What Is Truth?

On the morning before his crucifixion, Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman-appointed governor of Judea. The night before, the chief priests and elders of Israel had judged Christ guilty of blasphemy, but they lacked authority to put him to death. Knowing that Pilate would dismiss their actual judgement, they told the governor that Jesus claimed to be King of the Jews, a direct threat to Caesar.

Pilate's questions evoked minimal responses from Jesus, who didn't deny the charges against him. The perplexed governor asked, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world -- to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" (John 18:37-38)

Pilate, a savvy politician, quickly sized up the situation. He concluded this to be a religious squabble fueled by jealousy toward this popular, unorthodox new rabbi. The governor said to the Jewish leaders, "I find no guilt in him." Of course, it didn't end there.

Jesus being questioned by Pilate (painting by Duccio, early 14th c.)

Let's talk more about Pilate. His skeptical view of truth is understandable. His Roman education would have exposed him to a myriad of competing ideas. On one side of the "truth coin" were the famous Greek philosophical thinkers, such as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. These men elevated human reason as the path toward wisdom. The flip side of the coin emphasized the non-rational, spiritual aspect of Roman culture, with it's multiple deities, many being renamed versions of the Greek gods. Caesars, especially the dead ones, were worshiped as deities. Imported gods from Egypt and the near East, were also embraced.

Pilate wasn't rejecting truth altogether. He was more concerned with what got results, rather than impractical ideas, correct as they may be. Certainly he would have respected the philosophers, and he seemed to have a spiritual side as well. During the proceedings, Pilate became afraid when the Jewish leaders insisted that according to their law, Jesus had to die "...because he has made himself the Son of God." (John 19:7-11). Abhorring the thought of killing a deity, Pilate tried harder to release Jesus. However, we know the end. In an effort to prevent a Jewish uprising, Pilate buckled to pressure and sentenced Christ to be crucified.

It is said that the apostle John was skilled at recognizing and recording irony. Tragic irony is seen in Pilate's flippant question, "What is truth?" His spiritual blindness kept him from recognizing the Truth incarnate*, who stood before him. (*This example of irony taken from the ESV Study Bible notes.)

In many ways, today's world resembles the ancient Rome that produced Pilate. Like him, we are wary of the multiplicity of truth claims surrounding us, whether logic-based or spiritual. We see these assertions as power plays, trying to suck us into someone's misguided agenda. And truth can indeed be abused this way. So we end up being overly pragmatic, valuing what works more than what is true. The problem with this skeptical view is that when an important Truth does cross our path, we, like Pilate, may dismiss Him.

Two lessons emerge. First, don't be like Pontius Pilate, who minimized truth, thus missing the Truth (John 14:6). Second, apply what Jesus said to Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37-38).