What is Truth?

I have often wondered if Mick Jagger and Keith Richards knew exactly what they were implying when they wrote the lyrics to Sympathy for the Devil. Many of the lyrics to that song resonate and never seem to lose their relevance -

“I rode a tank

Held a general’s rank

When the blitzkrieg raged

And the bodies stank “

“I watched in glee

While your kings and queens

Fought for ten decades

For the gods they had made.”

“Just as every cop is a criminal

And all the sinners saints.”

The ability of the lyrics to underscore the incredible hypocrisy of societal values is chilling ... and timeless.

It seems that the one line that is often overlooked near the very beginning of the song ... is perhaps the most chilling and timeless of them all.

“Made damn sure that Pilate

Washed his hands and sealed his fate!”

It is recorded in the gospels that Jesus began a statement or parable or teaching with “I tell you the Truth...” almost 70 times. Ahh, yes ... the slipperiest of all words - “Truth”

Pilate states in the book of John 18:38 - “Then you are a king!” Jesus answered. “You say that I am king ... For this reason I was born and have come into the world, To testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

We don’t talk much about truth these days ... indeed whose truth are we going to listen to anyway? CNN ? Fox? MSNBC? Or Breitbart? Trump? Or Biden? Preachers? Which ones ??? Evangelicals or Priests ? I doubt that it was much different for Pilate ... as a Roman Governor of a region on the brink of anarchy in an area with toxic religious diversity, he didn’t have time or the inclination to pursue the truth. So he asked the question that all of us ask ...

“What is Truth?” Pilate asked it out loud, and without waiting for a reply went out to try and convince the mob to spare this Jesus guy ... he seemed ok to Pilate. But the crowd would not relent - the religious leaders saw their power being eroded by this simple man, who simply told the truth. Even though he did not tell it simply. His parables and metaphors drove the truth seekers ever deeper.

“Crucify-Crucify” - Crucify the Truth - because it isn’t the truth that has given us our power, privilege and prestige.

Pilate, being the expedient politician saw that the independent polls weren’t trending in his direction. In Matthew 27 it is recorded that he “ took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours.”

Of course ... we all know that is a lie. The responsibility is always ours. No amount of rationalizing or sacramental hand washing can change that ... Mick Jagger and Keith Richards seemed to know it, too ...

“Made damned sure that Pilate

Washed his hands and sealed his fate.”