Encountering God: Truth Revealed in Jesus

What if the truth you've been living by isn't the truth at all? Join me, Chuck Warnock, as we unravel the profound encounter between Jesus and Pontius Pilate—a pivotal moment that challenges our understanding of power, truth, and the kingdom "not of this world." As we journey through John 18:33-37, we see Jesus unflinchingly stand before Pilate, revealing a truth that transcends worldly authority and invites us into a deeper understanding of God's reality through Him. This episode promises to offer not just a scriptural reflection but a transformative journey into the heart of what it means to recognize Jesus as the revelation of God, and how that recognition calls us to a life anchored in divine truth.

As we unpack the themes of Christ the King, we'll confront the tension between choosing comfort and aligning with the truth Jesus embodies. This isn't just a retelling of an ancient exchange; it's an invitation to become citizens of a kingdom where truth reigns in love. Reflect with me on how this narrative speaks to our daily lives, encouraging us to be truth-tellers in a world often swayed by the allure of lies. Through prayer and thoughtful reflection, we'll not only explore Jesus' mission but find the courage to embrace it ourselves. Let us seek the strength to listen to His voice and live out the reality of His kingdom.

Go to chuckwarnock.com for written transcripts of these messages. Thank you!

Chapters

• 0:01 Encountering Christ
• 11:56 Choosing Truth Over Comfort

Transcript

Chuck Warnock: 0:01

Welcome to God's Time, where we explore how ancient wisdom speaks to our modern lives. I'm Chuck Warnock and I'm glad you're here with us today. This coming Sunday, November 24, 2024, is the last Sunday of the Christian year in this cycle, and on this Sunday, the theme of Christ the King reminds us that the Jesus we have been following all year, from birth to death to resurrection, is the revelation of God himself. Put more simply, knowing Jesus is how we know who God is. In our passage this week, Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, who also tries to understand who Jesus is. In his conversation with Jesus, Pilate is witness to a divine mystery and a profound truth.

Chuck Warnock: 1:00

We're in John's Gospel, the 18th chapter, verses 33 to 37. And I'm sure you know the backstory here. This is the last week of Jesus' life. Jesus has had the Passover meal with his disciples there in the upper room. Judas has already gone out to betray Jesus during that meal, and after the meal is over, Jesus and his disciples retreat to a garden where they have often gathered before. Judas knows this and leads the band of soldiers who will arrest Jesus and there betrays him. Upon his arrest, Jesus is taken to see Annas, who is the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who is the current high priest there. Annas interrogates him, and then they take him to Caiaphas, and Caiaphas and Annas decide together that the only recourse is that they must appeal to Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, to have Jesus executed. Caiaphas even says at one point that it would be a good thing for one man to die for the whole country. And so this ragtag mob of religious leaders and henchmen carry Jesus to Caiaphas' palace, which may be Antonia's fortress, overlooking the temple compound there. They send word to Pilate early on this Friday morning to come out and meet them. Righteous Jews, at this point during the Passover celebration and preparation, cannot go into the home of a Gentile because those homes are not ceremonially pure, and so, in order to not miss the entire Passover celebration, these Jewish religious leaders demand that Pilate come out and meet them, and he does amazingly. And as he does so, they present Jesus to him, and Pilate is confused about why they are there, what crime Jesus might have committed that would require that he be put to death. Nevertheless, Pilate has Jesus brought into the inner chamber, while the Jewish religious leaders and their mob wait outside, and that's where we pick up the story today in John's Gospel, the 18th chapter, beginning in verse 33.

Chuck Warnock: 3:22

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him Are you the king of the Jews? Is that your own idea? Jesus asked or did others talk to you about me? Am I a Jew? Pilate replied your own people and chief priest handed you over to me. What is it you've done? 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'm 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.

Chuck Warnock: 4:16

So that's the scene in this early morning light, as the sun comes up over Jerusalem, Jesus and Pilate, pretty much alone in the large judgment hall where Pilate has brought Jesus Having a conversation.

Chuck Warnock: 4:31

Now, pilate is used to people being intimidated by his presence and the authority of Rome. That is inherent in his position, but Jesus is not intimidated. When Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? Jesus says Is that your own idea or did somebody talk to you about me, obviously giving it back to Pilate. Then Pilate snaps back am I a Jew? And Jesus then responds, answering a question that Pilate hasn't even asked yet.

Chuck Warnock: 5:02

Pilate is concerned about Jewish insurrection in Judea and Jerusalem, especially during the Passover, because Passover is about the Jews being liberated from the bondage of Egypt, and so Pilate has brought extra troops into the city of Jerusalem to quell any possible uprising, and that is why he is asking about Jesus' kingdom and whether he's a king. That's going to lead people in revolt against Rome. Jesus sets Pilate's mind at ease by saying my kingdom is not of this world. In other words, I'm no threat to you or to the empire that you represent. But Jesus was also saying something else, even more important, which passes Pilate by, because he responds by saying so, you're a king. Then, and Jesus says you say that I'm a king.

Chuck Warnock: 6:01

And then everything changes, because Jesus goes on to explain to Pilate why he is there. Oh, I don't mean there in Pilate's presence, there in Antonia's fortress. I mean why Jesus is on this earth, why he was born. Jesus says the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth, is to testify to the truth. Now when Jesus says the reason he was born and came into the world was to testify to the truth. What does testify to the truth mean? We might think it means to be more honest, not to tell lies, to be upright, to be truthful. But when Jesus uses the word truth here, he's not talking about telling the truth although he does. He's talking about something much deeper. The word translated, truth, is the Greek word aletheia. It means to make unhidden. Now, that's really awkward English. So we would say that it means to reveal.

Chuck Warnock: 7:12

The truth that Jesus is revealing isn't just honest facts. It's about God's reality, previously hidden but now made visible in Christ. It's the truth that, for the first time in human history, everyone can see God, think of a curtain being drawn back, revealing what was always there but couldn't be seen. Jesus is claiming that for himself. He is claiming that when people see him, god's nature and purposes are no longer hidden, but they are revealed in Him. Now this divine truth, this revealed God in human form, stands before Pilate. When Jesus says he came to testify to the truth, he's not just claiming to tell the truth, he is revealing that he Himself is God, the true reality in human form. He is the true God, not a counterfeit or a fake, but the real presence of God visible in our world.

Chuck Warnock: 8:20

John has developed this idea of Jesus as the revelation of God from the beginning of his gospel. In John 1.14. John says the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. Then in John 14.9, when the disciples are concerned about Jesus leaving them, jesus says Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. And then he wraps up his assurance of the disciples by saying I am the way, I am the truth, meaning the revealed God, and I am the life. But then Jesus seeks to engage Pilate more personally in this conversation. The last thing Jesus says to Pilate is Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. It is an invitation to Pilate to listen to Jesus.

Chuck Warnock: 9:28

If we read the rest of this account, we would find that Pilate does not listen to Jesus. Pilate struggles with having to execute a man who has done nothing wrong that he can find, and so he tells the Jews that three or four times, as he goes back to them repeatedly saying I can't find anything wrong with this man. And so finally, in exasperation and desperation, pilate offers to release a prisoner on Passover, which was to curry goodwill with the Jews. And so he offers either Barabbas or Jesus. And they say release Barabbas, who is a thief and a known insurrectionist, and crucify Jesus. We'll deal with the rest of that story at another time. But back to what Jesus has said to Pilate. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.

Chuck Warnock: 10:36

When we encounter Jesus in worship, when Scripture is read and proclaimed, when we feel His presence as we pray, letting ourselves be heard by God, when we gather at the communion table, god is visible to us through Christ's sacrifice represented in bread and wine. And when we help others, we see Christ revealed in the least of these. Each of these moments presents us with Pilate's choice Will we engage personally with this revealed truth or miss our opportunity? Will we let ourselves encounter the God who has made himself visible to us? The mystery of Christ's truth is this as we encounter God revealed in Jesus, we ourselves can become points of revelation. Paul writes that we are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory. We can become places where God's hidden identity becomes visible in the world. We're not just learning about things that are true. We're engaging with truth, embodied God in the flesh. By doing so, we become windows through which others can glimpse what Pilate saw God in Jesus relating to our world, our needs, our hopes and our longings.

Chuck Warnock: 11:56

The last words of Jesus to Pilate were these Everyone on the side of truth listens to me. The question we must answer for ourselves is are we listening? Would you pray with me, lord Jesus, you who stood before Pilate as truth incarnate, help us recognize these moments when we too must choose between power and truth. Give us courage to align ourselves with your reality rather than comfortable falsehoods. Shape us, through our small acts of truth-telling, into people who reflect your truth more fully. Make us citizens of your kingdom where truth reigns in love. Amen, and thank you for joining us this week on God's Time. I hope you'll join us every week here on this podcast as we continue to explore the life of Jesus through the Scripture of the Revised Common Lectionary and the rhythm of the Christian year Until next week. I'm Chuck Warnock and I pray God's richest blessings on you during the days ahead.