What Is Truth?

Two men face each other in a stone hall. One has the power of Rome behind him. The other has his hands tied. And it is the man with all the power who looks uneasy.

It is early morning in Jerusalem, the day before the Passover feast begins. All night Jesus has been questioned by the high priests. Now they bring him to the headquarters of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. Only Rome can order an execution. But the priests will not step inside. Entering a Gentile’s house would make them ceremonially unclean, and then they could not eat the Passover. So Pilate has to keep walking out to them, and back in to Jesus. Out and in. Out and in. Caught in the middle.

Pilate goes inside. “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus asks him, “Are you asking this yourself, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate snaps back. “Am I a Jew? Your own leaders handed you over. What have you done?” And Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight.” “So you are a king?” “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” And Pilate shrugs. “What is truth?” Then he walks out without waiting for an answer.

Outside, Pilate tells the crowd, “I find no case against him.” And he tries a way out. “You have a custom that I release one prisoner for you at Passover. Shall I release the King of the Jews?” But they shout back, “Not this man! Give us Barabbas!” Barabbas was a robber, a man of violence. So Pilate tries again. He has Jesus whipped by the soldiers. They twist a crown out of thorny branches, push it onto his head, throw a purple robe around him and mock him. “Hail, King of the Jews.” Then Pilate brings him out. “Look. I find no case against him. Here is the man.”

But the chief priests and their officers cry out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “He claimed to be the Son of God,” they say. When Pilate hears that, he is more afraid than ever. He goes back in. “Where are you from?” Jesus gives him no answer. “Don’t you know I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answers quietly. “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above.” From then on, John says, Pilate kept trying to release him.

Then comes the shout that finishes it. “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar!” Pilate knows what that means. A report to the emperor could end his career. So he brings Jesus out and sits on the judgment seat, at a place called the Stone Pavement. John says it is about the sixth hour, around midday. “Here is your King.” “Away with him! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” And the chief priests answer, “We have no king but Caesar.” So Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified.

Pontius Pilate was a real Roman official, governor of Judea from around the year 26 to 36. Besides the Gospels, he is mentioned by the Jewish writers Philo and Josephus, and by the Roman historian Tacitus. And in 1961, archaeologists at Caesarea, on the coast, found a stone with Pilate’s name carved into it in Latin, calling him prefect of Judea. The man who asked “What is truth?” left his name in stone.

What Is Truth? You’ll find it in John chapter 18, verse 28, to chapter 19, verse 16. Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, and he said so three times. But he cared more about staying safe than standing for what was right. The truth was standing right in front of him. So here’s the question to carry with you. When doing right could cost you something, what will you choose?