John 18:33-38 (Today’s New International Version)
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus asked, “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” Pilate said, “You are a king, then!” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate retorted, “What is truth?” With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?” The two main words translated as “truth” in the Bible are ’emeth (in Hebrew) and aletheia (Greek). ‘Emeth means truth, but it also implies “firmness, faithfulness, reliability.” Aletheia involves “certainty, validity, true-to-fact statements, truthfulness, uprightness, fidelity.”*

Jesus is all of the above. Every word he has spoken, every action has taken, every gesture of compassion, every word of wisdom has radiated truth. A few chapters before this, Jesus had told his followers that “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

God is honest and authentic. God is consistent and reliable. God is trustworthy and unchanging in faithfulness. God is true and loving and real.

That is a God I want to follow!

Questions:
What do you recognize as “truth” in your life?

* Hebrew translation from the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Greek translation from the Analytical Greek New Testament.