June 8, 2016
When Jesus stood before Pilate and spoke of “truth,” He heard the Governor ask, “What is truth?” If “truth” was a mystery nearly 2,000 years ago, I wonder what the question would sound like today? I have been pondering this in light of our continual challenge to sort out fact from fiction.
With many benefits of social media, there are also many challenges. Gossip is not a new problem, but the speed at which it travels is much different from a few decades ago. When Jesus walked the paths of His Land, people talked face-to-face or sometimes sent a message on parchment that was delivered weeks or months later.
Fast-forward to today. Information can travel to the other side of the planet in seconds. Even the people on the Space Station receive information almost immediately. There are multiple advantages to this convenience and most of us use it every day.
My grandparents who were thrilled with a letter from their relatives in Europe did not complain about the weeks, perhaps even months, it took to be carried by ship and eventually delivered by horseback. Today it can be annoying when a text is not delivered immediately or an email gets lost “out there somewhere.”
But the negative side of this is the abundance of information traveling everywhere that should not be shared at all. Most of us glance at the headlines while waiting in line at the checkout and wonder if any of it could possibly be true – even though we know most of it probably is not. Or we see a Facebook post that may or may not be true and we are reminded that it cannot be taken back. If it has been viewed by one person, it most likely will be seen by many more.
If Governor Pilate had allowed Jesus to explain that He is Truth, and if he had believed Him, his actions would no doubt have changed. Pilate asked the right question of the right Person, but he failed to believe the right answer. And he made the worst judgment call of his career. I am challenged to ponder, “What is Truth?” and to enjoy the source of Truth – the Bible.
Pastor Bill Ehmann