John 14:6-7
Jesus is Truth
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[a] my Father as well. From now on, you do know
him and have seen him.”
John 18:28-40
Jesus Came to Our World to Testify to the Truth
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
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. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
Hebrews 13:8
Truth is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Fact and belief are not the same thing...Just as Truth and faith are not the same thing...But it seems that science, some TV shows, and some movies are highlighting more and more the differences between fact and belief...Not that there is anything wrong with pointing out their differences...But fact and belief can coexist, and actually do...Truth and faith can be allies and companions in our daily lives...It seems to me that some scientists and authors have a mistrust about faith and belief...But Truth and facts and beliefs and faith all do live and work, and work well in harmony together...
Some atheists, like Richard Dawkins, think that children are taught faith from their parents...The child listens to their elders, like the ancient members of tribes of the past would listen to their elders for truth and fact...And as they listened to their elders they also would get passed along the tribal leaders personal beliefs and faith...And a child learns in this way...
But as I seek the Truth, and I read about the trial of Jesus, the trial plays out in an interesting conversation, about Truth...Pilate summons Jesus and asks Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”...Instead of answering Pilate Jesus asks His own questions and the conversation starts...Jesus questions are sincere to Pilate...And the dialogue back and forth really does not sound like a judge over an accused prisoner, or a trial at all to me...It sounds as though Jesus is asking Pilate questions that would touch both his mind and his soul, and maybe his heart...When Pilate ask Jesus if He is King of the Jews, Jesus maybe wanting to know if Pilate is this his belief or is this a question coming from someone else (who maybe has given him this idea) or is he seeking the Truth on another level...“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”...“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me...What is it You have done?”...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.”...“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.”...“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...Pilate can find nothing that Jesus has done wrong and is questioning why the Jewish leaders have even brought Him to him...
In the middle of this conversation between Pilate and Jesus, we can easily miss that Jesus said He came from Another World, and has His own Kingdom...His Kingdom is not of this world...He even has servants who would fight to prevent His arrest, if He was back in His Kingdom...And at anytime, Jesus who is Divine and can do miracles, can leave Pilate without harming anyone or for that matter, He could leave by force, if that was His desire...But it is not...And Jesus tells us the very reason for His birth...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...He is the Ultimate Truth and is life's Ultimate Reality...And people who seek for the Truth listens to Him, and therefore will find Him...He is the potential for every human that is born...He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life...So as we and Pilate search for Truth and ask "What is Truth, that is only our first step...We have to believe in the Truth and accept Truth and submit to Truth, and as I have heard many say -be obedient to Truth...And when one rejects Truth as Pilate does, we reject life itself...We reject to living by the Truth of the Universe and live some other way...And if we do not live life by Truth, then it we may be we are living our lives by a lie...
Truth is a complex issue, and listening to Jesus and hearing His words, we can see this complexity in Truth (if you believe He is Truth and is eternal)...Truth can only be Truth, if there is this Baseline that it is held against...Truth cannot be one thing today and another thing tomorrow...It cannot be both...Truth cannot be here today and gone tomorrow...Truth is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow...