“What is truth?” (John 18:38)
A frustrated and tarnished Pilate asks but never receives an answer.
Truth is, Pilate is caught in “Catch-22.” Truth is, in order to honor the Emperor’s hard line of keeping peace during Passover holiday, Pilate will have to yield to the religious leaders’ unjust demand for Jesus’ head. Or else they’ll riot. If Pilate wields his authority and the people riot, the emperor will have Pilate’s head. So Pilate yields to the locals, knowing he’ll pay for it later. Truth is neither simple nor easy.
Is it true the planet is warming up? Did you know the Vikings came to Greenland and America during a global warming spell that lasted a few hundred years? Later, the Vikings abandoned those settlements when the climate turned colder again. I read an article that the migration of Germans to Pennsylvania may have as much to do with bad winters in Germany due to global cooling in the mid-1700’s as it was to the political repressions of King Ludwig in the Palatinate.
What’s true about health care? Is a national health care a panacea or catalyst for financial disaster? Answering that one feels like responding to the question, “Are you still coloring your hair?” when you’ve never colored it in the first place. If you say, “No” you can’t close door that you once did color your hair.
Truth isn’t always so simple, whether we’re interpreting history, resolving current issues, or hearing the gospel. The Evangelists tell the Passion Story with one agenda: that we might sift through to the truth for ourselves. If it is true that Jesus is the Christ of God, there are immediate claims upon my response. But if it is true Jesus is not Christ, my very hope (and my life) may be called into question.
What is truth? According to Jesus, if we listen and follow we will know. It's that simple and that difficult. But the invitation stands. The Passion comes. With eyes and hearts open, we’re ready for the truth.
