After Jesus was arrested, He was brought before Pilate. The Roman Governor questioned Him, asking among other things if He were a King. Jesus confirms that He is King, while clarifying that if His kingdom were of this world His servants would have fought to prevent His arrest, thereby implying that the two of them wouldn’t even be having this conversation. He further clarifies why He’s in this world; to testify to the truth. Pilate then sarcastically asked Him to answer “What is truth?”, as if truth were nothing more than a belief in a fleeting trend. Pilate doesn’t believe truth is anything real or tangible. Or does He?
Reading further, we notice that Pilate actually does believe in the truth of Jesus’ innocence. He even goes so far as to publicly declare - not just once, but three times – that he finds absolutely no fault in Jesus. Therefore, in the following verses Pilate looks for a way to administer true justice by setting Jesus free. The problem he encounters is in the sheer stress of the unrelenting voices of the world. And sadly, becoming overwhelmed by the stress of these voices, Pilate’s commitment to justice is compromised and he sentences a perfectly innocent man to death.
Suppose Pilate had been able to empty his mind of the voices of liars and fill his mind with the voice of Truth. Would he personally have moved closer to the center of God’s kingdom? What if you and I were able to cast out the lies we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. How much room would that open up in our minds for Truth to consume our thoughts? Jesus is not only true, He is the Truth. In a world consumed with false beliefs, filling our thoughts with Truth and embracing holy living consistent with Truth will move us closer to the center of God’s kingdom in peace and serenity.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
