By Ben McEachenTuesday 24 Dec 2024Real Hope – The PodcastChristmasReading Time: 2 minutes
“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.” John 18:37 (NIV)
Key points
- Keep listening to Jesus’ voice and seeking to know Him.
- Unlike Pilate who went with the crowd, we can go with the One who came into our world to embody and represent truth.
- Listen to the ‘Why Jesus Came to Earth’ series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.
“What is truth?” Great question.
Also, it’s the obvious question to ask after Jesus has just given this reason for coming to earth.
As you can read in John 18:38, Roman governor Pilate did ask: “What is truth?” But here in the gospel of John’s account of Jesus’ trial, death and resurrection, the story goes cold on a direct answer.
Instead, the next scene has Pilate telling the amassed crowd he finds no grounds for charging Jesus (John 19:38-40).
Keep listening to Jesus’ voice and seeking to know Him.
So, what happened to the truth? Did the governor get an answer then and there from Jesus?
I don’t know, but Jesus answered Pilate’s question before he even asked it.
“I am the way, the truth and the life,” Jesus already declared to His disciples (John 14:6).
Before that, He told Jewish people who believed in Him that “you will know the truth” if you continue to follow Jesus’ instructions – and “the truth shall set you free” (John 8:31-32).
Unlike Pilate who went with the crowd, we can go with the One who came into our world to embody and represent truth.
Incredibly, Jesus revealed Himself to be the truth, as well as how the truth can be known.
When He told Pilate that His purpose for coming to earth was to “testify to the truth”, He seems to be explaining that His mission was to remain faithful to Himself and what He’s about.
I know. These are hard and deep things to understand. But keep listening to Jesus’ voice and seeking to know Him.
Unlike Pilate who went with the crowd, we can go with the One who came into our world to embody and represent truth.
Listen to this episode in the player above.
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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro
Episode supplied with thanks to Ben McEachen
Originally published as ‘Why Jesus Came to Earth – To Bear Witness to the Truth’ in Real Hope, December 2023