What is Truth?

The question that still echoes on Good Friday

“What is truth?”

It’s the question Pilate asked Jesus.

It’s the question our culture keeps asking.

And it might just be the question that matters most.

These days, we’re bombarded by opinions, outrage, and algorithm-driven certainty. Social media makes it easy to find a tribe who agrees with us—and just as easy to block out the people who don’t. But deep down, we all know something’s off. We sense that the way we see the world is only part of the picture. We suspect that truth—real, actual truth—is something bigger than any one of us.

And that brings us to Good Friday.

Good Friday is about the collision of two kingdoms—Pilate’s empire and Jesus’ way. And right at the heart of that confrontation is the question: what is truth?

Jesus and Pilate: A Clash of Worlds

In John 18, Pilate calls Jesus in for questioning. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asks. Jesus answers with a question of his own: “Is that your idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Pilate brushes it off: “Your own people handed you over. What have you done?”

It’s clear Pilate assumes Jesus must have done something. But Jesus replies, “My kingdom is not of this world.” And with that one line, the whole conversation shifts.

Jesus isn’t claiming that his kingdom is ethereal or irrelevant. He’s saying that the values, the structures, the very way the world works for Pilate… aren’t the way it works for him. “My kingdom is not from here,” he says. It’s not built on coercion or spin. It’s not driven by fear or dominance. It’s from another reality entirely.

And then Jesus says something that cuts to the heart of everything:

“I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Pilate’s response? That question that still lingers: “What is truth?”

Four Ways People Try to Find the Truth

The philosopher Charles Peirce once described four common ways people try to figure out what’s true. They’re surprisingly helpful in understanding our world today:

1. Tenacity – Believe whatever you want and block out opposing views. This kind of belief only works in isolation—until you meet someone different, or life crashes in, and you realize your version of truth isn’t holding up.
2. Authority – Believe what the institutions tell you. This is how Pilate’s world worked—Caesar defined reality. But what happens when trust in leaders breaks down, or those in charge contradict each other?
3. Reasonableness – Believe what feels logical or fashionable in your social group. This is probably the most common way people today determine truth. But it changes all the time. What felt right in 1930s Germany is very different from what feels right in 2020s Australia. Truth based on cultural consensus is fragile.
4. Science – Not ideology, but public investigation of what is real and consistent. Peirce wasn’t talking about “scientism” or treating science as a belief system. He meant facing the real world together—listening to what’s observable and testable. Gravity works whether or not you believe in it. Sound waves don’t care about your politics. There is a reality beyond our opinions.

And that’s where Jesus steps in.

Truth Is Not Just an Idea

In our Western world, shaped by Greek thinking, we often assume that truth is something you think. That it’s about getting your ideas right. That’s why we created things like the “Four Spiritual Laws.” But Jesus didn’t come offering a formula—he came offering himself.

Jesus didn’t say, “Here’s the truth.”

He said, “I am the truth.”

There’s a deep difference between the Greek mindset (which fights over abstract ideas) and the Hebrew worldview (which wrestles with truth in relationship and reality). In a Greek framework, truth is static and individual—“speak your truth.” But in the biblical worldview, truth is dynamic. It’s discovered in obedience, tested in practice, revealed in relationship.

You don’t think your way to truth. You live your way into it.

That’s why Jesus says, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Truth isn’t about winning arguments. It’s about being willing to follow the one who is truth in person.

Good Friday Is About the Truth That Sets Us Free

On Good Friday, Jesus doesn’t give a TED talk about morality. He gives himself. He doesn’t hand down a list of facts. He offers a cross.

And that cross is where the weight of justice meets the depths of love. That’s the truth Jesus testifies to. That’s the truth that doesn’t crumble when culture shifts or institutions fall. That’s the truth that can’t be faked or manipulated. It’s the truth that costs everything—and gives everything.

Just hours before facing Pilate, Jesus prayed for his followers:

“They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” (John 17:16-19)

Did you catch that?

You are not meant to belong to the world’s versions of truth. You were made for more. Jesus gave himself so that you wouldn’t have to stay trapped in your small, limited version of reality. He offers a bigger truth—one that is real, relational, and able to set you free.

So… What Is Truth?

Truth is not just a set of facts or ideas.

Truth is not “what works for you.”

Truth is not the loudest voice or the most likes.

Truth is Jesus.

Truth is a person.

Truth is the cross.

And the invitation of Good Friday is to stop clinging to your version of truth—and hold onto his instead.

You can keep living from your truth if you want to. Most of us do. That’s what got us into trouble in Genesis 3. That’s what keeps us stuck.

But there is a better way. A way that leads through the cross and into life. A truth that doesn’t bend to trends, but transforms your heart. A truth that doesn’t crush you with rules, but invites you into relationship.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

And on Good Friday, he proved it.

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