What Is Truth?

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews.

John 18:38

Some suggest that this was a genuine question, but Pilate didn’t wait for an answer. It seems that he spoke these words as an exit line. Pilate asked, “What is truth?” And he said this as a judge charged with bringing justice.

Imagine yourself standing in a court of law on false charges, and your only hope is that the judge will uncover the truth.

The judge asks if you have anything to say. You reply, “Well, I have come to this court to bear witness to the truth.” But the judge snaps back, “What is truth?” How can you have justice if there is no such thing as truth?

Pilate miscarried justice because he did not believe in the truth
But Pilate was not the only judge in this conversation. Jesus said, “The Father... has given all judgment to the Son” (Jn. 5:22). Two judges stood face to face, one from earth and the other from heaven.

Jesus will bring justice because He knows the truth
He said, “I came into the world to bear witness to the truth” (18:37). There is a realm in which the whole truth is known, so there is a realm in which justice will be done.

Normally a judge hears evidence to discern the truth. But on the last day, Jesus will not be seeking the truth. Jesus will bring justice because He already knows the truth completely.

If you know your own heart at all, you know that you’re a long way from loving God with all your heart and from loving your neighbour as yourself. This is the reason we all need to humble ourselves and embrace Him, so that when the day of justice comes, we will have a defence.

Is your heart prepared for the day when Jesus will come to bring justice?