John 18:37-40
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?”After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
“What is truth” may be the most important question one can ask in their lifetime. Truth is in everything we do on a daily basis. Truth guides our lives.
This is true on many levels, from the superficial to the supernatural. Superficially, athletes operate on truth to grow and develop in their sport. The more successful athletes tend to frequently act upon the truth they receive concerning fundamentals, mechanics, diet and so forth. They have believed the information that is claiming to be true, and this belief leads to action—which normally leads to fruit bearing.
As we move along the superficial to supernatural scale of truth guiding our lives, we come to something a little more important than athletics or even an occupation; life itself. There is truth that must be grasped to actually stay alive physically. We eat and drink because we are aware of the fact that if we do not, we will die. This type of truth may be the most common simply because of the consequences of not adhering to it. We have biological cues that help us perceive this truth.
However, when Pilate asked the question, “What is truth,” I believe he was speaking of the deeper things in life, like purpose and meaning. I believe Pilate was asking, “what is the source of truth that I should allow it to guide my life and decision-making?” This is much deeper than the earlier truth examples. I believe this requires some serious investigation because not adhering to truth has consequences.
Superficial truth has its set of consequences, but one can live with these consequences. Natural truths come with higher consequences and I can see why we make sure to abide by these. The supernatural truths come with the highest degree of consequences and therefore warrants the highest degree of time and commitment. If someone were to observe your life, which degree of truth would they conclude that you deem as the most important?
Grace and peace.
