Pilate: A Man of Authority Interrogates Jesus. He asks “What is Truth?
Cathedral of St. Philip
Last Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 29
8:45a.m. and 11:15 Holy Eucharist
November 26, 2006
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14
Revelation 1:4b-8
Gospel John 18:33-37
Pilate, a man of wealth who held a position of authority which today would be equivalent to governor, was a man who sought to keep things in order for himself and for his friends. Pilate was considered by some to be ruthless and overbearing. By others he was considered to be weak and not his own person. I would imagine that the opinions varied depending upon whom one asked.
When Pontius Pilate is referred to in our Nicene Creed, it is written that (Jesus,) “For our sake was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.” Wherever the vantage point, Pilate was a man to be reckoned with.
When Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters, Pilate went out to meet them. He asked, “Are you the king of the Jews? He basically interrogates Jesus.
Jesus responds to the question with a question: Pilate, do you ask this on your own, OR did others tell you about me?
The outcome of this interrogation results in Jesus being crucified. That is the short of the story.
This turn of events begins with the question: Are you the King? Are you the one who people have been following and have been talking about? Are you the one who is threatening, by your mere presence, to cause others to question their placement of loyalty? Who are you really and who are you representing?
Lets us explore that for a moment.
Pilate implies without saying, don’t expect me to understand you peculiarJews. In other words, he is saying “you must have done something wrong or you would not be here. You would not be here trying to influence me to hand this man, Jesus, over to you.”
The King of the Jews answers, “My kingdom is not of this world.” “Jesus’ kingdom does not come from this world. The world as we’ve seen again and again, is in the Book of John the source of wrongdoing and rebellion against God. He responds to Pilate by saying yes, I am King but not in the sense that you use the word King.
He is saying to us the hearers, to the followers that his kingdom doesn’t come from this world…., that this world, as we see it, is not his kingdomin its entirety.
Yes, he does claim to be a king. But not the king as we would envision, or the king as was the custom during the reign of Herod or Judas Maccabaeus; or even Caesar. His reign was one that required his followers to seek the truth. That is still the quest today. To seek the truth. The question becomes What is truth?
Again, depending upon whom you ask, whom we see as King helps one to repond to that question.
The response to “what is truth” and who is our God depends upon whom you and I see as the one who governs our lives. The response depends upon the one in whom we put our trust and the one that we teach our children to pray to and to believe in. Truth is found from heart to heart. Truth is the true knowledge of God and a recognition of God in Christ. Truth is what we seek as we come together to feast and abide with the creator of us all.
Pilate could only see things from a “this-worldly” perspective. He had a limited view and saw himself as king and ruler not only of his world, but King of those who he cared about and loved and king of those who loved him and followed him.
When we look at a world view today, the present, the places in which we are in some instances forced to consider, because of helping others to have a more unobstructured way of living; we may wonder who is leading and who are people following. Are those persons who actually sign up with their government and wait to be called to make themselves available as a suicide bomber responding to a God that they consider to be king?
I will always remember the first time that I saw Muslim spread a prayer rug on the floor in the one of the gate areas in major airport and knelt to pray in the posture in which I was not accustomed to seeing. My response in essence was how could that be? At that time, I wasn’t as concerned about truth. I had my world and all that was in my world was fine. That, that didn’t fit did not really matter.
John R. Mabry, in his book Faith Styles, Ways People Believe ask the question……Does one who considers himself or herself to be an ethical humanist and atheist, who “cannot accept the notion of a God or Gods, in some Realms, whose will upholds and directs the universe”? (pg. 32) Mabry says that “humanist do not believe that God created humans in his own image, but humans created the Gods in ours.” (pg. 32).
Do traditionalist and liberal believers have a clear understanding of the truth that is being sought as one lives from day to day and Sunday to Sunday? Who is the one that one follows? Do we as Christians believe that the death upon the cross and resurrection of our Lord is reason enough for us to take a risk, embrace and accept this gift of life and unconditional love that is extended to us?
If we are seeking the truth in the midst of all that is around us in this hostile world, and if we do this in a non-anxious manner; the answers that we seek with such diligence, patience and forthrightness will come and sit right next to us.
You see, we have to be clear about what we consider to be truth. Like Pilate, if we are not clear and if we are influenced by every wind that blows our way, then there will be confusion, murkiness and sometimes anger. The anger will come out of frustration at not being able to get the answer that we want to hear, when we are trying to make a decision about something that is important to us and to our world.
Who is our God? To whom do we pray? Does our spiritual life really have a place of consideration in our daily living or is it just something that we do?
Pilate did not want to make a decision that would be unpopular. He did however, ask the question what is truth?
For us today, that same question holds true. What is truth? Truth is revealed to us, as Christians, in the ways in which God speaks to us. As we build our relationship with God the level of intimacy with God increases.
As we grow in Christ, the old is passed away and the new becomes a place of growth and extended love. We no longer as tempted to hold those things so close to our closed hearts that causes us to embrace uneasiness and sometimes pain. This growth in Christ lessens our anxiety because we are seeking truth.
As we seek truth our minds and spirits become more fluid in desiring to become one with God. Our anger is lessened and we are more at peace.
A part of the mission of the church today is “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ”.( The Book of Common Prayer- Outline of the Faith). Our God of Gods is constantly renewing, restoring, reconciling and redeeming. Grace and peace are offered from him who is and who was and who is to come.
Receiving the truth, as you know leads us to peace within. The peace of God within which passeth all understanding helps to keep one in a non-anxious place. This peace born from truth keeps our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us continue to remember that truth is what God is. He sent his son, who died for us and for the world.
Let us always seek the truth of the knowledge of God. As Christians what we have found and will continue to find is that the places that we sometimes go to within ourselves will no longer diminish us, because we will have truth and the truth will set us free.
Free from fear, free from bondage of self and free to live in the midst of a sometimes hostile world.
The Love of The Incarnate enables us to stand and know that Jesus is Lord.
A world in seeking true knowledge will embrace the one who created us all.
Pilate asks the question over two thousand years ago. What is truth?
Let us in seeking the answer put our seeking and trust in the God of us all.
The Christ, The king our Lord.
Amen.
Comments? Contact The Rev. Carolynne Williams: cwilliams@stphilipscathedral.org