In John 18, we read of Jesus’ interrogation by Pilate.
“Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
Sadly Pilate didn’t wait for Jesus to answer him. He left to go speak with the Jewish leaders.
How would Jesus have answered that? We can’t say. But then again, what is truth? What might Jesus have had in mind when he said he came to testify to the truth?
Allow me to suggest the following. “Truth” is the true meaning of something or someone, that is to say, the reason why it exists, why it was created — what it’s for.
For example, what is the truth of a pair of shoes? Generally speaking they go on a person’s feet to provide protection or help with mobility. What is the truth of a car? Generally speaking a person gets into a car and uses it to go from point A to point B. That’s the reason why it exists, why it was made. That is its truth.
If this is so, then in testifying to the truth, Jesus is saying, in effect, “I came to bear witness to the reason God created what he did — what purpose he had in mind.
And then in John 14 where we read Jesus said, “I am the … truth….” he takes it a step further. He is saying, I am the one who knows why you or anything else exists — why you were created.
And because, in a sense, we can say that Jesus came into the world to set us free from the bondages of this world, of sin, and of the devil, the critical factor in entering into his freedom is truth — knowing why he created us.
“You will know the truth” said Jesus, “and the truth will set you free…if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed…” (John 8:32;36)
In other words, once you know why you were created, you will be set free from the lies of all other reasons or explanations for your personal existence and which have a hand in everything that tempts you and would hold you hostage.
The greater the clarity regarding our meaning, our truth — why we exist — the greater will be our freedom. And all of this comes from Jesus, and everyone on the side of truth listens to him.
