John 14:6
The Way, The Truth, and the Purpose of Life
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."...
John 8:31-32
Disciples of Jesus
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 18:36-38
Jesus Teaches About Truth
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “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.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
Luke 4:38-44
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
John 15:18-27
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’
26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
Matthew 10:14
Shake the Dust from Your Feet and Move On
14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Luke 18:1-8
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Jesus is Naturally Good...He also is Naturally True...He is the Way of Life, the Truth of Life, and the Purpose of Life...He teaches us that if can hold on to His teachings, then we really His disciples...When we firmly believe in His Truth and what He teaches, then we will know the Truth, and this Truth will set us free...When we believe in His Goodness and Truth and His Teachings our faith grows...
Jesus helped many people...He helped many people by healing them...One evening after healing His Disciple Peter's Mother in Law of fever, many other sick people were brought to Him and He healed all of them...This was not an isolated healing incident...Jesus did many healings for many people...He was good in helping people...He was good not only in healing people who came to Him, but He teaches us many good things...
Jesus often went to solitary places to pray to God, His Father...He tells us that the purpose of His coming to earth was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns...That is why His Father sent Him...God sent Him to tell us the good news...And He preached often in the synagogues of Judea of this good news about His Father...
Jesus was the Truth, always speaking the Truth...He was good...He was wise...And He teaches about God, and about having faith in God...One who is by His very nature good, and by His very nature the Truth, and full of wisdom, and always helping and healing people, and speaks of God -would not be a liar...He is the Truth...In fact, He stood up and said I testify to the Truth, My followers who listen to Me will know the Truth, and then stunningly said I AM the Truth...
Goodness and Truth are very much linked...He held firm in His words about Truth and being Truth...Even after He was arrested, He told Pilate that He came to this world to testify to the Truth...And His followers who believe in the Truth and follow the Truth, and are on the side of Truth -will listen to Him...And what is so interesting, He is so Good and is the Truth and with that controversy seemed to surround Him -even though He is the very essence of Goodness and Truth...
Being Naturally Good and Naturally True has its advantages, but also some disadvantages...Because He is Naturally Good and Naturally True, make most people want to listen to Him...If He were mean and not good, then fewer people would have listened to Him...I think each of us has a personal belief system, and we modify or rationalize many of our own personal truth and truths...Yet, people wanted to meet and see Him, regardless of their own personal truths...But Jesus, who is both Naturally Good and True, and those people who did get to see Him physically had to be awed by Him, or amazed by Him, or maybe even shocked by His Truthfulness and what He said...Some people could not even come to believe that He was Truth...Some, if not most, of the Pharisees, some of the teachers of the law, some of the chief priests and Sanhedrin could not quite believe that He was Truth...In fact, when you read the four gospels, the majority of His followers are ordinary people, and many are outcasts of society (such as shepherds and lepers)...
But because He is Naturally Good and Naturally True He could go to any town or village and people would want to hear Him speak...He has this Divine Charisma about Him, that made Him unique and popular...And yet, even though He would draw huge crowds, He was still this solitary Figure, who seems (to me) sometimes a little aloof, alone, yet very, very wise...Now these characteristics gave Him an advantage on the speaking trail to continuously talk about His Father, God...People could see and feel this uniqueness about Him...
His Disciples would not hold that advantage (of uniqueness)...In fact, He tells His Disciples to remember these particular words...He told them I speak to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also...If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also...They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me...If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin...He who hates Me hates My Father as well...If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin...But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father...But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
So His followers know that they will be persecuted (sometimes without reason), especially when we talk about Him and His Father...His personality, being Goodness and Truth, accepted the fact that some people would be like many of the Pharisees, the teachers of the law, and the chief priests...Because He knew He is Truth, He moved on, and would teach those people who wanted to hear about Goodness and Truth...He would immediately bounce back from a rejected discussion on His Father, because He knew He was telling the Truth...The listener and listening audience, who did not believe Him, was the one who went away thinking "What is Goodness" and What is Truth."...The one walking away was the one who did not understand or did not get it...We have a choice through God's free will about our faith -we can believe or not believe...
We as part of the Great Commission are now to teach others about Him and His Father...Teaching others about Him and His Father, and planting seeds about Them -maybe one of our purposes in life, if not the very purpose of life...He reminds us, we will be persecuted...So when others do not like our style or the way we communicate about Him and His Father, we to must shake the dust from our feet and shoes and move on...He tells us that their will be people who do not fear God or believe in Him...But He teaches us to be persistent with ourselves and with people, even when people don't concern themselves about the Truth....The Truth must get through and continue on...When He returns He must find faith for all of our sakes...
When Pilate ask "What is Truth", I think He could have also ask "What is Goodness."...The answer to these questions was found two thousand years ago in a manger in Bethlehem...