Take Notice
Almost every time I open the bible I encounter a certain word at least once, and I’ve been increasingly aware of it in the last few months – whether personal bible time, Sunday morning preaching, corporate study with my brothers on Thursday mornings, or in our family’s daily bible time together first thing in the morning – I seem to be unable to get away from this one word.
Now, I was recently made hyper aware of this as I introduced my kids to a video series I had first encountered when I was a new believer. The first episode of this study series started with the professor writing the following question on the blackboard: “Why did Jesus come into the world?”. The students in the collegiate classroom-like setting attempted to answer with the expected replies – ”to save us”, “to die for our sins”, “to fulfill the prophecies”, etc… but all are kindly answered with a, “Good answer, but…no”. Finally, the teacher says this, “Did you know that Jesus actually, very specifically, very objectively answered this question?” We find it in the gospel of John, starting in 18:37 as Jesus is being interrogated by Pilate in the Praetorium – Jesus says, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.”
Woah! Do you suspect that if Jesus himself said this is the reason, “…I came into the world,” and using the specific verb testify to indicate a trial is taking place, that the issue of truth is very important? Yes it is! In fact, Jesus uses the phrase, “I tell you the truth…” over 75 times, and in the book of John alone he uses the double-emphatic, “truly, truly…” 25 times. This is Christ literally testifying to the truth. But, let’s be clear, Jesus is not simply pointing out truth or more authoritatively making decisive claims on truth. No, no… Jesus actually is truth himself, and he created truth. Take John 1:17 – “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ.” And I think we all are familiar with John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” This means we can only come to the Father through truth. And, being full of grace, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit, a helper before he returns to the father, calling him, “the Spirit of Truth,” (J 14:16-17) and telling us that this Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth (J 16:13). Woah again! Truth IS immensely important.
Now, backing up to the original scene of this interaction between Pilate and Jesus in John chapter 18 with this context, what we see is “truth” appearing before Pilate in human form. Truth breathes, speaks, and soon enough will bleed. It’s clear from the last exchange here the implications for us even today. Picking up right after what Christ declared in 18:37 – He then says, “...Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” and Pilate answers back, “What is truth?”.
We often focus on this final question by Pilate, and rightly so. But, I want to zero in on a key – the seemingly inconsequential phrase, “on the side of”. This indicates that there are sides! And, shockingly, one of them is not with the truth. Of course, we know this to be true from the first pages of Genesis, or even in the most minor of interactions with our current culture. But, do we all just pick a side and put on that jersey? No, scripture makes it clear that we as believers can be deceived, and in being so we will distort, suppress, reject and exchange truth. In fact we are warned repeatedly by writers like Paul and James to see to it that we are not captured by lies and deception, but to remain in truth.
A passage I’ve encountered again recently both in personal study and with the elders seems to really drive this dynamic home. This is this from 2 Timothy 4: “For the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” How sad this reads. Written to Timothy, a man charged with preaching the word. This blunt foretelling covers both believers and non-believers. Those who will not endure, or put up with truth. Yet Paul bookends this with solid encouragement to his friend to remain in Christ (in truth!) and preach the truth. Oh how we need this, too.
So, church – It is clear to me that truth is fundamentally important as I now take special notice of it every time I encounter it in scripture. I’d like to encourage you to take notice, too. And more importantly, I’m encouraging you to be on the side of truth: Don’t be deceived. Open your ears and embrace sound doctrine. Hear the urging of the Spirit of Truth. Be led into all truth. Listen to Christ.
Todd Asmus
Now, I was recently made hyper aware of this as I introduced my kids to a video series I had first encountered when I was a new believer. The first episode of this study series started with the professor writing the following question on the blackboard: “Why did Jesus come into the world?”. The students in the collegiate classroom-like setting attempted to answer with the expected replies – ”to save us”, “to die for our sins”, “to fulfill the prophecies”, etc… but all are kindly answered with a, “Good answer, but…no”. Finally, the teacher says this, “Did you know that Jesus actually, very specifically, very objectively answered this question?” We find it in the gospel of John, starting in 18:37 as Jesus is being interrogated by Pilate in the Praetorium – Jesus says, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.”
Woah! Do you suspect that if Jesus himself said this is the reason, “…I came into the world,” and using the specific verb testify to indicate a trial is taking place, that the issue of truth is very important? Yes it is! In fact, Jesus uses the phrase, “I tell you the truth…” over 75 times, and in the book of John alone he uses the double-emphatic, “truly, truly…” 25 times. This is Christ literally testifying to the truth. But, let’s be clear, Jesus is not simply pointing out truth or more authoritatively making decisive claims on truth. No, no… Jesus actually is truth himself, and he created truth. Take John 1:17 – “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came to be through Jesus Christ.” And I think we all are familiar with John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” This means we can only come to the Father through truth. And, being full of grace, Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit, a helper before he returns to the father, calling him, “the Spirit of Truth,” (J 14:16-17) and telling us that this Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth (J 16:13). Woah again! Truth IS immensely important.
Now, backing up to the original scene of this interaction between Pilate and Jesus in John chapter 18 with this context, what we see is “truth” appearing before Pilate in human form. Truth breathes, speaks, and soon enough will bleed. It’s clear from the last exchange here the implications for us even today. Picking up right after what Christ declared in 18:37 – He then says, “...Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” and Pilate answers back, “What is truth?”.
We often focus on this final question by Pilate, and rightly so. But, I want to zero in on a key – the seemingly inconsequential phrase, “on the side of”. This indicates that there are sides! And, shockingly, one of them is not with the truth. Of course, we know this to be true from the first pages of Genesis, or even in the most minor of interactions with our current culture. But, do we all just pick a side and put on that jersey? No, scripture makes it clear that we as believers can be deceived, and in being so we will distort, suppress, reject and exchange truth. In fact we are warned repeatedly by writers like Paul and James to see to it that we are not captured by lies and deception, but to remain in truth.
A passage I’ve encountered again recently both in personal study and with the elders seems to really drive this dynamic home. This is this from 2 Timothy 4: “For the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” How sad this reads. Written to Timothy, a man charged with preaching the word. This blunt foretelling covers both believers and non-believers. Those who will not endure, or put up with truth. Yet Paul bookends this with solid encouragement to his friend to remain in Christ (in truth!) and preach the truth. Oh how we need this, too.
So, church – It is clear to me that truth is fundamentally important as I now take special notice of it every time I encounter it in scripture. I’d like to encourage you to take notice, too. And more importantly, I’m encouraging you to be on the side of truth: Don’t be deceived. Open your ears and embrace sound doctrine. Hear the urging of the Spirit of Truth. Be led into all truth. Listen to Christ.
Todd Asmus
Recent
Archive
2026
2025
September
October
November
Categories
no categories
No Comments