of Galilee is actually mentioned by name in Acts 5:37. In fact, Luke tells us of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, that the mob became “more fierce, saying, ‘He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.’ When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man [Jesus] were a Galilean” (Luke 23:5-6). So, he wanted to know if He was a Zealot.
This “was the point of greatest concern to Pilate. Proof that Jesus was not a Zealot seeking to overthrow Rome, could be seen in the fact that His servants did not fight to prevent His arrest by the Jews. This did not mean that the world was excluded from His royal domain, but only that His kingship was not from the world.”(6) “And since this was the case, Caesar, or any civil government, had no reason to be uneasy on account of His being a king, and having a kingdom; since His kingdom and [His] interests did not in the least [challenge the government or cause harm to anyone].”(7)
Jesus was not a Zealot, for He stated, “If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews” (v. 36). “If Christ’s kingdom had been a worldly one, set up on worldly views, and governed with worldly policy, and was to answer some worldly [cause], Christ would have had servants enough among the Jews, who would have [stood] for Him, and took up arms in His favor against the Romans.”(8) “The source of His sovereignty was not the power which men confer on their earthly leaders, nor was His cause served by the weapons of darkness.”(9)
Let us take a moment to consider those who fight through the use of force and violence, like the Zealots and the political activists. First of all, they oppose established authority, such as government officials and law enforcement. Established authority represents the rule of law, and the law is usually founded on some document of truth, such as the Constitution for example. An overthrow of truth occurs when the established authority, along with its document of truth, come under attack and are questioned to the point that their establishment becomes discredited before the masses.
I find it fascinating that, in the Greek, when Jesus spoke of “my servants” that the word He used, according to A.T. Robertson, was the same one for “the temple police.”(10) While those who oppose truth often hate the police, Jesus said that His followers are the law enforcement officers of the kingdom of God. They are those who stand on the rule of law known as the Word of truth (Ephesians 1:13).
In 2 Corinthians 6:7, the apostle Paul said that we, as believers in Christ, are commended before God “by the Word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.” You see, our spiritual riot gear – if you will – for fighting spiritual battles is comprised of the Word of truth, which is the Word of God. The Bible is our source of truth and founding document, as believers. But the Word is also an offensive weapon. It is called “the sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12. In addition, our spiritual riot gear is comprised of Holy Spirit power and the body-armor of right standing with God, which we obtain and wear by having a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The second thing to note about those who fight through the use of force and violence, like the Zealots and the political activists, is that their cause and their kingdom – should they be able to establish a kingdom – cannot last. In Acts 5:35-39, Gamaliel shared some words of advice with those who tried to stop the apostles from preaching in the name of Jesus. He told them, “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it – lest you even be found to fight against God.” What we need to understand is that the only cause and the only kingdom that will continue is the one established on truth and justice.
We can look all around us right now and see people fighting verbally and physically for their beliefs. That’s what Pilate expected from Jesus and His disciples, but since Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world, then neither would the battle strategies of His followers be of this world. If we follow “the way of truth in God,” as it’s called in Matthew 22:16, then “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We must remember that our fight is not physical, but spiritual; and we must do battle with something called “the truth.”
Now, Pilate was probably thinking to himself that every insurgent must have a cause, and in verse 37, Jesus basically told him, “So, you want to know my cause and my platform? Well, here it is: I have come to ‘bear witness to the truth’.” Now, notice that Jesus didn’t use the stand-alone word “truth,” but “the truth.” He didn’t have an agenda to share His own spin on truth, or to push some version of truth relative to His own views, like so many others do. He came to testify to “the” truth; and He “bore witness,” as in having been sworn to testify under oath in a court of law. He was obligated to share “the truth” and nothing but “the truth.” But Pilate didn’t get it, as he retorted with “What is truth?”
Three times the word “truth” comes up in verses 37-38. The word used in this passage is alatheia in the Greek, which means, “universally what is true in any matter under consideration.”(11) It holds the same concept as one of the definitions I shared for “truth” in the introduction to our message; the one which said that truth is “a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality.”(12) “Universally what is true,” and “transcendent,” both mean “truth across the board,” or rather, the set standard. Truth only becomes “the truth” when it is based on a universal standard; otherwise, it is subject to interpretation, and can change at any given moment.
So, Jesus said, “For this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). So, what is “the truth”? Jesus said in John14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the truth, and He declared that the only way to be forgiven of our sins and enter into eternal life is through Him. Jesus is the truth, and Jesus is the only way to heaven; but in our pluralistic society where we have multiple truths, we hear about numerous different ways to get to heaven, such as doing good works, being a good person (whatever that is), or worshipping other deities besides Jesus, or in addition to Jesus.
Let me tell you something else about Jesus. He is not just the truth, but He is also the Word of God. John 1:1-4, and verse 14, tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” So, John said that Jesus is the Word, full of grace and what? Truth!
Truth must be based on a “universal standard” and “transcendent fundamental spiritual reality” if it is to be absolutely true; and we have a universal standard, and a universal code of ethics, in the Word. The Word was there in the beginning (John 1:1), the earth came into existence by the Word (Hebrews 11:3), the Word then came to us in the form of the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:14); and we have the Word today in the form of the Holy Bible, which is called the Word of truth (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Paul said that we must rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), which means to teach and administer it correctly; and He said that the way we come to know Jesus Christ and be saved is after having heard “the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13).
In John 15:26-27, Jesus said that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, whom He calls “the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:15-17, 16:13-14), and He gives us the Holy Spirit so that “you also will bear witness” (15:27). Our job as Christians, when we hear people teaching and saying things that run contrary to the one true standard, the Bible, is to bear witness to the truth. When we hear alternative views to salvation, or when people are worried by fake news, and when the fact-checkers are redefining reality and reshaping the narrative, we must boldly declare the truth. Our weapons are not sticks and stones like the rioters, or swords and guns like the insurgents, but the Word of God and our voice.
Listen to what Jesus prayed for His disciples and followers in John 17:14-19: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”
So, Jesus prayed that we may be sanctified by truth, which comes from the Word. He also prayed that we remain in the world, to do as He has done, to bear witness concerning the truth; and He prayed that we would be protected from the devil. Why? Because we, as truthbearers, are living by the standards of another world and kingdom, and this present world and those influenced by the doctrines of Satan will hate us for our message. But I urge you, when you hear lies being spoken, to be bold and share the truth that you have gleaned from the wellspring of life known as the Word of God.
Time of Reflection
Pilate asked, “What is truth?” The truth is that “Jesus Christ has come into the world to make known the Father to a people who were lost, separated from their God by sin. Jesus Christ came to restore us unto God, to undo the sin that Adam and Eve brought into the world and which we have inherited. Jesus Christ, [who is] the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, hung on a cross, died in our place, rose from the dead, and is coming again to restore us . . . unto God. That is ‘the truth’.”(13) And you must believe it and put your faith and trust in it, in order to be considered as someone “of the truth” (v. 37).
This is the reason why Jesus said at the end of verse 37, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” The key statement is “of the truth.” “In other words, ‘Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.’ Pilate did not belong to the truth, and so when he saw this Jesus standing before him, he could not see that He was the Son of God; that He was, indeed, King not only of the Jews but of all creation.”(14) “But you and I, who have been [saved and] baptized into Christ, and [who] live by faith, we see it, because we are of the truth.”(15)
So, let me tell you the truth about those who hear His voice. “‘The truth’ is that, because Jesus died on the cross for you and rose from the dead, you are holy. ‘The truth’ is that because of Jesus Christ you are forgiven. ‘The truth’ is that because of the work of the Son of God you are righteous in God’s sight, you are perfect in His eyes, [and] you are His dearly loved child. That is ‘the truth.’ And it is because of one man, Jesus Christ . . . by His work and the sending of His Spirit [that] He has called you by the gospel . . . [and] sanctified and kept you in the [truth].”(16) Jesus told us there is one absolute truth when it comes to entering into heaven, and I’ll share it again from John 14:6. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
NOTES
(1) “Truth,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truth (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(2) “Fact,” Dictionary.com: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fact?s=t (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(3) “Fact Checking,” BallotPedia: https://ballotpedia.org/What_is_fact-checking (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(4) John Gill, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/john-18-38.html (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(5) “Zealots,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealots (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(6) William E. Hull, “John,” The Broadman Bible Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1970), p. 354.
(7) John Gill.
(8) Ibid.
(9) William E. Hull, p. 354.
(10 A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1960), p. 293
(11) Blue Letter Bible.
(12) “Truth,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
(13) Jeff Kloha, “What Is Truth? Good Friday Reflections on John 18:33-38,” ConcordiaTheology: https://concordiatheology.org/2014/04/what-is-truth-good-friday-reflections-on-john-1833-38/ (Accessed October 26, 2020).
(14) Ibid.
(15) Ibid.
(16) Ibid.
