SCRIPTURE | John 18:33-38
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”
REFLECTION
In John 18, we read of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, starting with the night of his arrest. Judas had already betrayed him, and Peter, afraid for his own life, denied him on three separate occasions. Jesus, however, was steadfast in his truth. He could have easily denied being Jesus of Nazareth when asked, but he turned himself in without hesitation. Jesus knew his purpose was to bear witness to the truth of God’s love and salvation through his own death, so he leaned into his truth that night.
If in Peter or Jesus’ shoes, would you have been able to tell the truth? I like to think I would, but when faced with a life-or-death situation, holding true to what you know can be hard. Thankfully, it’s hard to imagine finding ourselves in that particular situation today, but we face pressure from society every single day of our lives that pushes us further from Christ’s truth. We, as followers, though, are called to show Christ’s love to others and testify his truth. The popular path is usually the easiest; this is as true today as it was in Jesus’ time. Will you keep his truth?
WRITTEN BY | Kim Sebo