What is Truth? Holy Foolishness
What is Truth? Holy Foolishness.
“This I why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Everyone who is a friend of the Truth, who belongs to the Truth, listens to my voice.’ And Pilate said to Jesus, ‘What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).
TRUTH: (Hebrew, “emet;” Greek, “aletheia”) Truth is the only absolute in the world. If everything else in the world falls apart, only Truth will remain standing. The building blocks of all creation; the framework upon which we build our faith; the true Reality that has established the world’s reality; that which can never be truly altered or changed; that which is universally trustworthy as facts of life; the foundation of what is truly real in our experience; the plumblines from which to measure our lives; that which is common knowledge in God’s mind; that which lines up with God’s perspectives; established facts from God as opposed to a person’s changeable opinions or preferences; that which is solid and certain as opposed to a lie, deceit, an illusion or superstition; the tangible fundamentals issued forth from the intangible mind of God. Truth is always true even when discounted or disbelieved. Since the Almighty God is the ultimate source of all truth, then it follows that the Father God is Truth, the Lord Jesus is Truth, and the Holy Spirit is Truth.
Mission Statement of Jesus. What led up to Pilate’s famous question as he stood toe-to-toe with Jesus? What prompted Pilate’s question was the Son of God giving His life purpose in one sentence: to “bear witness to the truth.” Jesus took on flesh in order to reveal the indisputable fact of God’s existence in the world. Jesus testified to the truth by revealing Himself, the Author of truth. Jesus came into the world to show us that truth actually exists. He became incarnate to show the world what God’s living Truth looks like in real life.
“I AM the Truth!” (John 14:6).
The Father was clear about His request of the Son. I want you to bear witness to the truth, He instructed. I want you to save the world we so carefully created, He said. I want you to be truth in the flesh on the earth, God to the rescue representing the truth of my love. Did the Father send the Son on a fool’s errand? Maybe, if you mean that Jesus was a holy fool.
Humble Beginnings. His momma was an unwed teenager, she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and early on his life was in mortal danger. His foster father was a kindly, courageous old widower who protected his wife and son through thick and thin. Truth in the flesh was raised in a backwater village off the beaten track. Nonetheless, his presence on earth had been expected by many for thousands of years and his birth ws announced by a sky full of singing angels.
The Minister of Truth Begins. At thirty years of age, Jesus couldn’t even consider bearing witness to the truth without first receiving his Father’s blessing at baptism. Immediately afterward he was driven off into the wilderness to confront and defeat the Enemy, the devil himself. Needing to choose his apprentices in spreading the good news of Truth Incarnate, Jesus spent the night in prayer with his Father, and selected an unlikely ragtag group that included young fishermen, a Zealot who wanted to violently overthrow Rome, and a tax collector who made his living by dishonestly collaborating with Rome. They were all no doubt raised in the synagogue schools and knew their Scripture well. Except for the traitorous Judas, they all proved they were worthy trainees in matters of the Kingdom of God by participating in his ministry, remaining with Jesus during his entire three-year ministry, and becoming stalwart, faithful leaders of the gospel of Jesus after he ascended back to heaven.
Walk, walk, walk. Sometimes it must have seemed to the disciples that’s all they did, walk one dusty trail after another. They were always on the move, constantly walking from here to there. It is estimated by the Bible scholars who research such things that Jesus and His disciples walked an estimated 2,500-3,100 miles during their three-year ministry! They would not restrict their travels to trips from Capernaum to Jerusalem, a total of 85 miles, or from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem (70 miles), or a journey on foot from Nazareth to Jerusalem, a total of 65 miles. But the disciples would also find themselves following Jesus to the far northern port of Tyre, 104 miles from Jerusalem, or maybe for a short jaunt to Samaria, only 42 miles from Jerusalem. Hither and yon, here and there. As renowned Chicago pastor Rev. Otis Moss said, “Jesus had a mobile ministry, going to where He was needed!”
Holy Foolishness. In His heavenly wisdom, Jesus played the earthly fool many times over… He went out of his way to touch the untouchable and minister to the religious outcasts, such as lepers, prostitutes and other public sinners, demoniacs, Samaritans, Gentiles, women, and even dead bodies! The religious leaders often accused him of being a glutton and drunkard, a sure case of guilt by association. At times He was considered out of His mind, or filled with the devil, or of being unbiblical. The Word being unbiblical? Foolishly, it seemed, Jesus invested His life and mission in a handful of inexperienced disciples who nonetheless rose to the occasion and boldly provided leadership to the new church. Foolishly, Jesus volunteered to surrender to the unjust authorities, and he followed that up by submitting to torturous death at their hands. Throughout His life, Jesus presented Himself as the long-expected Messiah, the Great I AM in the flesh, the fulfillment of Scripture, the eternal Son of the God of Israel. Foolish. So, in terms of everyone’s perception of him, did Jesus ever appear foolish? Yes, very much so. But He was never shy about being a fool for the Father. Jesus was the ultimate holy fool as he bore witness to the truth.
One of a Kind. Jesus was a seemingly inconsistent, unpredictable bundle of extreme qualities. He would ignore His mother, berate the religious, forgive the adulterous, befriend the compromised rip-off artist, kiss His betrayer, stare down a storm, call His most faithful apprentice a name from hell, weep at a death, tend bar at a wedding reception, whip the tar out of unwelcome moneychangers, hug the children, have scary duels with demonic spirits, and welcome the lepers and lunatics. Even Jesus’ own family considered him a little crazy at one point.
Beyond Definition. Jesus Christ, Y’shua Messiah… a misunderstood fool by most onlookers as He juggled grace and truth. He was easy to describe, and impossible to define. Some of His descriptive names were Rose of Sharon, Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, Morning Star, Stone of Stumbling, Root of David, Lilly of the Valley, Great Shepherd, Suffering Servant, Cornerstone, Man of Sorrows, Alpha and Omega, Bread of Life, Living Water, Bridegroom, Captain, Rabbi. Jesus seemed partial to Son of Man, a sort of Mr. Everyman, a Mr. One of Y’all. Somehow even that expansive list of titles still doesn’t quite capture Him. Maybe He Himself is the Word we’re looking for, and we’re wasting our time trying to limit him to a definition.
His Own Man. When Jesus was tender, He seemed to almost wilt. When He was angry, there was a scary flash of fire in His eyes. And He often aroused those same extremes in others. In fact, He started His ministry by igniting His hometown with flammable speech straight from the Word; He continued it by answering serious questions with bewildering stories which often bordered on the comic; and close to the end, He irked His accusers with unflappable silence. Throughout His life, His version of sainthood was never sanctimonious. His holiness was never holier-than-thou. His God-talk was free of trite cliches and empty platitudes.
Manger Messiah, Dead God. In the earliest days of His earthly life, Jesus was a Savior fetus in a teenager’s womb. Then soon He was a God who wet diapers, a Co-Creator needing to be burped, the Lord of the universe nursing at His mother’s breast. A few years later, He was the defeated heavenly King with seared flesh and punctured scalp, passively facing mockery and torture. It’s a toss-up as to which of those two mysteries, the Manger Messiah or the Dead God, are the most incomprehensible and scandalous. One thing for sure, in both cases, this Man Jesus bore witness to the truth and seemed to be a helpless fool in the process. Fortunately, His last juggling act in the court of the Father, juggling life and death to the Father’s pleasure, was a resounding success. And better yet, the holy juggler is promising an encore for the Ages that we will die to see. Finally, the holiest of holy fools will be understood for who he is, the Truth and Wisdom of God.