What is Truth? Examining Pilate's Infamous and Profound Question

In what was probably April of A.D. 33, Jesus of Nazareth stood before Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea (sometimes spelled "Judaea"). According to the Gospel of John, Pilate found himself under pressure by an angry crowd outside his palace to crucify Jesus, an itinerant teacher who Jerusalem's religious leaders claimed was a blasphemer and insurrectionist. Pilate's questioning of Jesus, recorded in John 18, produced one of the Bible's most profound exchanges.

"Are you a king?" demanded Pilate of Jesus.

"You say rightly that I am a king," replied Jesus. "For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

"What is truth?" said Pilate as he left him and went outside to speak to the crowd.

In reading John's account, one can almost hear the sarcastic edge in Pilate's voice. Pilate's question comes from a hardened Roman official who has seen and heard much, but who likely understood little. As an educated Roman, Pilate would have been familiar with the writings of the best (and worst) of Greek and Roman philosophers, and would've been steeped in Roman polytheism. And while Judea was somewhat of a "backwater" posting, he nevertheless would've rubbed shoulders with the best and brightest of Roman society. Yet, in spite of all his experience and learning, Pontius Pilate did not (by his own cynical admission) understand what constituted the thing we call "truth."

Don't let Pilate's shortcoming be yours. There is such a thing as truth - and that truth is objective, absolute, and knowable. If you want to be happy, healthy and successful, your life must be based on what is solid and true.

When applied to science, technology, business, and finance, people (for the most part) accept and understand the reality of objective truth. Very few people, for example, consider cancer or heart disease to be social or relative constructs. When it comes to interviewing for a job, very few applicants would be content with a relative salary. They want to know exactly what the job pays and what benefits it entails. In virtually every area of life, the evidence is overwhelming that the best way to build a life of happiness is to start with a solid foundation in objective truth.

Most people resist the notion of truth when it comes to sex, politics, or religion. And many people are downright afraid of the truth, because they don't like the life they're living. They fear that accepting the truth means making oneself vulnerable to the manipulations and control of others or resigning oneself to a depressing fate.

Basing your life on that which is true doesn't mean surrendering to misery or mediocrity. On the contrary, truth is the best means by which a person can escape misery or mediocrity - and thus better his or her life. If you were trapped in a smoke-filled room with a wall of flame in front of you, and you needed to weaken that wall of flames in order to race through it, would you prefer an imaginary fire extinguisher or a real one? As Jesus said many years ago, it's the truth that will "make you free."

Of course, in order for the truth to set you free, you must be able to recognize and employ the truth. In short, you must know what is true. Truth must be tangible, practical, and real. An abstract concept is as helpful as that imaginary fire extinguisher. And therein lies the problem. People today have a tough time getting their heads around the concept of truth, let alone agreeing on what is true.

Whenever someone, especially someone with a religious background, speaks of truth, people get on the defensive. Let me be the first to admit that truth claims, including and perhaps especially religious truth claims, have opened the door to a multitude of corruption and abuse in human history. Let me also acknowledge that far more people (whether we're talking about historical leaders or everyday people today) claim to know the truth than who actually have any kind of grasp of the real truth!

The words "truth" and "true" are thrown around as casually as the word "love," so much so that people have lost a great deal of confidence in both the terms and the concepts behind those terms. Many people, like Pilate, have essentially given up trying to figure out the truth, particularly since they've seen so much hurt, confusion, and damage caused by those who claim to have it and/or by those who are endlessly on the hunt for it.

The fact is that, no matter how hard to try, you will never know the truth about every topic, situation, or person. So, while I disagree with Pilate's cynicism, I nevertheless agree we must be humble and realistic when it comes to subjects such as this.

Not only must we be humble in our personal quest for greater knowledge and wisdom, we must also respect the rights and dignity of others who are on their own intellectual or spiritual journeys. Living in a free and stable society requires that we welcome diversity of thought and tolerate perspectives, values, and opinions with which we disagree.

Discussing truth is indeed a thorny proposition, but it's important that we do so. Denying the truth doesn't make truth go away. It just makes life even messier and more difficult.

If you would like to learn more about the quest for and discussion of truth, I encourage you to read my free book, The Death of Truth, over at Wattpad.

God bless you.