What is Truth

Hypocritical Pharisees

The Pharisees were suppose to be the religious elite of the day. Here we find that they are not acting in holiness but in evil. They were out for the death of Jesus. They did not want justice or truth. They wanted Jesus dead. Because they could not crucify Jesus they took Him to Pilate who could. They had a problem though. They did not have a charge against Jesus that would warrant crucifixion. They just told Pilate that he was a criminal that was deserving of death.

Pilate did not want to deal with Jewish law because that was the responsibility of the Pharisees. This is why Pilate told them to take Jesus and judge Him themselves. They told Pilate that they could not execute a person for the crime they committed. This is not true because they could have used stoning as a method of execution. They had tried it before but Jesus escaped the stoning. John 8:59

John 8:59 NASB95

Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

They wanted Jesus crucified. Caiaphas knew that if he could get Jesus crucified it would discredit Jesus claim of being the Messiah. Deuteronomy 21:23

Deuteronomy 21:23 NASB95

his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

Caiaphas thought that by crucifying Jesus on the cross it would show that he was cursed and was not the Messiah. However it did just the opposite. Galatians 3:13

Galatians 3:13 NASB95

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

We know Caiaphas wanted the crucifixion because John mentions John 18:32

John 18:32 NASB95

to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.

The Pharisees wanted Jesus dead yet they had no cause. This is a violation of the 5th commandment Exodus 20:13

Exodus 20:13 NASB95

“You shall not murder.

You see the Pharisees were pretending to be someone that they were not. They wanted people to believe that they were in good relation with God. They wanted people to believe that they were righteous for their own ego. We see that not only were they not in relationship with God, but wanted to kill His Son. We also see that they are not righteous, but they wanted to commit murder. We see that these Pharisees are not what they claim to be.

Further we see that they would not enter the Praetorium so that they could take of the Sabbath feast. It was Jewish law that if you entered the place of Gentiles that you were ceremonially unclean for 7 days. This would mean that they could not partake in the passover. This means they would miss the lamb-chop dinner. They were more concerned about their stomachs than they were God.

They wanted to appear as holy, yet they were evil to the core.

Pharisees Today

There are people today that fit this same category. These are people like legalist, career ministers, and prideful pastors. These are all forms of modern day pharisees.

Legalist

Legalist are people who look down on others because they don not know the Bible as well as they do. They may hold people to unrealistic expectations that they themselves don’t adhere to. They do not have hearts of forgiveness or restoration. They are more interested in punitive and destructive ways. They find pleasure in putting others down. Jesus appropriately describes legalist in Matthew 23:27-28

Matthew 23:27–28 NASB95

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

We need to be a church that has genuine concern for the lost and back-sliden. Rather than judging them and destroying them, we should seek to restore them. This is precisely what Jesus did. We need to lead people that are lost or have fallen into sin back to Christ. Galatians 6:1

Galatians 6:1 NASB95

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Career Ministers

Career ministers are those who enter ministry to climb the ministry ladder. They normally will not stay at a church for more than 2-3 years. They always have their resume’s out so they can move to a bigger church and make more money. They do not consider God’s calling but their own appetite. Often times these are charismatic speakers that are excellent at preaching but leave something to desire when it comes to pastoring.

They are more concerned about building a resume’ and advancing in their denomination than they are equipping the saints for the work of the Lord.

I must confess that when I entered ministry I was one of those. I quickly learned that it was more important to fulfill the call of God than advance a career. I also learned that it is much better to care for the concerns of others rather than seeking the accolades of a denomination

Prideful Pastors

Prideful pastors are the ones who take pride in their position. They believe that they are better than those in their church. They believe that they should be the ones served rather than the ones serving.

A good pastor should shepherd a church well. This means that they put the ministry before themselves. They are not so much concerned about what the church can do for them as much as they can lead the church to do for Christ.

King Jesus

Pilate wanted to find out if Jesus had committed an offense of Roman law that would warrant crucifixion. He brought Jesus into the Praetorium and asked him if He was the king of the Jews. Jesus inquired of Pilate if he was inquiring because he truly wanted to know or because the Pharisees had told him. The difference is the intent of the heart. He was really asking are you really wanting to know the truth or are you looking for something to convict me of. Pilate said he wasn’t a Jew so he wasn’t looking for the truth.

Jesus began to tell him the truth. John 18:36-38

John 18:36–38 NASB95

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.

Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. He was basically saying that I do not pose a threat to Rome. I did not come to overthrow Rome, but something much bigger. He came to defeat Satan and sin. 1 John3:8

1 John 3:8 NASB95

the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

So if Pilate was looking to crucify Jesus because he posed a threat to Rome, then he was not going to find it. But Jesus desired that Pilate be saved so he told him about truth.

The truth is that Jesus was sent to this earth as a king. He told him that all who hear his voice hear truth. Pilate asked “what is truth?”

Pilate would realize truth in three days when Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Jesus came to pay the penalty of sin for all men. Those who receive the gift of salvation will be part of the truth and be set free form sin John 8:31-32

John 8:31–32 NASB95

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus came to conquer sin and bring everlasting life to humanity. This is truth. Is it your truth?

People’s Choice

Pilate could find know charge worthy of crucifixion so he appealed to the people to choose which person they would like to be released. We see here Barabbas who is a genuine criminal and the son of God. The people must choose. Barabbas represents the world and Jesus is the representation of God. The Jews chose world and rejected God.

Share Gospel! This morning you have a choice. What is your choice?