Sermon Good Friday 2023.04.07
Wesley Menke
John 18 & 19
Pilates asks Jesus, “What is truth?”
Either Pilate doesn’t believe in the truth and is asking the question rhetorically; or he doesn’t know what it is. All Pilate understands is power. He thinks that the person with more power is always right. Some call this, “might makes right.” Pilate thinks that If someone has less power than him, then he doesn’t have to pay attention to what they say. He is a politician.
His mind has been so regimented by Roman empirical culture that the notion of an independent truth proclaimed by a poor Palestinian Jew is strange and even unthinkable to him.
Closely studying John 18 and 19 reveals that Pilate is throwing around his power. He is taunting and teasing everyone present: seeing how far he can push them until they break. Notice when he asks the crowd who they would like released from prison, he makes a point to say, “Jesus the King of the Jews.” By keeping this title with Jesus he is painting the crowd into a corner. Even if people in the crowd thought that Jesus was innocent, they really didn’t have much of a choice. If someone were to call out and say, “Yes, release Jesus the King of Jews,” then a garrison of Roman Centurions would be standing by to arrest and crucify them too. It was considered an act of treason against the great Roman Ceasar to call anyone else a king.
To think that Pilate didn’t want to crucify Jesus, and that the crowd bullied him into it, is to profoundly misunderstand what is taking place. Pilate was a shrewd and ambitious Roman politician. He was a master at working the crowd up to a frenzy to give off the impression that he is just a humble servant doing the will of the people. What he is really doing is consolidating his power by denying the truth. Pilate denies that truth matters or even exists.
I’m sure glad that there aren’t people like Pilate around these days. I’m sure glad there aren’t ambitious people like Pilate who will say or do anything just to get more power and control. I’m so glad we can believe everything we hear and see in our totally free and unbiased media. Or shouldn’t we?
How can we know the truth? Who can we believe? What is the truth?
It’s a curious thing that we call today, “Good Friday.” It is good that our sins are forgiven. So why aren’t we having a party? Why so gloomy? We are gloomy because we are sad about Jesus’ death, and about that annoyingly persistent reminder and reality that one day we also will die. That is the solid ground and truth of this day. No matter how much power or prestige a person has, we will all die one day. Given this truth, what will you do with the days you have? Will we chase after power and control like Pilate? Or will we serve and love courageously like Jesus?
It might be Friday today, we might even be comfortable in this dark blessed good night. But Easter is coming. We will stand together in God’s brilliant light where nothing will be hidden. It is entirely possible that the whole truth will be known. So what kind of people would we choose to be? Amen.
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