The other day, I saw an advertisement on Youtube for an online Master’s Class taught by the renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. He wants to help people to think well. This is an admirable thing to do. However, in the advertisement he describes that there are “three categories of truth: personal truth, political truths and the objective truths.” He then claims that objective truth is true no matter what. While I agree with this last part, I think his whole approach is deeply troubling. By implication, both personal truth and political truths are not true no matter what. This then begs the question asked by Pontius Pilate two thousand years ago, “What is truth?” (John 18.38).
Actually, Pilate’s own question is off the mark too. The proper question to ask in light of the Scriptures is not “What is truth?” but rather “Who is truth?” Jesus’ statements that prompted Pilate’s question are these, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason that I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” That is a bold statement indeed. Someone may want to say, “Well, that is Jesus’ personal truth.” Or because he is standing before a Roman governor speaking about kingship, someone else could say, “Well, that is Jesus’ political truth.” Can I just simply say… that’s utter nonsense.
Truth is or it isn’t. Truth is not a relative concept. Beliefs, values, and preferences all may be. But truth is not a moving target. Truth is the same yesterday, today and forever. I use that expression intentionally because Jesus called himself the truth. “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14.6) Jesus declared. This is an “I am” statement which means Jesus is revealing himself to be God. As such, he is the truth. Whatever he says is true. And he says, to finish off the sentence, “no one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is making an exclusive statement that is meant to include the whole world. Do you want to know what truth is? Do what to know what life is really about? Do you want to live the fullness of life that God has intended? Then come to Jesus. Embrace the truth. Acknowledge that Jesus is the truth. Acknowledge that eternal life and forgiveness of sins is found only in Jesus. This is the truth because Jesus is the truth.
This is not a very popular message. It wasn’t in the first century. Paul wrote that the cross of Jesus is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1.23). And in our own culture any claims to exclusive truth are seen to be intolerant, ignorant and wrong. (Notice that this viewpoint is as much of a truth claim as Jesus’ is!) To this I say, oh well.
Jesus is either right, crazy or self-deceived. I choose to believe he is right. Why? Because after his death on the cross, he rose bodily from the grave. He passed through death into eternal resurrected life. He is currently alive right now reigning over heaven and earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords. If not for the resurrection, I wouldn’t believe his truth claims. But because of the resurrection, I must acknowledge both now and forever that Jesus is the truth. Thanks be to God!
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