John 18:37-39, Voice of Truth

37 Then Pilate said to him, “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.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

Having explained his kingdom to Pilate in negative terms, now Jesus explains it positively. His kingdom is a kingdom of truth. Jesus has come into the world to reveal the truth of God, to reveal reality, to reveal that people can have a personal relationship with the living God, to reveal that truth, as embodied in himself, can set people free. Jesus is the voice of truth and hence the voice of reality.

For a split second it seems that Pilate is interested indeed by his question, “What is truth?” Perhaps for a moment he heard truth from God, from the imprisoned one, from the man whose life is in his hands. But as the following verses reveal, if Pilate indeed heard truth, it was fleeting. While many believe that Pilate’s question was delivered in a mocking tone, I think Pilate listened to Jesus as the older son did to the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. As the older son listened only for a second before rejecting his father’s gracious appeal to join him, so did Pilate. His ultimate refusal to listen to the truth meant he would go down in infamy, becoming the man most associated with the crucifixion of Jesus—a truth repeated Sunday after Sunday in churches that recite the creed.

Lord Jesus, help us day by day to know you as the way and the truth and the life, and to listen to your voice as truly divine revelation. Amen.