"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. John 18:38

As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, April 10, 1960.

Several centuries before the birth of Christ, Diogenes walked the streets of Athens, clothed rather strikingly in a barrel, carrying a lantern in broad daylight. Whenever someone asked what he was doing, he said he was looking for an honest man. He was a cynic philosopher, graphically demonstrating a cardinal tenet of his system: that there is nothing absolute, no man altogether honest, and no complete truth.

In the hours before Jesus’ crucifixion, the Roman governor Pilate asked Diogenes’ question of the Savior: “What is truth?” The whole reality of God, His very nature, has been disclosed to the world in Jesus Christ. That is why Christ would say of Himself: “I am the … Truth” (John 14:6). The word for “truth” used in His conversation with Pilate means “without a veil.” When you look at Christ, you look truth in the eye. Stand before Christ and you see the truth face-to-face.

In Christ’s suffering on the cross, the truth about death becomes clear: it is an enemy to be feared. Christ suffered and died in our place, took our punishment upon Himself. In Him there is divine forgiveness because God wanted it to be so. This is the truth. You can walk away from the truth as Pilate did, with the cynical question, “What is truth?” Your question may have application to every situation in the world except this one. When you meet Christ, you need no longer ask, “What is truth?” He is the Truth from God, ultimate reality itself come to redeem the world from its sin.

Lord Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, let Thy truth abound, that the Good News of Christ may everywhere be proclaimed without hindrance. Amen.

Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Cross (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).

Copyright © 2006 by Lutheran Hour Ministries

*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.

Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 20-22    Mark 15:26-47

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