Read John 18:33-38. Circle the word(s) that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
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.
Reflections on the Word.
Christians are standing at a crossroad on truth. Do we believe science or the Bible? How can we rationally dispute scientific facts like the age of the Universe and of the Earth? It would be intellectual suicide to disagree with the age of the Universe and the Earth based on our scientific observations. (If you want to see my response to questions like these, check out the “Question and Answer” section of my website)
Jesus said this to 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” (NIV).
During our times, it is understandable if we find ourselves wondering, “Is truth subjective?” Is it dependent on our observations and interpretations of our world or is it dependent on God and His observation and interpretation of our world?
Pilate states that he found no charge against Jesus. That was the truth. Jesus made no threat to Pilate nor sought to overthrow the Roman rule. That was the truth. The Jewish leaders could not find any fault with his teaching. That was the truth. Was anyone listening to the truth or was everyone ignoring the truth to follow their own desires?
We must ask ourselves, “Are we building our lives on the words of Jesus or are we building our lives on the words of this world?” Don’t let the world and our immediate circumstances dictate our actions or reactions. Let us build our lives on the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Kingston