11/18/2015
Sermon on John 18:33-38
What is truth? I remember how back in college, I was part of a
program called the Great Conversation. And as part of the program, we
had to read quite a lot of philosophy. Philosophy is, by definition, “the
study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life,
etc.” So as we studied philosophy, we would end up having debates in
class surrounding the definition of truth. How do we know that
something is true? What makes it true? How do we know that my truth
is any more or less true than yours?
Well, as we would debate with one another, I began noticing
something. Pretty soon, the debates would no longer become debates.
People who spoke up in the beginning of class would become quiet. As
the more timid members of the class grew more silent, a couple of very
charismatic students with quite a lot of pomp and circumstance would
become louder and louder. Through artful use of rhetoric, along with
great, intimidating personalities, they would win the debate over the
definition of truth. Now, mind you, these so called “winners” did not
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always have the best arguments. Sometimes, they hardly even used any
logic, and their definition of truth teetered on edge of the bizarre.
However, because of their great intellectual might and intimidating
personalities, they almost always seemed to win the argument over the
definition of truth.
Throughout most of history, you see, the world has defined truth
by power. In a college class on philosophy, the kid who has the most
charisma, rather than the kid who has the best argument, often gets to
decide on the definition of truth. When it comes to politics in the world,
it is almost always the most powerful person, the most powerful army,
and the most powerful country that gets to define what truth is. You see
that even today in our social media. Powerful people start tweeting or
sharing statements, and soon everyone starts repeating that statement,
regardless of what the statement actually says. And the same was true
not only today, but in the time of Jesus.
Way back in Bible times, you see, the people who got to decide on
the definition of truth were not the people who were the most logical.
Instead, they were the kings who could defeat everyone else with the
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power of the sword. It did not matter what other qualities they had; if
they could intimidate everyone else with their might and their prowess,
they got to decide on the definition of truth. They got to decide whose
lives mattered, and whose lives did not matter; who they could kill in
order to further their regimes, and who they could not kill in order to
maintain the status quo. And that’s what is happening in today’s
passage. When Pilate is asking Jesus if he is a king, he is essentially
asking Jesus if he thinks he is important enough to have a claim to the
truth. If Jesus does, in fact, think of himself as a king, then he has set
himself up as a rival and potential threat to the Roman Empire. Now,
mind you, when Pilate looks at the poor Jesus before him, he probably
does not think that Jesus poses as any real threat; however, in an attempt
to get a confession out of him, he asks him if he thinks he is the king of
the Jews. Yet in typical Jesus fashion, Jesus does not directly answer
him. Instead, he says, “My kingdom is not from this world” (John
18:36b).
In essence, Jesus is saying that yes, he is the king and therefore has
a claim to the truth. But more than that, Jesus is not saying that he is
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influential or popular enough to change people’s perceptions of the truth.
Rather Jesus is saying that he is the Truth. And yet he is also saying that
his kingdom differs from earthly kingdoms. In Jesus’ kingdom, truth is
not defined by the person who has the most might and prowess. Truth is
not defined by the college kid who has the most charisma and it is not
defined by the political figure that can kill the most people with the
sword. Instead, truth is defined by the person of Jesus Christ who “came
not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”
(Matthew 20:27b, Mark 10:45b).
Jesus is the real truth, and because he is the real truth, he is the real
king. In Jesus, we see someone who came to give of himself, to serve
others, to love others, and to ultimately give his life for the salvation of
humanity. In Jesus, we do not see someone who stomps on other people
in order to get what he wants. Instead, we see someone who generously
gives of himself to others, culminating in the giving of his life for the
salvation of many. If we want to embrace real truth, then, we have to
follow Christ the King. And if we really want to follow Christ the King,
we have to rethink everything we once thought about power. Rather
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than living for ourselves, we have to live for Jesus and walk in his
footsteps.
I am reminded of so many people who have turned their backs on
the allure of power and prestige in order to follow Jesus. Mother
Theresa of Calcutta, for example, spent her life serving the poor and
underprivileged in India. She said no to a more comfortable life and
instead spent her days serving people who had less than herself. Or I
even think of people closer to home. The other day at the Presbytery
meeting, for example, a missionary named Rev. Josh Hekkila spoke to
us about the work he is doing in West Africa. As a graduate of the very
prestigious Dartmouth College back in 1994, Rev. Hekkila had a world
of opportunities before him to pursue a life of power and prestige. Yet
he said no to all of that. Instead, he chose to serve the PC (USA) as a
missionary. Rather than spending his days in a fancy office and
beautiful building, Rev. Hekkila spends his days forging relationships
with the other Presbyterian churches in West Africa and serving the
people there. And we see it in our own communities as well.
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I see it in Pastors Emilio and Lourdes Menjivar, who give of their
lives to proclaim the Good News to the Spanish-speaking community of
Le Sueur. I see it in the people of the Presbyterian Church who write
cards of encouragement to fellow church members, who call one another
during hard times, and who take time to notice the people in our
community who are in need of love and encouragement – all during
times when they could be doing something far more lucrative or selfserving. Yes, time and time again, I see people turning their backs on
power and prestige in order to follow the truth of Jesus Christ our King.
And if you were to ask any of these people why they live life in the
way that they do, or why they have turned their backs on prestige in
order to live lives of service, I am sure that many of them would give
similar answers. They do not do so out of a notion that serving other
people will get them ahead according to the standards of our society.
Instead, they serve God and one another because there is something far
more meaningful and far more powerful about following the one who
came not to be served but rather to serve.
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Yes, in the end, service to Christ is far more powerful that
charisma or might. The testimony of Mother Theresa’s life is far more
powerful than that of the movie star who spent her life gaining fame and
fortune at the expense of others. The testimony of Corrie Ten Boom, a
Dutch Christian who risked her life to hide Jews from the Nazis during
World War II, is far more powerful than all the men who gave up their
Christian faith in order to become Nazi soldiers and escape near and
certain death. And ultimately, the testimony of Jesus Christ is far more
powerful than all the Herods and Pontius Pilates whose regimes came
and went.
And yet, we live in a culture in which the allure of power and
prestige very often pulls people away from the truth of Jesus Christ. In
fact, we will see that clearly this upcoming week. On Thanksgiving
Day, many of us will gather together with loved ones in order to give
thanks for all that God has given us in our lives. Yet only one day after
on Black Friday, many people will rush to the stores and even trample
one another in order to lay claim on the best deals and the best products.
Wanting to get their hands on the most stylish clothes and latest
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electronics, they will do whatever it takes in order to get what they want.
Yet in today’s passage, Jesus says no to all of that. Instead, he calls us
to follow his truth, which means embracing a life of serving God and
one another wholeheartedly.
So as we enter into this week of Thanksgiving, let us remember to
follow Christ, our true King. That may mean saying no to certain paths
in life, paths that seem alluring and glamorous but that lead us away
from Jesus. It may mean taking a step back from our busy lives in order
to pause, say thanks to God, and come together in worship. It may mean
taking the time to call our brothers and sisters in the faith who are
hurting, or writing a card of encouragement to a friend who is sick, or
even just taking time to notice the person behind the counter at the
grocery store. Whatever the case, I would encourage you all to take time
to pray and to see how God is calling you to serve Christ, our King and
our truth. And like all the saints who came before us, you might just
find God giving you an amazing testimony. Amen.
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