Jesus is the Truth

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 NLT

We can understand that Jesus is the only Way into God’s presence. Only He has the key that unlocks the door into Heaven. But why did He add that He is the Truth as well? In John 8:31-32, we read what Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” So what Jesus taught was truth. In John 17:17, we read in Jesus’ famous prayer, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” So, we find that Jesus endorsed God’s Word, the Bible, as truth. Often, Jesus preceded what He was about to say by emphasising its truth, for example, as we read in Matthew 11:11, “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” And then there was that time when Jesus was before Pilate. We can read the conversation in John 18:37-38, “Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.” 

Pilate, the pragmatist, a man probably well used to the challenges of governing the Jewish people, with their religious customs and beliefs, basically and cynically asked the question, “What is truth?” And that is a question that we can ask today as well. We find ideologies that demand recognition for their own particular “truths”. For example, there are those who believe in the self-determined “truth” that a man can become a woman and vice versa. There are also those who believe in the “truth” that the world is flat. On social media, many people take a particular situation and explain it away by posting “truths” based on misinformation. Often these fringe “truths” come head to head in conflict with Biblical truth, resulting in the persecution of Christians. Sadly, some branches of the established churches have abandoned Biblical truth so that they can accommodate the beliefs and actions of people who choose a life style blatantly opposed to God’s Word. 

Our world and societies are riddled with “truths” that are, for the great majority, only relative. Relative truth is conditional, subjective, varying and contradictory, so it’s capable of changing over time. But we pilgrims know that God is eternal and unchanging, and the truth that Jesus declared is absolute. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. 

Just as Jesus is the only Way to Heaven, he is also the only Truth that matters. Those who oppose Jesus and His truth, the people who follow their own “truths” that they have concocted to satisfy their own feelings, will find out that He is the only Truth one day. Thankfully, our Holy-Spirit-inspired consciences will guide us into the truth Jesus taught about.

Dear Lord Jesus. In this topsy-turvy world full of conflicting “truths” we are so grateful that we can stand on the only Truth that matters. And so we search the pages of God’s Word to find Truth and build our faith as we follow You. Amen.