History to Remember and not Forget
Meaning: truth, but not merely truth as spoken; truth of idea, reality, sincerity, truth in the moral sphere, divine truth revealed to man, straightforwardness. Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word ἀληθής (alēthēs), meaning "true" or "truthful."[1]
Hebrew Definition: Strong's Hebrew:
571. אֱמֶת (emeth):Truth, faithfulness, reliability, firmness Meaning:
stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness. Word Origin: Derived from the
root אָמַן (aman), which means to confirm, support,[2]
Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again,
and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus
answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of
me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have
delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not
of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then?
Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for
this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.
Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is
truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith
unto them, I find in him no fault at all;
Jn. 18: 33-38.
The clash of powers between Roman and
Jewish authority; the enigma of Jesus’ responses with the conflict of realms;
The above passage has an enduring legacy of Jesus Pilate conversation.
Pilate, though defensive in his dialogue was reluctant to condemn Jesus, because he knows Jesus was the Truth; and he has never seen a man like this in front of him before; and this man has a bearing of a King! Jesus said, but now is my Kingdom not from hence. This means the kingdom was once before, will be again. Pilate was very intrigued; and there was a huge divide in his mind; and he knew that Jesus was the King! Jesus puts the axe at the root when he said, Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which
believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; Jn. 8: 31-32.
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free; indeed, Jn. 8: 34-36.
Pilate had the privileged opportunity to witness the
truth, meet the King of Kings! Jesus in his dialoguing with Pilate was offering
Eternal Salvation- the Truth of the Gospel.
Pilate knew it would be the political
disaster to free Jesus, and he said he had the power to let Jesus go. Jesus
said you have no power, unless given from above, and Jesus knew he was
fulfilling the prophecies.
Pilate would have been free, despite political disaster, or losing his job, possibly even the worst disaster to himself. We knew from history, that he could not live because of his conscience; and he killed himself!
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; 1 Jn. 1: 8
I find in him no fault at all; Pilate, had all the power in himself to choose
Christ who is full of Truth; and now his moment has gone. Pilate had all the
answers he needed from Jesus, the King of Kings, yet, he turned his back. He
rejected the Truth and lost Salvation.
There is significant conflict between
earthly and spiritual authorities. The dialogue also reveals human weaknesses
and compromise. This is a costly compromise, and the consequence is very huge.
Serious warning and a costly lesson to learn from this as well!
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