Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 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.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

What is truth? On the surface, that’s an easy question.  But looking deeper, it’s actually very complicated. I remember vividly the day I was confronted with this question in a college science class. I thought I had lots of answers and was ready to tackle learning, but when confronted with this seemingly simple question I realized that I was being challenged to really think deeply. Up until that point in my education and life, truth was the opposite of false. It was neat and tidy. But truth is much more than merely what it isn’t. That’s what challenged me the most.  

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It is still a challenging question - and one that has been asked throughout the ages as we see Pilate asking this same question in our verses for today. What is truth?

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John writes a lot about truth in his Gospel. While John does not record Jesus answering Pilate, in three different passages, John tells us that the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are truth. It’s hard for us to wrap our heads around a person being truth. That’s not how we use the word; but it is how Jesus did.

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In John 8:26 Jesus says to the Jews who were questioning him, “I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” Jesus identifies God the Father as true.

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In John 16:12-13, Jesus says, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak.” Jesus identifies the Holy Spirit as truth.

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And then there is a passage, which may have already come to your mind, where Jesus identifies himself as truth. His disciples were struggling to make sense of all they were hearing, seeing, and experiencing as they walked with Jesus. They were asking Him questions about the future and what would happen after Jesus’ death. Thomas asked him a genuine question about how they could follow Him if they didn’t know the way. Jesus responded, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

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So, we know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are truth. We know the answer to who is truth. Is that the same as what is truth?

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Again, looking at John 17, where Jesus is praying before being taken into custody and ultimately crucified, we read these words: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Did you catch that answer to our question? God’s Word is truth. Even David echoes this (years before John wrote his gospel) in Psalm 119:160: “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.”

So, the all-encompassing answer to “What is truth?” is God Himself and His Word. But how does knowing this answer impact our daily lives? How can we not only know who is truth and what is truth, but also measure our own ideas and thoughts and beliefs against a solid framework of truth? Again, John records Jesus’ answer to this very question: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32).

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We need to know the answer to what is truth? – but even more so, we need to know the truth so we can walk in freedom. Spending time in God’s Word – knowing the Word and knowing God more intimately – that is when we are transformed by the truth.

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So, how would you answer if someone asked you, “What is truth?” And more importantly, are you growing in truth?

Father God, you are Truth. Thank you for your Word, which challenges our thinking and gives us a standard for living. Help me to abide in your Word – spending daily time reading and meditating on it – so that I will know the truth and it will set me free. Help me to remember that abiding requires a lifetime of walking with You and being in your Word. Give me the courage, too, to speak Your truth to a world that doesn’t know that there is a standard for truth. I ask for boldness and grace. Amen.