Stand

Luke 23:1-7 (The Message)

1-2 Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him.

They said, "We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King."

3 Pilate asked him, "Is this true that you're 'King of the Jews'?"

"Those are your words, not mine," Jesus replied.

4 Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, "I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me."

5 But they were vehement. "He's stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He's a dangerous man, endangering the peace."

6-7 When Pilate heard that, he asked, "So, he's a Galilean?"

Realizing that he properly came under Herod's jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.

Truth.

Scripture tells us that it will "set you free."

It stands on its own. It does not need to be adorned or embellished.

Often, real truth can be sensed, and it is known in our hearts even before we're willing to speak it with our lips or accept it in our minds.

"Truth" embodied stands before Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. Truth does not need to defend itself.

"Are you the 'King of the Jews?'"

The question lays like a very thin veil over Pilate's real concerns. "Do you reject Roman authority? Do you declare yourself the leader of the Jewish people? Are you trying to bring rebellion to the empire?"

"Your words," Jesus says, "...not mine."

The truth stands. It is disconcerting...alienating...uncomfortable...when we are not yet ready to accept it.

Pilate is not ready. He passes the buck. Herod will be next. And the truth will stand again.

Father God, we pray that the Truth of Christ might stand within our hearts. Give us his humility, that we might accept his truth and reflect his light into the world.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.