Truth On Trial

[Leafrivermac]

Joh 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
Joh 18:29 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?
Joh 18:30 They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.
Joh 18:31 Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
Joh 18:32 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.
Joh 18:33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Joh 18:34 Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?
Joh 18:35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Joh 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Joh 18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
Joh 18:39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Joh 18:40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
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Joh 18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

Christian experiance and doctrinal truths are tried daily to see if they will stand the test. In facing His trial, the secret to Jesus' victory was rooted in truth and His commitment to a cause. Though tried, truth needs no defence. . . . Truth will prevail.

[Leafrivermac]

This is a study I'm doing for a class in May . . . .it's a subject that I have been kind of tossing around in my mind anyhow as far as looking at the concept of "truth".

The Pharisees' fascination with the letter of the law led to repeated philosophical clashes between Jesus and the culture in which He lived. On more than one occasion, He rebuked the Jewish leaders of that day. (Matthew 23:23)
None of us would consider ourselves pharisaical . . .but it is possible that we could become so religious that we forget what a christian is supposed to be. As one fellow said "It's good for pentecostals, baptists, methodist, etc., to be christians." . . . .In other words our walk must go beyond the letter of the law and embody the Spirit of the law (James 1:26-27). Our walk should include virtues such as mercy, compassion, and a willingness to put others first.

The pharisees wer'nt stupid or physically blind. They could see, hear, and reason. But their hearts were blinded (11 Cor 3;14-16 and John 8:37). They put Truth on trial, but they failed to consider all the evidence. Jesus challenged them . . ."Search the Scriptures;for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). Truth needs no defence, but defending a belief unsubstantiated by Scripture can box one in a corner where he cannot see truth with it standing in front of him. Not yeilding ourselves to the Word of God puts us in the category of being willingly ignorant (see Peter 3:5).

John said that the cruicifixion of Jesus came about as fulfillment of prophecy concerning Jesus: 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die" (John 12:32-33). Five hundred years before Jesus walked on this earth, Zechariah prophesied about the method of Jesus' death (Zechariah 12:10). If the Jews had exercized their method of capital punishment, they would have stoned Him like Stephen, but the prophetic Word of God prevailed. The apostle John declared, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1John 3:8). God overruled tradition and allowed thew Jews hypocrisy to fulfill His plan.

[motor]

That'll preach Mac..thanks for posting the truth..

[PreacherTony]

Amen and Amen!

[OHbowhntr]

I can only hope someday to understand it all as well as many of you seem to.

I suppose in my own personal way, I believe the "Truth" is more than just what Jesus said, but also in what HE desires us to do in our lives. I am currently "Quagmired" in a mess of unethical issues (others lack of ethics, not mine), that have cost me my job, forced me to ponder many things in my life, but above all, challenged my faith a bit. But as I continue to remind myself that "God won't give me more than I can handle," I waver a bit. I am caught between wanting to seek revenge, wanting to seek the "TRUTH," and wanting both, all at the same time. And as I question what direction I should direct my efforts at my own personal sadness, I realize that regardless of how bad I may believe things are for me, there are many worse off. A pair of close friends going through the hardest times in their lives, as one just lost his father, and the other just had premie (24wks and3 days)twins born, I can only hope that God will bless them as well asHE has blessed me, and that they will findHIS works in their lives, making things easier to understand. I suppose at this time in my life, the poem "Footprints," is much more heartfelt than it ever was before, and I should be extremely appreciative for all I have been given.

Thanks for the post, which helps me to continue to positively ponder my thoughts. God Bless, and keep faith, as His ultimate plan is unfolding, and HE loves us unconditionally!!!!

[Rebel Hog]

Amen brother Mac.

[dabowhunter]

Excellent Post

[Leafrivermac]

Thanks folks, there are are other angles on this subject such as Pilates question to Jesus . . . ."Art thou the king of the Jews,". It seems that Pilate was wrestling over truth. Pilate neither accepted Jesus with open arms nor rejected Him outright. Instead he pondered the words he heard and tried to make sense of them. This reaction possibly results in a greater level of conviction that something is true than when one recieves a new concept impulsivley with open arms.
When a person is troubled by teachings from the Word of God that he is seeing for the first time, he should not reject the Word. The Word that creates a crisis in his life is likely that which he will eventually assimilate into his understanding. This is a type of conversion and will be repeated many times as we grow in the Lord.
It should be easy to present the Gospel message because it is truth. It requires absolutley no defense on our part. The conversation between Pilate and Jesus shows how one should present the Gospel . . . with confidense and compassion. (See John 18:33-39) Jesus said nothing against Pilates culture or religion. He simply responded to Pilates questions with honest answers. Everytime Pilate asked a question allowed Jesus to share a little more truth. We see a powerful man in a state of crisis . . .torn between upholding his image and responding to truth. It was if two powers were contending for the mastery of his heart.
"The Word of God creates a crisis in the lives of the people that hear it. Therefore, we do not have to defend God's Word . . .we simply have to teach it and allow the truth to do it's work." (Murrell Cornwell)

[Leafrivermac]

Okey, I"™m going to finish posting this study, it"™s something I have to do anyway. It"™s really interesting to me so maybe it"™s just for me. I often will get excited about something that does"™nt seem to get a rise from anyone else . . . .and vissa versa.
Obviously Pilate came to the conclusion that there was no fault to be found in Jesus. Looking at this scene symbolically will paint a remarkable picture. Pilate"™s conclusion was truth but he allowed the Jews the free will to choose a substitute for truth. Only God knows the number of times that mankind has chosen a cheap substitute for truth since that day in the Garden of Eden when the serpent offered Eve a substitute for the tree of life.
Grace is associated with the New Testament but is a concept found thru the whole Bible. Grace was present before the creation of mankind. In the mind and plan of God, Jesus Christ was "œthe Lamb"� slain "œfrom the foundation of the world"� (Rev 13:8).
God offered grace immediately upon the rfall of mankind. He was no stranger to Adam and Eve. God had tenderly taken Adam and performed surgery on him in order to create a helper to him and to keep him from being lonely. He put them in the Garden to care for it and to rule over it. And the Scriptures imply that that God communicated with Adam and Eve on a regular basis.
Just as Adam and Eve passed their sinful human nature to their children, grace was present as well. Cain"™s heart was not right with God, but grace spoke to Cain, attempting to persuade him to change his ways.
The arm of grace extended even further to Cain after he rejected the council of God and killed his brother (Gen 4:9). God was aware of Cain"™s terrible sin, but He made one last attempt to offer Grace by offering him the chance to confess and repent.
Like Cain , one last offer of grace was set before the Jewish people when Pilate offered to set Jesus free, but they rejected that offer and chose Barabbas instead. This doesn"™t seem like a logical choice . . . . .why would folks reject the love of God and and chose a man that had the potential to harm them? That is a real unreasonable choice but how many times have similar choices been made since that day? When a person rejects the offer of salvation and chooses a sinful lifestyle that will destroy him even in this life this scene is repeated.
Christ"™s ministry consisted of teaching in parables and going about doing good, and healing all that were under attack by the devil . . . .For God was with Him (Acts 10:38). But that is not the total of His ministry. Folk say "œI"™d rather see a sermon that hear one"�. . . .well Jesus did that more than one time.
Similarly, Barabbas stood that day as a type for all sinners, and Jesus stood as the scapegoat . . .the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. Letting a prisoner free at the time of the Passover was a custom that was symbolic of Israel"™s from prison in Egypt. But on this day the one who they let go provides a lesson for every sinner, past, present, and future. Jesus stood as the perfect substitute for every sinner. One can only imagine the experience of Barabbas on that day. Out of the blue he was set free. The experience of Barabbas"™s freedom provides us an object lesson in that we were all destined to to eternal death in hell, but Jesus demonstrated grace and set us free.

John prolly said it best "œI have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth"� (111John 4). God has entrusted us with treasures of truth. We should never put Jesus on trial as the teachers of the Law did that day in order to keep our position of influence or power. Lets not deny the truth in order to remain in a comfort zone.


ATHA ATHA THATS ALL FOLKS!!

[Chuck7]

I read it all Leaf....I just had no disagrements. or nothing new to add.
God bless,
C7