Sermon: What is truth?

I want to bring us back to an earlier story in the Gospel of John, to link with today’s scripture readings. Jesus was being questioned by Pontias Pilate at trial, as he tried to determine what to do with Jesus who had been accused of blasphemy. Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

This question “What is truth?”… is pivotal to the Christian story and is important to understanding what it is to receive the Spirit of Truth today on Pentecost. Greek philosophers and Roman authorities, Jews and Gentiles alike, were intrigued by this question of truth. The question was delivered by Pilate in an almost rhetorical-question kind of way as if he didn’t really expect Jesus to know how to answer. Rather it hung in the ruler’s mind as something to ponder “What is truth?”

But Jesus had stated, I’m here to speak truth — not to be a king. Usually people listen to the voice of a king, because of a king’s strong grip or influence over people. The people are defined by their allegiance to that ruler. But here, Christ states that it is the voice of truth —not that of a powerful leader— that inspires people to listen and follow. Jesus came to lead by truth, not by might. But Truth is a powerful equalizer.

After a moment, Pilate returned to the crowds and said, “I find no case against him.” I wonder what occured in his mind, between his question about truth and his offer to release Jesus? Was this a conversion moment for Pontius Pilate…?

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There are many reasons to reflect on the meaning of Truth these days, aren’t there? I have never in my lifetime seen such attempts to damage our idea of truth. Lies, falsehoods, ‘fake news’, trickery, ‘alternative facts’ are rampant in the politics of our neighbors to the south right now. Institutions and the very concept of reality are being manipulated. Truth is powerful, and so, we are learning, is manipulating truth.

Watching the demise of truth on TV news is as disturbing as a trainwreck. Sometimes I feel as if I cannot even turn away. It is a kind of destructive evil that seeks to find the weaknesses of truth. The weakness being that it is hard to define. Evil seeks to exploit that weakness and define truth on its own terms.

Which is why today’s scripture readings resonated so deeply with me. This Spirit of Truth that the early Christians received at Pentecost, that we are celebrating today, came to them in a time of great political, culture and religious intermingling and turmoil in Jerusalem. I think we need to consider why the ancients included this story in the bible? What divine wisdom were they hoping to share with future generations, such as us today? Let’s go a bit deeer into our readings, to see what we can find.

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Reading up for today, I fell upon an article called On the Essence of Truth. In it the author says, “Truth is not a property [you own] but an attitude, a way of being in the world. ” The dictionary defines truth as “how one lives in a way of honesty, integrity and in agreement with a certain standard.” (“Truth", on dictionary.com. Source: dictionary.com)

With that in mind, listen to the description in Acts: Luke names eighteen different ethnic groups each with their own language and customs (from Asian, to Egyptian, to Roman, to Hebrew). And they all get together. When the breath of God almost knocks them off their feet. When they “get it”. Each receives a tongue of fire. Which seems to me like a lightbulb moment before the invention of electricity! In this huge ‘a-ha!’ moment. They suddenly realize that from their diversity they are all speaking “in agreement with a certain standard”, they are all speaking from a common truth: the truth that transcends each of their cultures and yet that each cultures hold in common. There is a divine truth that leads us to live in harmony with each other’s cultural or personal truths. The truth is we can live with multiple truths, if we live in peace, justice and forgiveness with each other. That truth was and is the truth of Christ. The Spirit gave them that ability to see that highest truth that day! WOW. Can you imagine unlocking that mystery?

When we unlock ourselves from human ways and human institutions and we see ourselves as members of the family of God, we redefine our context. This God-context is what gives foundation to our understand of what Truth really is. It’s about Love! And I think that is where Jesus lived all the time. His truth was understood in that shared God-context, in the sharing of God’s love.

This common context is something that Queen Elizabeth spoke about on Monday in London at a state banquet for U.S. President Donald Trump as part of a D-Day Rememberance event. She said:

"As we face the new challenges of the Twenty First Century, the anniversary of D-Day reminds us of all that our countries have achieved together. After the shared sacrifices of the Second World War, Britain and the United States worked with other allies to build an assembly of international institutions, to ensure that the horrors of conflict would never be repeated. While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard won peace.”

(Read the speech the Queen gave ata banquet for U.S. President Trump,” on CTV News. Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/read-the-speech-the-queen-gave- at-a-banquet-for-u-s-president-trump-1.4449739)

Common systems, common contexts, common values… that hold and help to define common truths and help to safeguard peace. Now, with institutions crumbling and their legitimacy being challenged, our understanding of what is true and are lies is also being challenged.

Maybe Pilate understood that truth is relative and exists within a system of human beliefs and understandings. That there could be multiple truths. As many truths as there were ways of human living.

If truth is about context, and as Christians we choose to live in the context of God. To live in the context of the way of Christ that has shown us and taught us that each person is valued by God and that God calls us to create a world in which each person can experience the freedom of God’s love for them in their lives. This is our truth. This is our context, Christ is our truth-context, that helps us to discern truth from deception. That which is life-giving from that which is distructive. That which brings us together, from that which seperates. That which overcomes barriers, and that which builds walls.

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I think that is why Jesus calls us, in our John passage today, calls us to know him more deeply. Almost as a form of positive protest. Because we are empowered —with God given freedom— to choose who or what is allowed to define our “context” or our “reality”.

Let me tell you this story from my own teenage years:

Rev. Andrew was the junior minister at the Presbyterian Church I was attending in Montreal, and was my confirmation teacher. Since I was the only one in confirmation class, our time together ended up being one-on-one wanderings through the city of Montreal the summer I was 16-17 years old. Just talking about faith and life.

I don’t remember anything specific that I learned during those times. But I do remember a profound feeling of knowing that this gentle and trustworthy person was interested in listening… to me. I felt so respected and important. I was experimenting with feminist and Christian ideas, thinking critically about the sexism of pop culture and realizing the influence that advertising had over people. God was becoming for me a clear lens through which to understand the world around me in strength, beauty and critical thinking. I told him that I had decided that I wanted to choose who and what would be allowed to mold me and form me. As a teen from a low-income family, I liked how Christianity offered a different way to look at the world, a different value system that seemed honest and that appealed to me. He listened and encouraged me. I am so very grateful to him for respecting my journey, in what I now realize was his ministry to me.

Reflecting on this story, I connected today’s scripture lesson to how, in my teenage years, I intentionally chose God to be my “context”. Through my faith in Christ’s Way, I could see more clearly what was true and what was manipulation for profit or other gain. It was empowering.

How can we discern truth in today’s world? Especially when we forces are aligning to redefine reality itself. I am not an expert, but what I see when I look into scripture is that gathering with others creates community. And community is about sharing in peaceful and creative ways. Peaceful and creative ways of relating with each other uplift us all. Peaceful and creative ways of holding our leaders accountable to the highest Truth that benefits us all.

Today at Pentecost, we remember that we are gifted with the Spirit of Truth to be the arms, and hearts, and voices of God’s Truth in the world. In wind and fire, the Spirit of Truth decendeds again upon us today. Let us share that Spirit in words and actions. Amen.

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This sermon was written from Wesley United Church (Montreal), for Pentecost on June 10th, 2019.

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:5-17, 25-27