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Sunday October 16, 2008 "Jesus: The Truth King" John 18:36-38a |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogBrad's Sermons |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 10/29/2008 9:12 AM | Sunday October 26, 2008
“Jesus: The Truth King”
John 18: 36-38a
“What is truth?”
For centuries, some Christians have sneered at Pilate’s question at the so-called “trial” of Jesus. They have interpreted his question as mocking, but I personally think it is a logical question. In no way am I condoning Pilate’s handling of the situation. He clearly didn’t think Jesus had done anything wrong, yet allowed the temple leadership to have their way by executing Jesus. It would have been nice had he stood up to them in his role of protector of Roman interests, as Governor of this small, backward outpost. But he didn’t, because order was more important to him that “truth.”
I have often wondered, did the question nag at Pilate? Did he every lay awake at night wondering about Jesus’ responses to his questions? Did he carry guilt about washing his hands of the whole matter?
It is a difficult question: “What is truth?” And never is the question more important than it is right now.
What is truth?
Johnny Cash wrote a song about it years ago. He illustrated the chasm of what we used to call “the generation gap” by raising the question, “what is truth?” For Cash, the issue was one of perspective, one of the here and now: our parents truth is not necessarily our truth. But even that raises a big question: is there such a thing as relative truth? Does truth depend on where we sit? Does truth depend on what is happening around us? Does truth change with the times?
Listen to our politicians today and we are likely to be even more perplexed than when we started. One candidate makes a comment about another, and the offended candidate says, “It’s just not true.” To which the first candidate replies, “Yes it is, and I have the facts to back it up.” But wait, are facts necessarily the truth? I mean come on, we all are smart enough to know that we can take facts, and interpret them in a way that is different from someone else’s interpretation. And if someone comes up with a different interpretation, are they lying? If they aren’t telling the truth, they must be, right?
What about Madison Avenue and the world of advertising. Some of us remember when our national government passed sweeping laws to guarantee “truth in advertising.” Mostly these were to protect the consumer form bogus claims of medicinal products, but not entirely. Will using a certain brand of deodorant really attract the opposite sex? Will my social life be completely ruined if I don’t drive that car, frequent this restaurant, buy this product?
A friend of our family made his living as a photographer in Cincinnati, Ohio and most of his business for several years was photographing food for advertising circulars and newspaper and magazine ads. One day while we were talking he bemoaned the fact that new laws prohibited him from using non-food additives in his work. That is, he couldn’t put shellac on vegetables to make them look better. He couldn’t use plastic pickles on hamburgers. He couldn’t paint the food to make it brighter and more appealing. “But,” I said, “isn’t it untruthful to try to sell a product with a picture of something else?” “Well,” he replied, “everyone knows that the food is never going to look as good as it does in the ads. It’s not lying, it’s just exaggerating ”
So, is that the standard: everyone knows it’s not the truth, everyone knows that people sometimes exaggerate, so what’s the harm?
Should we take that tack in our public discourse about issues that are important to us. Can I make disparaging remarks about someone because, well, everyone knows I am prone to exaggeration?
And what, you might properly ask, does this have to do with Jesus?
I think there are two parts to the answer to that question. First, as it relates to “truth” as we deal with it in politics, in advertising, in our daily discourse. I truly believe that as Christians, we have a special obligation to do our best to be honest and yes, truthful in all we do. Like it our not, we are seen as different by many, many people. We have declared ourselves “Christians”, literally “little Christ’s”, followers of Christ, and as such, we are expected to do our best to follow the teachings and the examples of Jesus. He is our yardstick against which we measure ourselves. This does not mean that we are perfect, or that we don’t make mistakes, but it means that we must hold ourselves to a standard that surpasses even what the law expects of us. We are expected to be the best we can be, honest in our personal and business dealings. Because if we aren’t, we run the risk of being called “hypocrites”, whether that is fair or not.
But there is a much larger question still to be dealt with here, and it has to do not with the day to day notions of truth that guide us, but the “truth” to which Jesus referred when he was interrogated by Pontius Pilate. The “truth” that moves us from the realm of the ordinary to the divine, from the temporal to the eternal.
Pilate asked Jesus about his kingdom and Jesus replied, my kingdom is not of this world. If I was a king like you understand a king to be, my people would not allow this to happen.” And then he gets to the heart of the matter, “Would you like to know the real reason why I am here: to testify to the truth. Everyone who understands the truth, listens to me.” And then Pilate asks what we sometimes ask ourselves, “What is truth?”
The last couple of weeks we have been looking at various kings and have tried to discern what lessons their actions have to offer us. David showed us that people are not always what they seem and if we seek to understand people, we need to try to understand the “whole” person, good, bad and otherwise. Manasseh and Amon made it clear to us just how far afield a trusting people can be led by leaders who are misguided, and maybe evil. Josiah showed us that no matter what the circumstances, a life lived in service to God is always the right way to live.
And now we deal with the kingship of Jesus. It seems odd to have a scripture from Holy Week as we are about to head into Advent, but this whole notion of “the King of Kings” whose birth we will soon anticipate and celebrate is something that may be best pondered away from the drama and emotion of Holy Week. Stepping back at this time may help us see even more clearly how the kingship of Jesus is shrouded in disagreements over “the truth.”
The temple leadership in Jerusalem saw Jesus as anything but a king. Their view of the truth was that God would send a vanquishing leader, mostly likely a warrior king who restore the Hebrew people to their promised glory. This man Jesus clearly was participating in blasphemy of the highest order, leading people to believe that he was the messiah.
Pilate, too, had a different idea. A king? If Jesus were truly a king, would he be a threat to Pilate or his masters in Rome? If Jesus were at king, where were his courts and courtesans, where were his armies? Where were the people who were devoted to him as their king?
No, Pilate seemed to decide, he can’t be a king, and so, allowing the temple leadership their say would help keep the peace and keep Rome firmly in control.
But the temple leadership and Pilate all misunderstood the notion of what it meant that Jesus had a kingdom. They failed to grasp that there is a greater kingdom represented by Jesus, far greater than they could ever conceive. And this misunderstanding, this failure of vision, came about because they did not fully understand the “truth” that Jesus offered.
It is that truth that even to this day, we do not fully grasp. It is that truth which we seek, but that too often we ignore. It is that truth that allowed Jesus to face the agony of crucifixion.
“For this I was born,” Jesus said, “and for this I came into the world: to testify to the truth.”
What is truth?
The truth is that because Jesus came into the world, we have learned a better way to live. That better way is a life that is lived without guile. A life that leaves selfishness behind. A life that has no self-seeking hidden agendas. A life that seeks to serve God and God’s people.
The truth is that because Jesus came into the world, we have nothing to fear. Nothing to fear. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are shone that God is with us. Our sins are forgiven by our God who loves us beyond our understanding.
The truth is that because Jesus came into the world, hope has become a reality, grounded in the actions of this man, this king.
Because there is no doubt that Jesus is a king in every sense of the word. A good king protects the people. A good king guides the people. A good king rules the people with firmness and fairness. A good king puts his own comfort second to those he rules. A good king becomes servant to the people. A good king shows his subjects how to live.
This is the truth that we as followers of Christ honor every time we gather, every time we raise our voices in song, every time we stoop to help another in need, every time we bow our heads or drop to our knees, every time we gather round the table in celebration. This is the truth that rules our lives: that Jesus Christ is king.
And it is the truth that we must make known to all who are in need, spiritually, physically, emotionally.
Oh, it is not an easy truth. When our world seems to be careening out of control, it is easy for us to forget that our king protects us. When we don’t know which way to turn, it is easy to for us to forget that our king guides us. When we look around and see some people become wealthy through less than honest means, it is easy for us to forget that our king gave all so that we might live and live abundantly. When we look around and see politicians promise us the moon to get us to accept them as leaders, it is easy to forget that our king simply extended a straightforward invitation: follow me.
But we must not forget those things! We must keep the truth that Jesus brings into our lives right in front of us, because the world needs that truth, now, more than ever! But when we do have times when the kingship of Jesus seems like a faraway mirage, when we find ourselves losing sight of the truth of God’s love revealed through Jesus, there are ways that we can put that truth back where it belongs in our lives. For me, it’s as close as remembering when have felt the power of Jesus’ presence in our lives. I think about those times when I was at rock bottom and I did not know which way to turn. I think about how many times I have felt at loose ends, unsure how to proceed when a friend, a relative, a stranger became the face of Jesus in my life with their presence, their strength, their support, their love. I think about how many times someone has simply popped into my mind, for no apparent reason. It is the guiding had of Jesus that made me dial that phone, write that note, drop by for a visit. And I think about how many times in that situation my friend has let me know that was exactly what they needed. I think about how many times I have been unable to pray because of anger or grief, but still, I forced myself to pray anyway, soon to feel a sense of peace and comfort. I think about the look on the face of the children and adults at the City of Refuge who know they are worthy of God’s love, simply because someone showed they care for them.
At all these times, I have experienced the truth of the kingdom that Jesus heralded, the truth of the kingdom that Pilate and the temple leadership could not grasp.
And they could not grasp it because they were looking for an earthly king, a rational human truth. They could not grasp it because they didn’t know where to look.
It is the truth that they could not comprehend that we are to spread: it is that kingdom we are to declare. We are called to live lives of honesty and integrity. We are called to follow our king, and more importantly, we are called to serve our king by offering the world the same hope that has become reality to us. We need to make sure that without pretense or hesitation, we open our doors, open our arms, open our hearts to all those who have not heard the good news, who do not know the truth, who have yet to find the peace that comes from knowing that Jesus Christ is Lord, savior, shepherd, guide and king.
What is truth?
It is living without fear because Jesus has assured us that we will never be alone. It is giving ourselves over completely to the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, no matter what the world might throw in our way, no matter the difficulties we might face. It is declaring for all the world to hear that Jesus Christ is the messiah, the son of the living God, Lord and Savior of our lives.
And that is the truth.
Let us pray: Fairest Lord Jesus, we are so happy to be subjects of your kingdom. We ask for your presence to strengthen us for the journey that we might lay all our earthly fears at your feet, that we serve you all our days, that we might proclaim your good news to all we meet, opening our doors to all who would come, now and always. Amen.
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