“What is truth?”

Is this life all there is?

Am I in control?

Pilate surely wondered.

The words of the one they had brought before him shook Pilate to his core.

“My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36).

Pilate’s kingdom was all about this world.
It always had been. Much like many of us.

Did this soft spoken man, Jesus, who looked nothing like a king, speak the truth? Could there be more?

And “What is truth?” Those three words, Pilate utters in John 18:38, should be pondered by every soul who has ever lived.

What is truth? Who is Jesus?

The people begged Pilate to crucify Jesus…to get rid of Him.

The world we live in today screams the same thing.

Rid Jesus from your schools, your government, but most of all…your hearts!

But Pilate knew Jesus was no ordinary man. And Pilate was afraid. (John 19:8).

Then Jesus speaks words that must have surely made Pilate’s heart shutter, “You have no authority over me at all unless it had been given to you from above.” (John 19:11).

The very hairs of Pilate’s neck must have stood on end to hear the King of Kings speak those powerful, true words that He is really in control.

The God Man is in control.
He always has been.
He always will be.

Not Pilate. Not me. Not you.

Deep down, we know. We all know.

Oh, we all like to build our own little kingdoms. We like to try to rule ourselves. But deep down, we know we can’t even control our next breath.

Even the leaders and famous of this world, those who acquire earthly gain, those who temporarily bask in the praise and adoration of the masses, all have hearts that will one day cease to beat.

As do we.

We all want to believe we are in charge and that we can be our own gods, define our own truth, and make ourselves happy; but the truth is, there is only one God and we are not Him…. and apart from Him there is no peace.

There is no lasting joy.
There is no life.

We aren’t actually in control of anything and never have been. Not even our own happiness.

What’s truly sad, like Pilate, we can recognize Jesus for The King He is and still go our own foolish way.

Oh, we may rule our lives for a little while, we may find temporary happiness from things of this world, but it never, ever lasts. And none of us truly hold our own destinies.

One day, we will ask the same question Pilate asked, “What is truth?”

Is this life all there is?

Am I in control?

Who really controls all things?

Is God, who all creation cries out, really who He says He is in that Bible that has rocked the world for centuries?

Pilate recognized Jesus to be more than just a man, and so can we, but still, like Pilate, we can refuse to call Him, Lord.

With hearts that will one day stop beating, we can continue to seek our own way and continually deny we need a Savior.

We can, in fact, crucify Jesus from every part of our quickly passing lives.

Or ….we can admit what our hearts know to be true.

We aren’t really in control. There is something and Someone bigger than us. He holds our next breath and eternity is in His hands.

He came and willingly died (No one took His life from Him, John 10:18).

He did this so we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

In Him is peace and hope and joy that the world can never give! (John 14:27)

In His Hand is eternal life for every human heart who surrenders to Him. (John 3-16)

“What is truth?”

The truth is, Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! (John 14:6)

And that is truth! Glorious Truth for every heart who calls Him Lord!

onlyJesus

(Written a few years ago. Felt led to share again today)

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