April 14, 2006

Good Friday Service

What Is Truth?

John 18

 

·       Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was hanged by the Nazis for his opposition to Hitler, wrote a powerful book called The Cost of Discipleship.  This is part of what he wrote: Jesus Christ must suffer and be rejected. This "must" is inherent in the promise of God - the Scriptures must be fulfilled. There is a distinction here between suffering and rejection. Had he only suffered, Jesus might still have been applauded as the Messiah. All the sympathy and admiration of the world might have been focused on his passion. It could have been viewed as a tragedy with its own intrinsic value, dignity and honor.  But in the passion, Jesus is a rejected Messiah. His rejection robs the passion of its halo of glory. It must be a passion without honor (as cited on SermonCentral.com).

·       Truth is a struggle for us.  On the one hand, our culture says that truth depends on what each one of us believes and experiences, and that there is no such thing as absolute truth.  On the other hand, we all live absolute truth each and every time we obey the speed limit, stop at red lights, flip light switches, and turn on a faucet.  Bonhoeffer wrote of a significant truth about Jesus – that He had to be rejected for His death to have its full meaning, for Jesus to truly be the Savior of the world.  But Bonhoeffer also understood that Jesus Himself is truth.  To help us understand this, let’s read John 18:18-40, and I’m reading from the New American Standard Bible.   

·       John 18:28-40 from the NASB – Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.  29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”  30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.”  31 So Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.”  The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” 32 to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.  33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”  34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”  35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”  36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”  37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?”  Jesus answered, “You correctly say that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”  38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.  39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?”  40 So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.”  Now Barabbas was a robber.

·       What a contrast!  Jesus is truth personified; Barabbas’ life was a lie.  Herbert Agar wrote in Leadership Journal, The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear (as cited on SermonCentral.com).  The Jews would rather believe that a lie (Barabbas) was best for them than the truth (Jesus).  Pilate believed the same way.  Yes, he tried to get Jesus off the hook, but if Pilate had wanted to release Jesus he could have. 

·       Why didn’t Pilate release Jesus?  Political pressure was definitely a part of it.  But I believe that another part of it was that Pilate was disturbed by Jesus’ discussion of truth.  Notice that when Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” he didn’t stick around for an answer.  He immediately went out to the Jews to try to get Jesus off the hook.  Pilate was exactly like the Jews in one thing: he didn’t want to know the truth either.  He didn’t want to know who Jesus really is.  He didn’t want to take a chance that he might have to change as a result of his encounter with Jesus.

·       Most of us are just like Pilate.  We don’t want to change as a result of an encounter with Jesus.  Yes, we want to all be good people, and we don’t mind Him influencing us for the good a little bit.  But life change – forget it!  It’s not that we don’t want to change, we’re afraid of who we might become if we do change.  We may not be totally happy being the way we are, but at least it’s something we know.  And yet, Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.”  Jesus is truth personified.  Jesus is the only way we can get to heaven to be with God for all eternity when we die.

·       Our world says, “You can’t say that!  It’s arrogant to think that there is only one way to heaven!  I can get there because I’m a good person and haven’t done anything really bad!”  Jesus says that He is the only way to get to heaven, and He lived His life in such a way that He proved it.  Think about it this way – as pastor Rick Warren says, believing that you can get to heaven any way you choose is like believing that you can dial any set of random numbers on your cell phone and have your home phone pick up.  It’s ridiculous!  Jesus is the only way.  Jesus is the truth that defines our universe.  Hebrews 1:3 says The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  Pilate asked, “What is truth?”  Jesus said, “I am the truth.”

·       The question for you to answer this Easter season is, “Do I want to stick with Pilate and the Jews, or do I want to know the truth?”  in John 8:32 Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  Do you want to know the truth?  Do you want to be set free from your sin and your past?  Jesus invites you to accept His free gift of relationship with Him.  Jesus invites you to receive the truth.

·       If you already have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but you’ve been struggling to live the truth, Jesus says to you, “Now is the time to let the truth set you free.  Just believe that I can do it!”  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, and you want to be set free, pray with me now, either out loud or in your heart.  Lord Jesus, I know that You are the truth.  I know that You desire to set me free from the prisons I’ve built for myself in my heart and mind.  I know that because You were rejected and suffered and died for me I can be free.  Lord, I open the doors of every area in my heart I’ve been hiding from You, and I ask that Your truth would flood and clean out those areas.  Lord, set me free! 

·       If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and you’d like to start one tonight, please pray with me now, either out loud or in your heart. Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner – I’ve rejected Your truth – and I need Your forgiveness.  I believe that You died for my sins.  I want to turn from my sins.  I now invite You to come into my heart and life.  I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  If you prayed that prayer, come up and talk with me before you leave tonight.  Let’s pray.