Part 1
Amanda Perera
What do we know about truth and The Truth? Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), therefore everything Jesus stands for is the truth. Jesus himself declared that His words (the Word of God) will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).
So when Pilate tripped over the truth at the trial of Jesus (John 18:28-19:16), we know that it was because he couldn’t get himself to fully believe and embrace the full truth about Jesus’ identity and everything He stood for.
Pilate asked the question ‘what is truth?’ (John 18:38), but he didn’t even wait for an answer, it seems. He was clearly not ready to explore it – at least not fully. To be fair by Pilate, every time he went in and questioned Jesus, he seemed to be trying to explore the truth about Jesus’ identity. However, beyond the innocence of Jesus in the matters he was accused of, Pilate was not ready to explore or face up to more.
In fact, more was evident right before his face. Jesus ensured it was like that in the very answers He gave to Pilate. Jesus had said things that caused Pilate to realise that Jesus was not just innocent of the charges brought before him, but that He was also claiming to be divine. The evidence that Pilate’s wife sent him in a small message halfway through the process was also God’s divine providence of evidence to the same.
Pilate didn’t want to explore every piece of evidence before him to form the case and argument for who Jesus really was. He was satisfied to just check whether or not he deserved to die as the Jews insisted.
This unwillingness to go all the way in exploring the truth about Jesus had implications. Had Pilate chosen to examine all the evidence before him, it would probably have allowed him to establish that Jesus was God, and this would mean a lot of things!
It would have had implications far beyond just operating as a judge in this case and declaring Jesus a completely free man. It would have meant that Pilate had to bow down before the Almighty God who had shown up at his palace! It would have meant that he had to follow Jesus, no matter what the implications. It would easily have meant giving up his career.
So Pilate decided not to examine all the evidence before him in search of the truth. In many ways he admitted to not knowing the full truth when he asked Jesus that question ‘what is truth?’. However, in some ironic way, he was also trying to unravel the truth and stand up for it when he tried so hard to release Jesus. He wanted to assume that that was how far truth would go. However, truth had deeper realities and far greater implications.
The unwillingness to explore and face up to these put Pilate on a road to compromise. Very soon, he was happy to simply beat up Jesus and let him go. But why beat up an innocent man in whom he finds no fault? That wasn’t even a question worth asking, it seems. That’s how far the bar of justice had fallen – almost by default – in the process of playing hide and seek with the truth.
In reality, Jesus needed to be released, worshiped and given Lordship at all cost. However, Pilate set the bar so low, that he was willing to do everything except kill him. That was not justice to His creator God, nor was that in any way amounting to facing up to the whole truth.
Are we also happy to explore the truth so far and only so far as it is comfortable and peaceable to do so? Are we afraid to face up to the honest and brutal realities…
1. … about ourselves and our own heart conditions? – truth about ME
2. … about the realities around us in the world- truth about the WORLD
Facing up is the first step that is needed, so that God’s word can speak to those realities and lead us to action towards the right response.
Truth about ME
- Do we wink at the very things about us that we know to be true – the compromise, the white lies, the expressed heart of God on a particular matter that we choose to breeze past when deciding our course?
- Do we ignore the standards that the word of God prescribes with regard to holiness, worldliness and kingdom priorities?
- Do we compromise on the requirements of God when in a tight place and choose to justify ourselves and write off every voice He sends to convict us of the same?
- Do we leave God out of certain aspects of our lives- as though what He has to say is somehow not relevant to those areas?
- Do we deceive ourselves when we say ‘we try’ – because perhaps God knows (and we know) that we don’t try our best.
- Are we like Pilate, trying to believe that we are trying to do the right thing, while at the same time not being willing to face up to things beyond a certain margin of comfort we have set for ourselves?
- Are we asking the Lord, ‘what should I do?’, and yet not really ready to listen to what He might suggest?
- Are we ready to do certain ‘right things’ in the name of Jesus, but not willing to take hold of all the implications of following Him ‘fully’ as our Lord and saviour?
- Are we operating with certain limits on how much we will allow it to cost us in order to follow Jesus?
- Are we trying to surrender and obey ‘within certain boundaries’ rather than by giving it all up – as surrender is truly defined?
You see, the truth matters! What God sees as He looks at us deep within matters! When we ignore certain uncomfortable things about ourselves that God reveals to us through our consciences, then we are setting ourselves on a road to compromise. As we travel down that road, we will lose control of how much we will deviate from the ideal call of Christ in our lives. Just like Pilate, we may find ourselves far from where we set off to go.
Sometimes, the truth about ourselves that we need to face up to is right in front of our faces; being reminded over and over again to us by some loved one whom God has placed in our lives.
Sometimes, it is like a beep going on in our conscience every time we get quiet enough to hear it.
Sometimes, it is just there (as if under the very pillow we sleep on); waiting to be found, if we would only ‘make our bed’ like we know we ought to.
Yet, at times we find ourselves avoiding and shunning those very people who confront us in love. We choose not to get quiet before the Lord in the fear that the ‘beep of the conscience’ would bother us. We go for days without making our bed (so to speak) out of lousiness and lack of diligence regarding what’s expected of us.
Proverbs 2 gives a detailed description of how much we should desire, seek for and cry out for the wisdom of the Lord – the wisdom that would expose us, convict us and set us right. The fear of the Lord and integrity are shown as key elements in this journey. We will not find ourselves yearning to know the truth about ourselves unless we have the fear of the Lord and the integrity that makes us want to honestly search out the truth and diligently align ourselves with the requirements of the Lord.
“yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity.”
proverbs 2:3-7
So come let us ask the Lord the famous ‘Pilate question’ -‘what is truth?’ (John 18:38). Let us ask Him ‘what is the truth about my heart, as you see it Lord?’
Unlike Pilate, let us stay long in His presence with a heart of integrity and fear of the Lord. Let us search our hearts in diligence and cry out for understanding from the Lord. Let us face up to every little conviction brought about by the Holy Spirit in our consciences. Let us leave no stones unturned in the effort to make ourselves right before God and follow Him with a clear conscience and in all diligence.
May the Lord Himself give us the grace to make this our lifestyle!
In the next issue, let’s explore the implications of the truth about the world.