The Last Sunday after Pentecost - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

John 18:33-37

What is “truth?”

Today is the final week in the liturgical calendar – the celebration of Christ the King. We’ve completed the extremely long season of Pentecost – our “green” season. The green color we’ve seen in the paraments on the altar and in the stoles worn by Rev. Melanie and me, represented growth and hope. We’ve had 33 weeks to examine the mysteries of faith, to mature in our relationship with God, and to grow. Next Sunday, a new year begins in our calendar. Paraments and vestments will be changed to blue and we will begin our four-week Advent journey. The journey to celebrate Christ’s birth – the birth of Christ the King. The king who does not sit on a throne but instead, dwells in our hearts, minds, and souls.

In our Gospel reading today, we heard a back-and-forth dialogue between Pontius Pilate and Jesus. Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus, as Jesus likes to do, answers with a question. “Are you asking this because you think I am ‘King of the Jews’ or are you asking because others have told you I am ‘King of the Jews’?”

There is great tension between the religious leaders and Rome’s political authorities. Jesus is a threat to the religious leaders, but they don’t have any authority to put him to death. Even though Pilate knows this is a religious matter, not a political one, he intervenes. He’s not even Jewish. How would he know anything about the Jewish religion, their practices, or the Law. Not only is he not Jewish, he’s questioning Jesus and he doesn’t even know the charges coming from the religious leaders. He has to ask Jesus,, “What did you do?”

When he asked Jesus, the reply is, “My Kingdom is not from down here.” “Oh!” says Pilate, “so you are a King!” Like two children bickering back and forth, Jesus fires back, “I didn’t say that. You said that.” But Jesus also adds, “My whole purpose is Truth.” “My whole purpose is Truth.” In verse 28, which we didn’t read today, Pilate asks, “What is truth?”

What is “truth?” Well, isn’t that the million-dollar question? As humans, we have a quest for truth. Depending on our context or worldview, there are all types of truths. Relative truth: what’s true for me may not be true for you. Objective truth: those backed with scientific facts. Subjective truth: those based on personal feelings or preferences. Moral truth: truths that guide behavior and ethics. Legal truth: truth established through the legal system. Spiritual truth: those rooted in religious beliefs. Then, we have those terms we have become accustomed to of late…the terms we use when questioning the truth: fake news, alternative facts, gaslighting. We can spin the truth and filter the truth. What is “truth?”

We wrestle with truth. We look at the world through our unique lens shaped by our culture and experience. There are distractions and growing skepticism that keep us from hearing the truth. We find ways to not respond to the truth because, let’s face it, it can be hard to hear the truth. Sometimes, it’s easier to reject the truth than confront it. Truth can be uncomfortable and costly, sometimes requiring change or sacrifice. So, what is “truth?”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who opposed the Nazi regime during World War II. In Nazi Germany, the government tried to redefine truth to serve its purposes. It claimed supremacy over the church and promoted untruths about racial superiority and hatred. Many religious leaders gave in to these untruths and sided with the Nazi regime to protect themselves.

Bonhoeffer, however, refused to compromise. He helped organize the Confessing Church, which stood against the corruption of the gospel by the Nazis. He helped Jews escape through the underground resistance and was involved in a conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. It was this conspiracy that led to his arrest in April 1943.

For two years, while in prison, Bonhoeffer continued to write letters and reflections on faith – on truth. He insisted that truth could not be turned around to suit someone’s advantage. Bonhoeffer said that truth was found in Jesus Christ and his teachings. He held steadfast to that truth even as he faced execution.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the truth.” Now he’s telling Pilate, “I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Everyone. Everyone who hears Jesus’ voice belongs to the Truth.

The Truth was standing right before Pilate, yet he failed to hear or see the Truth. He could not see beyond the earthly realms because he lived in the here and now. Pilate’s world was about power and dominance. Pilate’s truth was whatever gave him dominion over others. Jesus, our Truth, stands right before us, but we sometimes get so caught up in our own stuff that we can’t see him standing there. We get caught up in the here and now…in the thoughts of how can I be great, or right, dominant, or whatever it may be, that we can’t see the truth right in front of us.

Jesus never professed to be “King of the Jews.” But Jesus, “Christ the King,” has power and authority that comes from a trust in God, who is the source of his identity. Jesus’ kingdom is not from here. It does not belong to this world. But in Jesus’ death, we are promised his kingdom. When Jesus came to us in human form, God’s kingdom intersected with our earthly world. Jesus’ kingdom manifests itself as self-giving and life-giving.

So, what is “truth?” Truth is an absolute reality. Truth is actual knowledge in God. Truth is the reality of God. Truth is living out our faith courageously, sacrificially, and unwaveringly committed to the Gospel. Jesus came to reveal the truth. The truth is that we are given God’s grace and forgiveness and can count on the power of the resurrection. The question, “what is truth?” should call all of us to ask ourselves, “What truth am I living by and does it reflect Jesus’ voice?” The truth is that God loves you and me.

In his book Ethics, Bonhoeffer wrote, "What is worse than doing evil is being evil. It corrupts the truth of the person before God, and that truth is the essence of our humanity." Truth is not just about external actions, what we say, or what we do, but about the very nature of a person’s being in relation to God. It’s about who we are in God’s sight.

Just before he was executed by hanging in 1945, Bonhoeffer reportedly said: "This is the end—for me, the beginning of life." Witnesses said he was calm and prayerful as he awaited his execution, trusting in the God he had served faithfully. He held true to the truth until the end. Truth is the reality of God. Truth is living Out our faith courageously, sacrificially, and unwaveringly committed to the Gospel. Amen.