01-18-24-ENG.

Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” 

John 18:33–38 

What our nation needs most right now is a return to Christian character and kingdom values. Without a foundation of truth, character and values carry about as much weight and consistency as the wind that whips across the open plains. Change the definition of truth and, by default, you’ll have to change the values assigned to it or rising from it. This is because truth is the foundation of character. But what is truth? Pilate asked the question of our culture when he spoke to Jesus in the passage we are reading today, found in John 18.

Pilate asked the same exact question we hear over and over again in arguments and disputes, and especially online: What in the world is truth? And, what’s more, who gets to define it? Social media has become a quagmire of nonsense comprised merely out of the corruption of truth. People post things on social media that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yet, because the human mind has been conditioned to believe what it sees in print, there are myriads of people who read it and believe it. It can leave you scratching your head as you scroll from post to post of seemingly contradictory “truth.” Granted, it’s hard to know what truth is if you live in a culture that also denies it exists. Many like to claim that truth does not exist, all the while posting “their truth.”

What that means is that, to them, truth does not exist other than the truth they choose to be true. And if you disagree with “their truth,” then you are wrong. Pilate didn’t live in a world of absolutes, either. He was an agnostic. He questioned whether or not anyone could know truth. But rather than point fingers at Pilate, if we were to open our eyes in our Christian culture today, we would find many people exactly like him. That’s why it’s critical that we become rooted and grounded in the truth of God’s Word. This will enable us to sift through the lies of the enemy, as well as to proclaim truth in a world that needs it badly.

Reaction: 
What methods do you use to sift through what you read on social media, or in the news, in order to find out what is true in it and what is not? Describe the change in reaction to what used to be considered truth from God’s Word and the current cultural response to God’s Word overall. Identify some ways this drifting from God’s Word in our culture has led to the breakdown of society. 

Prayer:
Jesus, I desire and intend to live my life as a kingdom disciple who aligns my thoughts, words, and actions under the umbrella of Your kingdom values. I want to honor You in all that I do, but in order to do that, I need help in sifting through Satan’s lies so that I do not become trapped by them. Help me do that so that I can truly live my life as a follower of You, who represents and reflects You fully in what I think, say, and do. In Your name, amen.