Day 29

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” John 18:37-38 (From the Fourth Gospel on Holy Thursday Evening)

Much has been written by biblical scholars about the interaction between Jesus and Pilate prior to His crucifixion. One of the more fascinating parts of that conversation is presented in today’s scripture passage. “What is truth?” Pilate asked.

One of the most beautiful parts of Christianity is seeing how God’s plan for our salvation has been worked out over the course of human history. That plan has been referred to as the “thread of salvation”, a plan to weaves its way all through scripture, all the way down to today, right now, as you read this.

We could say that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and His ultimate death and resurrection, bring us full circle in that plan. And today we are given a glimpse of that.

If you remember a few reflections back, we spoke about how the greatest sin of Judas was not his betrayal. It was in fact his lack of repentance that was his greatest sin. Just as in Genesis, Adam and Eve’s greatest sin was also their lack of repentance at disobeying God.

Today, we see Pilate ask “What is truth”. It is interesting to note that he did not wait for an answer. His question was a rhetorical one. But by asking it he set the stage to once again come full circle. Think for a moment about how Adam and Eve were lied to by the serpent, about how when they were confronted by God over their nakedness, they themselves lied to God.

“What is truth?” It would have been incredibly interesting to see what might have happened had Pilate actually waited for an answer from Jesus. Jesus says in Scripture: “I am the way the truth and the life…” I wonder what Pilate might have thought if he heard those words.

The Fall of mankind was brought about by a lie. The kingdom of heaven, which we talked about yesterday, has been opened to us by truth, the Truth of Jesus Christ. The circle has been completed by our Lord and Savior. Perhaps a better word is fulfilled: the circle has been fulfilled.

The truth of the Lord endures forever!

In Christ

Fr. David