Dear Friends,
There was a long Old Testament history of awaiting the king
of the Jews. The waiting continued into the New Testament as seen in all four
Gospel accounts. The question of the expected King’s coming is brought to the
fore when Pilate asks Jesus “Are you the king of the Jews?” In John’s Gospel, Jesus
and Pilate have a particularly sharp and extended interchange about the meaning
of Jesus’ kingship. When Pilate asks Jesus if he is the awaited king, Jesus
responds: “my kingdom does not belong to this world.” Pilate pounces: “Then you are a king.” Jesus
replies: “You say that…For this was I
born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who
belongs to the truth listens to me.” There it is. Jesus’ kingship is rooted in
and brings forth truth.
We could talk about the feast of Christ the King using the
passages given in the lectionary for this cycle, but because we live in a time when
truth-telling is a challenge in our country, it seemed appropriate to talk
about Jesus and the truth he came to bring. In our everyday world, there is
illusion and there is truth. Illusion in our day has a partner called fake
news. Truth is confounded by the political and cultural front.
Soon, we will be caught up in the illusion of Christmas: the
perfectly decorated home, the Christmas meal that rivals the best of Food Network
chefs, and all those gathered around the table are polite and engaged. Not
quite our experience is it? In fact, at its deepest level, Christmas is the
beginning of Christ’s presence in our world which helps us see through the illusions
that the myth-makers create. The disciples of Christ strive to be truth-tellers
and truth-seekers.
We sometimes nibble around the edges of the truths and
commitments of life. Sexual predators, and sometimes seemingly happily married
men and women cast an eye around for someone else to attract. We are tempted to
cheat at work, at school. We lead ourselves to believe that lying gets us off
the hook or that, in the face of some responsibilities, “if I don’t want to I
don’t have to.”
Jesus says to Pilate and to us: “if you belong to the truth, you will listen to my voice.” In order to listen to the voice of Jesus, we have to still the many voices that clamor for our attention, who offer their own versions of truth. Humanly speaking, it hurts when we don’t live the truth or tell the truth to someone we love. It can make our bodies ache. Moreover, we send mixed messages which can be confusing for the other person and our relationship can weaken or collapse.
Jesus says to Pilate and to us: “if you belong to the truth, you will listen to my voice.” In order to listen to the voice of Jesus, we have to still the many voices that clamor for our attention, who offer their own versions of truth. Humanly speaking, it hurts when we don’t live the truth or tell the truth to someone we love. It can make our bodies ache. Moreover, we send mixed messages which can be confusing for the other person and our relationship can weaken or collapse.
People know when things get muddled, when we don’t abide in
truth with love. They can’t be fooled. The most important day in our life may
be when we tell the truth and live with its consequences.
Going back to Pilate, his name has been known to us for over
2000 years – associated as he is with the trial and death of Jesus. Pilate’s
best gift to us is his question, which needs to become our question: What is truth?
What is Jesus’ truth? What is our own truth as disciples of the Lord?
Good question for ourselves and for our church to end one
liturgical year and begin another next week.
~Sister Joan Sobala
