“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate, 31AD.
I referenced this question asked of Jesus two thousand years ago in my last article. Throughout history, truth has been written about more than any other subject and, in our modern day, the hunger for truth is as strong as it’s always been. Yet finding truth is as challenging as it’s always been.
In the classroom, an everyday focus is to both teach the truth and to have students tell you the truth to show that they have learnt it. We might also work to discover truth when there’s been an issue at school. In this instance, we can ask several students about what happened and still experience challenges in finding the truth. We ask knowing that there is only one truth but even when we are given honest answers, our students can only report from their perspective, circling the one and only truth of what happened.
I believe that there is always only one truth. I know that there can be many lies, many parts of the truth, and many omissions of what is true, but there is only ever one complete, absolute truth. I also know that the full truth has a weight to it. I have seen its power, both in the ways that it can cause anxiety when covered up but also when it sets people free.
When Pontius Pilate asked “What is truth?”, it was in response to Jesus saying that anyone who wants find the Truth would listen to His voice. Jesus was letting us know that He is committed to bringing us to the Truth. He wants us to come to the end of anxiety and fear by listening to Him. In Jesus’ famous sermon on the mountain, He told us, “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7).
Peter Chase
College Chaplain • Pastoral Care
