October 4 - What Is Truth?

John 18:28-40

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. (John 18:38 ESV)

What is truth? That philosophical pursuit has been the chief question for many thinkers across history. What makes something true? What makes something untrue? And what the implications for either?

Pilate was faced with the truth of Jesus' identity. A truth each of us must also face. Pilate had the added complication of a volatile geopolitically charged climate. You and I must merely answer the question of the truth of Christ for ourselves.

We're not told of Pilate's answer. We don't know what he determined truth to be. However, he did state that he found Jesus to be not guilty of the charges leveled against him. He found him undeserving of the death penalty. And then, in action both contradictory and concessional—he turned Jesus over to be crucified as an appeasement for the Jewish mob.

Pilate's own mixed wonderings about truth led to his perplexing actions. And it is a reality in which we share. Our view of truth will shape our actions. What we believe in forms the context and motivation for all of our most meaningful behavior. So, it might be a good time to go look in the mirror and ask the person staring back, "What is truth?"

October 3 - Not A Secret

John 18:19-24

Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. (John 18:20 ESV) </blockquote>

Christianity is not a mystery. It isn't a secret. There aren't any special mysterious rituals or incantations. And it isn't something that some elite few are attempting to keep for themselves.

Jesus taught publicly and openly. He lived a public life. He died a public death. He didn't start an upstart mystery religion in the back of his parents' home.

Jesus wanted his message to be public. He wanted it to be prominent. He still does. The message of the Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is life-altering. It changes people. It is not a secret!

September 16 - I Am He

John 18:1-11

When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6 ESV)

Armed men showed up with a secret team in the middle of the night to arrest Jesus. He had withdrawn to a secluded place he often visited for a time of private prayer and preparation with a chosen few of his followers. They came seeking him—knowing who he was, his reputation, and his power.

Jesus identified himself when the armed force asked for him. As he did they withdrew from him and fell before him on the ground. They were tripping all over themselves, taken aback by the power of his identity and his declaration. Why?

Because their reasons for approaching him were corrupt, whereas he was holy. Their power was founded on the broken rules of men, and his was seated in the foundations of heaven. Their identity existed based on the controlling fear of their office, while Jesus' identity echoed from across eternity as the Son of God.

The identity of the Son of God bears weight. So much so that his life, death, and resurrection irrevocably altered the destiny of the universe. It was enough to make a mob fall over themselves, it was enough to confound the religious hypocrites, and it is enough to forever change the direction of our lives.