Last year a new history of the world was published. Titled “The Silk Roads” it was praised by The Daily Telegraph as “Breathtaking and addictively readable” and awarded History Book of the Year. Its author is Peter Frankopan. Maybe it could help us to answer Pilate’s question (see bold above), “What is truth?”
A quick read of the extract in bold above from John’s eye-witness biography of Jesus shows that, at his trial, the key issue was, “Are you the King of the Jews?” That was the accusation – with one important modification. The Jews sought to make it clear later when they asked Pilate to alter the sign above Jesus’ cross from “The King of the Jews” to “He said he was King of the Jews.” Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?” What was the truth? Was Jesus King of the Jews?
|
|
Like many others in our world who are close to – or part of – treaty negotiations, Pilate was totally disbelieving regarding truth. He had seen it all. But he had to decide the issue before him. Peter Frankopan writes about the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact signed on 23 August 1939. "Stalin’s euphoria continued at his dacha outside Moscow the next day… Of course it is all a game of bluff, he said, ‘a game to see who can fool whom. I know what Hitler is up to. He thinks he’s outsmarted me, but actually it’s I who’s tricked him.’ Hitler, of course, thought precisely the same thing. When a note was passed to him at around midnight in his Alpine idyll that the final agreement had been signed, his reaction – like Stalin’s – was that of a gambler convinced that he is on a hot streak: ‘we’ve won’, he declared triumphantly."
That Pact allowed Hitler to enter Poland on 1 September 1939 without fear of Russian retaliation. Despite that Pact, on 22 June 1941 Germany attacked Russia. WW2 began, continued, was won and was lost through deceit.
When Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, Jesus gave a truthful answer. “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” How terribly plain this must have been to Pilate. The Jews maintained, “He said he was King of the Jews”, because, that being the case, he was a threat to Rome and even to the Caesars personally. If that were the case, where were Jesus’ fighters on that Friday morning?
Hold it. Jesus had just used, three times in quick succession, the words, “my kingdom”. Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” No fool, this Pilate…..
Jesus replied, (1) “You are saying that I am a king. (2) For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. (3) Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” |
|
On (1), Jesus wanted Pilate to decide what he was – king or whatever.
On (2), in this world of deceit, with its resultant suffering and death, there is here in front of all men and women, a man whose sole purpose in being born and in coming into the world was to bear witness – to testify to – the truth.
Even today, with Brexit upon us and with Jersey entering (and continuing) high-level negotiations to obtain the very best deal for its residents, will truth be the standard to be adhered to above all others? Will Jersey be speaking – and/or be listening to – truth?
On (3), Jesus again wanted “everyone” (Pilate, me and you) to decide, once and for all time, whether they were “of the truth” or not. “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Will you listen to the voice of negotiators or the voice of Jesus?
|
|
