Good morning! Though we aren't gathered in our sanctuary because of the weather, I want to start with a quick exercise right where you are—maybe sitting on your couch or at your kitchen table. Or maybe you’re still in your pajamas, bundled up in bed where it's warm. I’m going to ask you for a definition: How would you define 'Love'?
You probably thought of things like 'sacrifice,' 'a strong feeling,' or maybe even a Bible verse. Those are all correct. But now, I want you to do something else. Close your eyes. Instead of a definition, I want you to bring to mind the person who loves you most in this world. Think of their face, the sound of their voice, the way they have shown up for you when you were at your lowest."
Do you feel the shift? The first answer was a 'what'—like an entry in a dictionary. The second was a 'who'—a presence, a person. We can spend our whole lives getting the 'what' right and still miss the 'who' entirely. We can have the facts, but miss the Truth. This is exactly what happened in our story today in the shadow of a Roman headquarters some 2,000 years ago."
The Reading: John 18:28-40
Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)
Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a rebel.
In this reading, we see a frantic "shuttle diplomacy" happening. Pilate is caught in this tug-of-war, moving back and forth between the religious leaders outside and Jesus inside. And in that movement, we see three different ways of dealing with "The Truth."
Tangled Truth
First, let’s consider the religious leaders, who are standing outside the building. They refuse to step inside because, according to their rules, entering a Gentile building would make them "unclean." There is a chilling paradox here: they are so focused on the ritual that they ignore the Reality standing right in front of them. For them, truth is a boundary to keep. It was a way to stay "safe" and "correct" while, at the same time, missing God entirely.
Then, there is Pilate. To him, Jesus is an "administrative annoyance"—a case to be managed. When he asks, "What is truth?", he’s not looking for a savior; he’s being cynical. He thinks truth is a formula or a political tool. He looks Truth in the eye and sees only a "form to be completed, a box to be checked, an I to be dotted, a T to be crossed. You get the drift.
But then, there is Jesus. In this room as he stands before Pilate, he, the one who is the prisoner, is the only one who is truly free. Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not from this world. He’s not there to win a legal debate. He’s there to be the Truth.
In our modern world, we often think of truth as a "what"—a list of facts or a set of rules. But in the Gospel of John, Truth is a "Who." In the language that Jesus spoke, truth means "reliability" and "faithfulness." Truth isn't a checklist; it’s a living encounter. One does not "possess" the truth; one is either possessed by it, or—like the leaders and Pilate—one remains outside in the courtyard, scrupulously clean but profoundly lost.
---Today, many of us are sheltered inside because of the blizzard. We have walls and roofs to keep the storm out. But the story of John 18 reminds us that we often build "spiritual walls" as well.
We build walls of ritual, like the leaders, thinking that if we just follow the right steps, we are safe. We build walls of cynicism, like Pilate, thinking that if we don't commit to anything, we can't be hurt. But Jesus stands in the middle of all our walls and says: "I am the Truth."
If Truth is a person, then we don't find it by staying "ceremonially clean" or by staying detached. We find Truth when we stop trying to "manage" our lives like problems and start seeing the living presence of Christ in one another.
Even today, while we are separated by the snow, the Truth is still embodied. It is embodied in the phone call you make to check on a neighbor. It is embodied in the patience you show your family while you’re cooped up inside. It is embodied in the way we realize that we are not just "cases to be managed" by the world, but people to be loved by a Savior.
We had hoped to welcome our Mexico Mission team in our sanctuary today. We wanted to hear their stories of how they saw God’s work across the border. And while the snow has delayed that celebration, it hasn't changed the reality of what they found.
They didn't go to Mexico to find a "definition" of mission. They went to encounter the Embodied Truth. They saw that Christ’s kingdom isn't built with worldly power, but with the reliability and faithfulness of a helping hand and a shared prayer.
As the wind blows outside today, remember that the Truth is not a "what" to be studied, but a "who" to be followed. Stay safe, stay warm, and look for the face of Christ in the people you are with today. For that is where the Truth truly lives and can be found. Amen.
Preached via recording due to blizzard conditions on Sunday, March 15th, at Monticello, MN.
4th Sunday of Lent
Reading: John 18:28-40 (NRSVue)
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