St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church of Watertown

Sermon delivered by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Lenten Vespers #4. March 17, 2004 John 18:38

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”

People of God, rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

Fact or not? In Ohio, a woman may burn her husband’s clothing if she finds it distasteful. That’s a fact. True or false. The entire funeral service for millionaire Howard Hughes lasted 8 minutes. That’s true. True or false. More people jump from the Golden Gate Bridge than any other. That’s true, too. Twelve U.S. Presidents have held the military rank of general. The planet Venus spins in the opposite direction of all other planets in our solar system. And Lady Bugs are brightly colored—not to camouflage them in flowers—but to warn predators that they taste badly. You can win trivia games—and impress your friends and relatives if you know the right answer to trivial true and false questions. The question before us today is much more important than any trivial pursuit. The question before us today is at the very heart of our existence in this world and the one to come. Today we hear Pontius Pilate ask the Lord Jesus:

What Is Truth?

1. Pilate complains there is no truth.

2. But Jesus testifies to eternal truth!

Today and with Jesus’ permission next week we see Jesus before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. God’s Word says—after Jesus had been condemned by the Sanhedrin—the Jewish Supreme Council—the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. “Ceremonial uncleanness!” The Jews were frothing and foaming at the mouth—determined to see Jesus dead before the sun went down. And at the same time they were concerned about ceremonial uncleanness? Only Jesus can see into people’s hearts. Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. …You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean…You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:23-28 Are we hypocrites? Do we sit in God’s House for an hour—hearing law and Gospel—singing God’s praises—saying our prayers with bowed heads and folded hands. Then have arguments in the family car on the way home from church? Do we drive home from church—to watch bad TV programs that we recorded while we were at church? Are we addicted to drugs or alcohol or tobacco or food—and constantly criticize people who are addicted to the ones we aren’t? Are we very well behaved on the outside—thinking no one knows the evil thoughts that fill our hearts and glaze our eyes? Do we think because we fool our neighbors—maybe even our own spouse and our own children—that somehow we are even tricking God? The Jews wouldn’t go in to see Pilate—so Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled. Jesus is always, always always in control! Jesus will die the way he is determined to die. If it didn’t matter how Jesus died—remember how Jesus preached in the Synagogue in Nazareth? All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Luke 4:28-30 Remember the time Jesus was by the temple? “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. John 8:58,59 Jesus will lay down his life the way the Father had promised. We will look on the one they have pierced. Cursed is everyone who dies on a tree. Jesus would die on the tree of the cross for my sins and yours!

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” …Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” Jesus is the ultimate King! Not a King of armies and taxes and road construction and passports. Jesus is a King in the hearts and lives of God’s people. Jesus’ kingdom was never a threat to puny earthly thrones made of wood and covered with gold. Jesus’ kingdom is alive—in the hearts and lives of people who love Jesus. Jesus’ kingdom knows no boarders—no check points—no flags. Citizens of Jesus’ kingdom come in all different sizes and shapes and colors. Jesus’ citizens are redeemed—bought back with his innocent blood!

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. When you are little—it often times seems like the truth is so very simple—everything is black and white—right or wrong. If you just had enough information you would be able to make right choices and right decisions—and everything would be fine! You get a little older—and you find this world likes to think everything is grey. That everything depends on the situation. Everything depends on how you look at it. Everything black and white is just as wrong as everything is grey. It’s wrong! To live in homosexual sin—for men to marry men and women marry women was wrong in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah and it is wrong today. The LORD—the Great I AM—the Holy One of Israel who scorched those cities off the face of the planet has not changed in the year 2004. Homosexual sin is no better and no worse than people who have casual sex with people of the opposite sex. Little human embryos are little people. The fact that it is possible to start little people outside their mommy’s tummy does not mean it’s ok to start a dozen—planning to thin them the way you thin a row of radishes or a row of carrots—so that the best little two or one grow—and the rest you wash away—like potato peels down the stainless steel sink! The fact that everybody’s doing it cuts no mustard with a heavenly Father who put to death 23,000 in one day—because of their gross rebellion against their Heavenly Father. The truth is—sin is a horrible offense that deserves our Father’s blistering judgment!

“What is truth?” The truth is Jesus paid for all your sins. He washed away every single one—so that you can live forever with him in heaven. I was by my father and mother this past week. They recalled my father’s best friend Melvin. Melvin was a pacifist. He didn’t believe in taking another person’s life. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t serve his country—he did. He served his country in the Army as a medic—someone at the front line helping soldiers who were wounded. Melvin worked in a field hospital—a tent with a big red cross on the top—where they treated the terrible wounds of war. One time Melvin had been working so many hours in a row—he was on the brink of absolute exhaustion. His commander told Melvin—take your sleeping bag and go way down the road. Find a quiet safe place and get some sleep. That’s what Melvin did. But when he woke up and came back—he found that the Nazis had bombed the hospital—ignored the huge Red Cross—and bombed the hospital—killing everyone. Killing all the wounded—and killing everyone who was treating them. There were no survivors—except little Melvin! They say people in that situation very often suffer from what they call “survivor guilt”! You feel this terrible guilt—that every one else died and you didn’t! Like you should have died, too! I would think—eventually—you would come to the opinion—that there must be something—something very important that you were destined to do. Otherwise you surely would have perished, too. I wonder—how often do we consider—the fact that out of some 6 billion people alive in this world today—we know Jesus is our Savior. Out of the millions in this country and the billions in this world—why was God so gracious and merciful to me—that I should know Jesus all my life? Why has Jesus spared you and me—that we should be here today? Is it not because we have something very important to do?

“What is truth?” Pilate asked. The simple powerful truth of law and Gospel is what this world needs so desperately. Have we succeeded in spreading the Gospel around—literally around the world? We have succeeded in spreading Coca Cola. You can drive in a van for hours deeper and deeper into the Nigerian rain forest—and find people literally living in mud huts with grass roofs that leak rain. And the people who live there—have Coca Cola—in bottles that are frosty from being used over and over and over again. You can travel to places in Egypt where there are literally lepers on the lawn—literally crawling to the hospital. Where children are actually harmed by their parents—losing limbs to make them more pitiful beggars. And there they have McDonalds—with marble staircases and brass handrails—and happy meals! But do they have law and Gospel? We can send the Gospel literally around the world. By our prayers—by our mission thank offerings—by encouraging our children and grandchildren to be pastors and teachers and missionaries—to share God’s Word!

“What is truth?” God’s Word is the truth that everyone needs. This past weekend I went walking with my father. My father walks 5 miles every day—3 in the morning—2 more in the afternoon. My father has mission prospects all along his different walking routes. My father has made friends with people who sit on their lawn chairs. They wave at my dad—and he stops to meet them. He gets to know them—asks them how they doing. Again and again—they tell my father about their troubles. Their marriages are falling apart. Their wife is moving out—their children moving back in—sometimes bringing babies that have a birth father—but not a dad. Know what I mean? My father gave one of his prospects a copy of The People’s Bible—Romans. The man read some of it—and said to my father—there’s a whole lot in there about righteousness. He said—but nobody’s righteous! My father said—yes, we are righteous—by grace through faith. That’s the whole point! Jesus’ righteousness becomes ours by grace alone! My father made another friend—a man in a wheel chair who sits at busy intersections—three and four lanes going each way. He sits there frustrated—because he can’t wheel himself through the intersection before the light changes—and people in a hurry practically run over him! This man, too, has a painful life—with some terrible wounds to his body—doubtless more horrible wounds to his heart and minds and emotions and thinking. Many of these hurts are self-inflicted—but that doesn’t make them any less terrible to deal with. It only adds to the guilt and frustration! Where do you begin? With showing someone that you care about them. You care because Jesus cares about everyone. You show them that because there is sin in this world—there are painful hurtful troubles. There is death! But there is forgiveness, grace and mercy and the promise of eternal life for Jesus’ sake.

What is truth? Weight for weight—are the muscles in the back legs of a locust 100 times stronger that a human’s? No—they are 1,00 times stronger! Is it true that Joe DiMaggio took lots of lessons but never learned to speak Italian? No—Italian was his first language. Is it true that Walt Disney’s middle name was Mickey? No. True that Herbie the Love Bug—a Volkswagen bug got an American Passport—that Talula Bankhead’s real name is Talula Bankhead—that Calvin Klein’s real name is Calvin Klein—that Bette Middler was named after Bette Davis? Yes! Did you know that trivia? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you know the truth of God’s Word. That Jesus is in fact the Son of Man and the Son of God—the only Savior of the world! That’s God’s truth! Amen!