Truth and Justice, Part I: No Truth, No Justice
By: Greg Hutchins
On the night of Jesus’s death, His friend Judas betrayed Him. The soldiers dragged Him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, for questioning. Jewish leaders attempted to find Jesus guilty of a capital crime, but they found nothing. As a result, they sent Him to Pilate the governor, who wanted nothing to do with the matter. However, he conceded to the wishes of Jewish leaders. He commenced his own questioning of Jesus, the alleged “King of the Jews.” Jesus stated His purpose to Pilate, saying, “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37).” Pilate responded, not with a statement, but with a question for us all to ponder: “What is truth?” Then, he left Jesus and walked outside.
Here, the Book of John paints a striking picture. We see Pilate questioning Truth Incarnate (Jn. 14:6), then walking away from Truth as he becomes complicit in history’s greatest injustice, the crucifixion of Jesus. In this story, we see a visible expression of an abstract, yet an apparent reality: Departing from truth leads to injustice.
To some, this departure may seem self-evident. We live in an America that dismisses truth, but desires justice. In one breath we say, “Speak your truth” and another, “We want justice.” But there can be no justice without Truth. It is like trying to fix a car without knowing anything about its features, design, or look of its make and model. We need to know about the car, in order to fix it. Now apply this same concept to truth. Let’s think about it. How do we know what is just? How should life and society work? Can we answer these questions without knowing Truth? If we can’t answer these questions, can we identify injustice or a means of correcting it? I’m afraid we cannot.
So, what is truth? Simply put, God and His self-revelation arbitrate truth. We know this from John 14:6 and John 17:17. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am…the truth…” He is the embodiment of truth. Reality lays itself at His feet; His command molds it like clay. If there is a storm, it dissipates at His rebuke. History is His humble handmaid, conforming itself to His decree. His word constructs reality. In this sense, Jesus is the Truth. But Jesus also represents truth in the way He lives. His life is in harmony with the way the world truly is. As creation’s song declares the glory of God (Ps. 19:1), Jesus walks with its rhythm, His words are on the same key as He lives and speaks to God’s glory.
In John 17:17, Jesus, Truth Incarnate, says “Your [God’s] word is truth.” At that time, Jesus is referring to the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament Scriptures. In essence, Jesus says “Father, your portrayal of the world in the Scriptures is congruent with reality. I know how the world works, what the world is, because of what your word says.” So God’s self-revelation, in Holy Scripture and the person of Jesus, defines truth.
If God’s word establishes truth, then the Bible alone can tell us what justice is. And if Jesus is Truth Incarnate, His life must embody the justice pictured in the Bible (Is. 42:3). Next time, we’ll observe how God explains and embodies justice.
Greg serves as an elder at Unity Baptist Church in Tallahassee, FL. He graduated from The Florida State University with a degree in philosophy. He and his lovely wife, Asia, are parents to one son, Ethan.
