On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” (John 12:12–13)
The Lenten season is coming to a close as Palm Sunday (April 13) observes Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of what has come to be known as Holy Week. The week concludes with Good Friday, the Passion of Our Lord, followed by Easter Sunday which commemorates Our Lord’s Resurrection from the dead.
That Fateful Day
But it is Good Friday which has always been an important day for me because of its stark reminder of the reality of the Passion of Jesus Christ. I recall from my youth, when my older brother and sister and I, at our father’s direction, would pause on that day between noon and three o’clock and together read aloud from our Catholic Bible History1 book and quietly reflect upon those solemn events.
In the years since, I have studied these events in more detail. I am intrigued at the number of trials that Jesus had to endure, especially the one with the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate. Luke sets the scene where the Sanhedrin, the Jews chief priest and scribes, bring Jesus before Pilate:
And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” (Luke 23:2)
In the Gospel of John 18:28-19:16 contains the entire account of Jesus before Pilate. In 18:33 Pilate questions Jesus concerning this charge against Him, asking: “Are you the King of the Jews?” While Jesus avoided answering yes or no, in verse 36 He assured Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world; for the intention of His accusers was to characterize Jesus as a threat against the Roman Government and the Emperor Caesar (19:12). Pilate answered as if annoyed, “So you are a King?” (18:37), for which Jesus replied:
“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.” (John 18:37)
In apparent frustration, Pilate asked: “What is truth?” How tragic could this be? Pilate was totally “unaware that he had been in the presence of the King, who is the God of all truth.”2 Nevertheless, even though Pilate found no guilt in Jesus and because of political expediency, he sent Our Lord to be scourged and crucified (John 19:1, 16).
What Is Truth?
This question of Pilate’s has reverberated throughout the ages: What is truth? Theologians have suggested various ideas of what Pilate meant by his question, although the context shows that Pilate was certainly perplexed by the situation that confronted him. For he must have deliberated: was there truth in Jesus’ testimony? Or was there truth in the statement of His accusers? But none of this mattered to him, because the truth he was really concerned with was how this unpleasant incident could affect his political standing with Rome. And while Jesus spoke the truth to him, Pilate was confused and would not or could not comprehend the truth of what he heard from Jesus.
Even today it is very difficult to separate fact from fiction, the truth from the lie. We have trouble differentiating what is truth within every segment of society: in the workplace, our government, the media, entertainment, and even within the Church. How are we to know what is truth? And are we even able to know what is truth? Thankfully we can. For there is a standard which God has provided mankind—His Word. God’s Word can enable us to determine fact from fiction and therefore to discern absolute truth.
John wrote with reference to Jesus Christ in the opening verses of his Gospel account:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)
Standing before Pilate was the embodiment of truth in the person of the Son of God. Jesus Christ himself testified to this fact when He stated: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Maintaining as He prayed to His Father: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Pilate literally had a close encounter with the “Truth” and rejected Him. He did exactly the same as the Jewish leaders, who enraged the crowd and demanded that Jesus be crucified (John 19:15). Instead Pilate turned to his own wisdom and his own self-interests.
The truth of God, revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ, and explained by His written Word, is what is being rejected today by our own culture. His truth is intended to provide significant meaning and purpose of this life for all mankind and to provide eternal life for those who “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). It is the reason for the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on behalf of the whole world for the forgiveness of sin (1 John 2:2, 4:14). We Christians should endeavor to make known this truth, by engaging in a close and personal encounter with His truth—Jesus Christ; so that the truth of His gospel of salvation permeates into every area of our present culture.
Our Challenge
It now becomes the responsibility of all believers to faithfully make every effort to ensure that no one ever asks: “What is truth?”
[1] Gilmour, Richard (1936). Bible History, New York,NY: Benziger Brothers, Inc., pp. 200-215.
[2] McClain, Alva J. (2009). The Greatness of the Kingdom. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, p. 382.
© 2025 David M. Rossi
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