Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6
Truth can seem like a fleeting and flimsy thing. It can be driven by opinion and built on beliefs. Like the wind it swirls and blusters, intensified by half truth and innuendo, by snippets and clickbait, an algorithm designed to produce moral outrage. In a time of disinformation we trust our hearts as a moral compass to help us navigate and cling steadfastly to the truth.
But we are told the heart is deceitful. Myth and furor and the comfort of mindless tradition come from the heart. We are tethered to our feelings and our unclear vision as the source of our opinion. And our opinion is a cheap substitute for the truth. Indeed, our opinion seldom leads us to the truth. What then, is the truth?
Pilate asked this very question when Jesus Christ stood before him (John 18:38). Despite a warning from his wife and the prickling of his own conscience, Pilate chose to numb his heart and turn his head, while the very Word of God stood before him preparing to show the world the meaning of truth. The truth is that He, Christ, had come to reconcile the lost to the Kingdom of God. And Christ was about to accomplish this by His own suffering, death and resurrection. In Pilate’s view, Jesus stood on a precipice between life and death. The truth, however, is that Jesus Christ stood and stands as a bridge between reconciliation and the refusal of God Himself.
The truth is that God is love (1 John 4:9). He loves so much He sent Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:11). The truth is that we are also called to love one another and to live in love (1 John 4:12-13). We are to discard the trappings of opinions and pride, of moral justification and intolerance, of wrath and sullen anger, and simply love.
Truth is the Word of God and the Love of God. It is faith in His love for us. It is unwavering love for Him first and foremost. It is also love for each other, both the found and lost sheep that we are. It is acts of kindness and gentleness toward one another. It is joyfulness when worshipping God. It is duty. It is hard. It belies our feelings and demands our obedience and our trust. It requires faith. It is patient and long-suffering. The Word of God is Truth. Jesus Christ is that very Word. And the Word bears witness to the Love of God, so it must stand to reason that the highest truth is God’s love alone. It is the answer to all questions and the lens from which we are called to view all things on earth.
Let us embrace His love so that we can demonstrate His love to others!
Written by Janet Keefe
