The Wounds of False Testimony: John 18:33-38 - Maundy Thursday

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the [Judeans]. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”  NRSV

“What is truth?”

What a question for Pontius Pilate to ask when truth was standing right in front of him.

Not that Pontius Pilate was all that interested in truth. Part of his job, as governor of Judea, was to perpetuate the myth that Rome, particularly the emperor, were the saviors of the world and the bringers of prosperity to the masses. And he had the authority to use any necessary means, including violence, to make sure that everyone knew that Rome was in charge.

Therefore, Jesus “trial” (if you really want to call it that) wasn’t really about Jesus at all. It was a question of what was best for Rome—and what was best for Pilate. Truth was, Jesus didn’t pose the tiniest threat to Pilate, or to Rome. Pilate knew this. But again, Pilate wasn’t interested in truth. Lies and false testimony were much more useful to him. And Jesus’s accusers, the religious authorities, certainly kept the lies coming!

It’s ironic: the religious authorities hated Rome! What would they care if Jesus was an enemy of the state? Pontius Pilate didn’t care that Jesus was being accused of blasphemy—until the religious authorities blackmail him: “Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor” (John 19:12). And then—the religious authorities say something that they would’ve killed anyone else for saying: “we have no king but the emperor! (John 19:15).”

The greatest irony is that Jesus’ trial exposes Pontius Pilate and the religious authorities as the frauds they are. The religious authorities care more about power than religion. Pontius Pilate isn’t so much a despot as he is a dope; someone who has the power to set the innocent free but doesn’t do it—because he’s afraid of losing power.

Truth is not always convenient or profitable. It isn’t easily understood, and sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

The cross presents you and me with the harshest truth of all: we are sinners, and we are just as guilty of the blood of Jesus as Pilate, the religious leaders, the soldiers, and the crowds shouting, “crucify him.” But mercy triumphs over judgment! Every Sunday in Lent, before we hear the Gospel, we sing “Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and abounding in steadfast love.” Jesus may have died because of lies—but he gave his life for the truth: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). This truth we proclaim through acts of forgiveness, patience, mercy, and grace. We deal with others not according to what they deserve, but what they need and what God has permitted us to give.

This same truth is what lights our way through this frightening and grueling time. One of the greatest dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic, besides the germs, are all the misinformation and disinformation that are circulating all over the place. Everything from phony cures to get your money, to talking heads who prey upon your fears to keep you paying attention to them. They give you what you want while robbing you blind. The lies are even more contagious than the virus.

Lies kill—because they exploit your fears and feed on your ambitions. They create a false sense of who the real enemy is and what the real dangers are. Meanwhile, they blind you to the truth that’s right in front of you. How can we fight Covid-19 if we’re fighting each other? Maybe that’s what some people want. But not God.

Lies kill. But Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” The thing about liars is that they’re all talk. They say one thing and do another. Not so with you. Talk is cheap right now. In a world full of lies, the truth must be proclaimed in Word and deed.

And as hard as it is to be in quarantine during Holy Week, never have there been so many opportunities to proclaim the truth of Jesus. The neighbor needs your ears to listen, without judgment, to all their fears and frustrations. The neighbor needs you to make sure they have food on the table, and a safe way to get it. The neighbor needs to know that someone will be there for them, even as things get worse. The children need to know that they are going to be okay, and that they will be able to be children again. The world needs to know that the Coronavirus isn’t the most powerful force in the world right now; that it is God’s love, moving through the lives of ordinary people, that’s going to meet this challenge and overcome it.

For better or worse—your words and deeds reflect the God (or god) you worship. May your deeds reflect the God who laid down his life for others on the cross. You are a sinner and a slave to death. But Christ has set you free. By his wounds, you are healed.