by Mick Lockwood, Hall Green Baptist Church, Haworth

JESUS of Nazareth was brought before Pontius Pilate, the man who held the authority to either free him or put him to death. After a brief discussion Jesus said: “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him “what is truth?”

If Pilate had genuinely wanted to know the answer to that question Jesus could well have repeated something he had said earlier, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Instead Pilate did not wait for an answer, presumably because he thought like many others that it was impossible to know truth about a subject like God’s kingdom which Jesus had been talking about.

It is hard enough today with fake news and multiple sources of information to discern the motives, agenda and honesty of those reporting.

But when we are asking questions about God, how do we begin to assess reliable sources? It is at this point worth noting that Jesus’ view of himself was that he was the embodiment of truth, speaking only the words God gave him.

His dogmatism is a massive problem to many who take the time to read for themselves what he actually says. But Jesus insisted he spoke the truth.

Many of course will reject his claim, but I like many other Christians have spent decades listening to him and responding to his teaching. I have not been disappointed. I commend him to you as someone who has not been found wanting when it comes to speaking and living out truth.