We’re in the 25^th chapter of The Bridge from OneDayBow, but I’ve been thinking about Pontius Pilate, the Governor of Judea at the time of Jesus’ death. Jesus had been arrested by the Jewish leaders and ultimately taken to Pilate – the man who could authorize His crucifixion. Pilate found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. There was no justification for ordering Jesus’ death, and Pilate recognized that envy was behind the accusations of the Jewish leaders. But Pilate knew that if he couldn’t keep the peace, word of it could get back to Rome and he could be out of a job – or worse.

The above information sets the stage for the conversation Pilate had with Jesus concerning “if” He was the King of the Jews. Jesus then brought up the subject of  “truth”, specifically as it concerned why He had come into the world. The full account can be found in the book of John, chapter 18, and is definitely well worth the read! But for our purposes I just want to quote from verses 37-38:

[Jesus said] “…Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked…

To his credit – as little as may be due – following that interview, Pilate tried to appeal to the crowd to release Jesus. But the Jewish leaders had great influence and Pilate’s endeavor failed. But before thinking too highly of Pilate, he proceeded to have Jesus severely beaten and soon agreed to have Him crucified. What is truth, anyway?

I can’t say for sure what Pilate meant by those words, but what followed certainly demonstrated that he didn’t allow Jesus’ words to be a decisive factor for his decision. The truth was not convenient for him in this circumstance, and I have a feeling that was often the case. And yet, according to John 19: 19-21, despite the objection of the leading priests, Pilate was the one who ordered that a sign be placed on the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion, stating, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Did Pilate believe that? Or was he using it as a means of taunting the Jews? It’s unmistakable that truth was a really inconvenient matter that day for many involved in Jesus’ death, and they chose to bypass the matter. What Pilate believed or didn’t believe about Jesus certainly followed him to his grave. But before God, there will be no supposition.

Just for the record, when Jesus entered human history, He was born King of the Jews. It wasn’t an appointment, an election, or an overthrow. It was a fact then, and one day Jesus will reign as King over the entire world from Jerusalem. And you can have no doubt, it will be a reign of righteousness and truth. Oh, I can’t wait!!!

And how does that relate to chapter 25 of The Bridge from OneDayBow? Deception isn’t anything new. HereAndNow hasn’t changed much since the beginning of time. Strange thought, huh? But do people really like “the lie”? More on that next time.