For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice

 

 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  

 

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness 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 fault in Him at all."

 

- John 18:28–38 

 

Yesterday the lectionary began our preparation for Lent.  (For the Oriental Orthodox, yesterday was the first day of Lent; for the denominations of the West Lent begins tomorrow, which is Ash Wednesday; for the Eastern Orthodox, Lent begins this Monday.)  Yesterday we were given the story of  Simon Peter's denial of Christ.  We read that Simon Peter followed Jesus (after Jesus was betrayed by Judas and taken by the authorities), and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.  Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him? Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

 

Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.   My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who notes the irony here that the accusers of Jesus did not fear being defiled by condemning an innocent Man to death, but would not set foot into a court of justice.

Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."   Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.   The chief priests of the Jews, my study Bible says, had no actual crime with which to make an accusation against Jesus, so Pilate refused to pass judgment.  When the chief priests say, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," they are not speaking of the Law of Moses, but rather the laws of Roman occupation, under which only the Romans had the right to execute people.  Thus, the chief priests relied on Pilate to sentence Jesus to death.  Under the Jewish law, stoning was prescribed as the usual means of execution.  But Christ had prophesied that He would be killed by being lifted up on the Cross (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33), having the foreknowledge that He would die, not at the hands of the Jews but by the Roman method of crucifixion.  

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"   My study Bible points out that it is unheard of that the accused would have to name the charges against himself in any court, since the captors would be the ones who name the crime.  It says the fact that Pilate has to ask Jesus what the charges are shows that the chief priests could name no crime that Jesus might have committed, as revealed in the first verses of today's reading (John 18:29-30).  Moreover, it shows us that Jesus was Lord over the events of His death (see John 18:4, 8).  As we read here, even the governor, Pilate, has to come to Jesus in order for the trial to proceed.  

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king them?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness 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 fault in Him at all."  Here, we see an interesting encounter between the one who governs for imperial Caesar and Jesus Christ.  Note that Pilate tries to understand Jesus, as he's been provided with no real information from the chief priests.  He begins with what seems to be an accusation that Christ sought to make Himself king, the only charge about which the Romans would likely care, and one that would bring the death penalty if found guilty, considered to be insurrection against the Herodian dynasty allied with Rome.  Jesus begins to reply concerning the gospel of the Kingdom, that His kingdom is not of this world, and that His kingship begins as One who bears witness to the truth, the reality of His spiritual kingdom.

Jesus power comes up against state power:  in a sense, this is a defining moment in the Gospels.  It is not just about the use of worldly power per se, but about the encounter between the ways in which the world works through material power and the power of Jesus Christ.  When Jesus speaks of the truth, when He says specifically that He has come into the world in order to bear witness to the truth, He speaks clearly of the truth of God.  This truth is not simply a fact, but it something that is connected to God, to the ontological reality of the power and presence of God in our world, whether seen or unseen, known or unknown.  When Jesus speaks of sending the Holy Spirit, He calls Him the Spirit of truth:  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13.  We understand the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to be God; when Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, then we understand also that this truth of which Jesus speaks, and for which He has come into this world to bear witness, is the truth of God.  It is God acting among us, revealing God's word, teaching us the reality of God and this living kingdom which dwells within us and among us.  Therefore when Jesus tells Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice,"  He is speaking of the reality of that Kingdom dwelling within us, the internal spiritual response of a heart that embraces the advent of this Kingdom in the world and honors the presence of God which may indwell human beings.  This concept requires of us not only to understand the reality of the Person(s) of God, but also the action of God in our world, or grace, which is also of God.  To bear witness to this truth is to reveal the things of God by the grace of God, even to allow the Spirit to speak through us, just as the Spirit spoke through the prophets who came before Jesus to reveal the word of God to the people.  When Jesus speaks to the disciples about their own testimonies to come when they are dragged to the courts of officials and ruling powers, He says, "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit" (Mark 13:11).  We are expected to be temples of this indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:17), those who also bear witness to the truth, even the word of God which the Spirit may reveal.  So, as this Lent begins for you, consider what it means to participate in the practices of Lent.  We fast from things that distract and get in the way of the God's work in us as temples.  We give all the things we chase a rest for a while:  we don't need fancy meals, we don't need massive entertainments, we need to pay attention to our words and cut down on our excesses.  We refrain from gossip, backbiting, fighting.  We try to remember that we might disagree, but we are nevertheless taught an inner respect as each person holds this capability to be a temple of God.  We seek our own flaws and things that need improving.  And to do these things, to work on this, we put into practice especially prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.   We see to remember what we are supposed to be about, we give more of our time to God, more of ourselves.  We seek to meet the Resurrection, and Christ as almighty and immortal, with the refreshed perspective of those who truly seek to be like Him, to bear His truth into the world, and especially to be those who can hear His voice, so it is not drowned out in the cacophony of the world and all the things we think we need to desire.