March 9, 2008 Sermon

Truth Incarnate
John 18:28-40

Jesus has gotten arrested.  His captors yank him through the darkness to the palace of Pilate, the Roman governor.  It is Passover, the great Jewish holy observance.  The Jews among Jesus’ escort cannot enter this pagan stronghold and remain ritually clean enough to celebrate their religious festival.  So Pilate comes out to meet them.  Jesus stands in the cold of a desert early morning before a Roman official outside his sumptuous residence.  His own people have turned him in; everybody wants him dead, yet nobody wants to take responsibility for killing him. 

The point of this savage game is to make the other guy blink first.  The Jews demand that the Romans execute Jesus as a political offender.  The Romans hope the Jews will make him disappear because he blasphemes against their prickly and demanding God.  Nobody really cares about the truth of the charges against him.  After all, can truth not be shaped to fit the need of the moment? 

Pilate finally commands that Jesus be brought inside.  He cuts to the chase, asking, “Well, are you the king of the Jews?”  The Roman Empire dominates hundreds of peoples.  Experience has taught them to fear rebels.  The Romans kill rebel leaders the second they poke their conniving little heads above ground.  The Jews, knowing this, insist that Pilate kill Jesus.  Pilate decides to see whether Jesus fits the rebel profile.  If he does, or if he might, Pilate will not hesitate to squash him like a bug.

Hence Pilate’s question, “Are you king?”  But Jesus has a different agenda.  He answers with a question of his own.  “Did you think this one up on your own, or did others tell you about me?”  Perhaps he spoke in an insulting tone.  Pilate certainly replies with impatience: “Am I a Jew?”  (Inflected like, “Am I a cockroach?”) 

Jesus moves their conversation forward.  “My kingdom,” he says, “is not of this world.”  “My kingdom,” Jesus begins.  In order to have a kingdom does one not first have to be a king?  Pilate demands, “So you are a king?”  But Jesus re-emphasizes that his kingdom is not “of this world”.  He does not see himself as a leader in a rebellion against Rome.  “I came into this world,” he insists, “to testify to the truth.”

To which Pilate famously retorts, “What is truth?”  You might think the answer is obvious.  Truth is—well, truth is what really is.  Truth is, ah, truth.  You know, it’s right.  It’s the most basic stuff that everybody agrees on.  But is there such a thing?

Lately I have heard two people say exactly the same, yet opposite, thing.  One said, “I don’t understand how we ever elected Bill Clinton twice!”  The other said, “I don’t understand how we ever elected George Bush twice!”  Two generalized circles describe America in the early 21st century: Red State/Blue State, liberal/conservative, progressive/ evangelical.  From the most basic premises on which they build their world views right down to the details (they listen to different radio stations, eat different diets, and recreate differently) these two groups seem to live in parallel universes.  They even appear to have different truths.

One of the illustrations I am about to use will probably make you nod your head and think/feel, “Yes, that is correct.”  They other will make you shake your head and think/feel, “How could anybody believe that?!?”  We start with a Red State/conservative Christian view of truth.  I paraphrase and summarize for the sake of clarity.  This group views truth as a fixed, eternal reality revealed by God.  Whenever we find ourselves in conflict with The Truth we must change.  The Bible contains clear, unambiguous truth and we have the responsibility to learn it and live it.  If we fail in this we sin.  Our culture has come dangerously close to rejecting The Truth.  God will punish us if we do not straighten up and fly right. 

We continue with a Blue State/liberal Christian view of truth.  I paraphrase and summarize for the sake of clarity.  This group views truth as an emerging reality that humanity is in the process of discovering.  God exists and stands behind truth.  Whenever we find ourselves in conflict with truth we must consider whether to change or to modify our understanding of it.  The Bible contains truth, but often in obscure or even contradictory ways.  We have the responsibility to measure what we read in the Bible against all other claims to truth.  Our culture must mature beyond its simplistic picture of truth. 

As I said, likely you identified with one of those pictures of truth.  If you did (and honestly, I tend to as well), you miss the point Jesus makes in his conversation with Pontius Pilate.  Jesus did not come to debate Red State vs. Blue State views of truth.  He came to be the truth.  “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” he tells Pilate.  Pilate does not understand.  “What is truth?” he sneers.  He might just as well ask, “Whose truth?” or “Which truth?” or “Do you really believe there is only one, completely objective, absolute truth?” 

If we get caught up in our investment in one view of truth or the other, we reduce Jesus’ point to a silly argument.  We put the question of truth on the same level as Wolverines vs. Spartans:  We root for our team.  If they lose we dread seeing somebody on the other side because we know they’ll really give it to us.  And after a few days we won’t care any more because it never really mattered to start with and we know it down deep inside.

Jesus came into this world to be the truth.  He came to give the truth flesh and bones, to incarnate it.  He did not care whether the Jews or the Romans took responsibility for his execution.  He cared about making the truth so real we could not resist it.  He did what He had to do.  He made the truth happen before the eyes of the world. 

We stand in danger of missing the voice of Jesus testifying to us about the truth.  Listen to him.  Listen for his testimony.  He calls to you from the verses we read this morning.  Jesus is the truth.  Pray that you might believe this.  Pray that you might hear his voice, belong to him, and follow him.  Read your Bible to discover the truth.  Pray to discover the truth.  Test your understanding of the truth with your Christian brothers and sisters.  But above all else, remember this: Jesus is the truth.  Listen for his voice and you will not stray far from The Truth.