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"P52: What is Truth?"
St.
Mark’s Episcopal Church
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Christ the King Sunday – the last Sunday after Pentecost
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18: 33-37
Nearly a century ago, out of the depths of an ancient garbage
dump, protected for centuries by layers of debris and darkness,
a small scrap of papyrus was discovered by a group of archaeologists
in Egypt. About two inches wide, three tall, it resembles the
shape of the state of Illinois. Dated to 120 A.D., it is one
of the earliest remnants of the early Christian church. The
dark ink on the brownish paper records a portion of the conversation
between Pilate and Jesus that we have heard today from John’s
Gospel, including the haunting and ultimate question that Pilate
asks of Jesus: “What is Truth?”
Today is the last Sunday after Pentecost – it is the
end of the long green season, also called “Ordinary Time”
by many Christians. More than being the last Sunday of one of
the church seasons, it is also the end of the liturgical year.
Today is the church’s New Year’s Eve – but
there won’t be any special parties, hyped countdown, noise
makers or champagne. Most people see Easter and Christmas as
the main celebrations of the church. And they are indeed important
days. But today is important too, in a more quiet and reflective
way – because there is a palpable and stark tension. On
the one hand, we proclaim with triumph that Jesus is the Christ
– the King. On the other, is the reality that the King
is crowned with thorns, suffers and is rejected over and over.
And it is the question on P52 – “What is Truth?”
that serves as a pivot for us to stand on, to scan the horizons,
to look back over the past year and ahead to Advent and beyond.
So what is Truth? How do we approach such a daunting and immense
question? As Americans, we have little guidance or attention
to this question in our public life. Public schools can’t
teach “truth” because they are unequipped to do
so and wouldn’t know where to begin. Our negative political
culture has disqualified itself from any ability to claim virtue
or identify truth. If you claim to have “truth”
– you will probably hear something like, “well,
that may be your truth, but I have my own truth that is equally
valid.” End of conversation, end of relationship...or
both. This is relativism, which reigns supreme and largely unchallenged
in the Western world. Meanwhile, the church, whether the Episcopal
Church or all of Christendom taken as a whole, is too broken
and conflicted to teach or claim truth with credibility or conviction.
Out of this vacuum we get books like “The God Delusion”
by Richard Dawkins, which critiques religion as “nonsense”
and irrelevant for the modern world. A fundamentalist atheist,
he places the probability of a divine being at less than zero.
The only truth for Dawkins is the existence of a process of
survival of the fittest and natural selection. In other words,
if you want to survive in today’s world, forget about
God.
When was the last time you had a conversation about the meaning,
nature and scope of truth with a friend, family member or colleague?
A survey of one, myself, would say not recently. Yet the question
does not go away because it is ignored. It eventually emerges
from the depths of the garbage dumps into our lives with its
indestructibility, urgency and timelessness – now at this
time, this New Year’s Eve of the church year.
What is Truth? Jesus says that he came into the world to testify
to the truth, and that those who belong to the truth listen
to his voice. Jesus, in his actions and person, witnesses and
points to the truth. And according to Jesus, the truth isn’t
something you own or have but belong to. It is an orientation,
direction and allegiance, which is larger than an idea or simple
answer. As Jesus witnesses to the truth, Pilate in contrast,
is a symbol of what is not truth. As governor of the Judea province
of Rome, Pilate was a figure of power, privilege, authority
and success. His clothing and food were of the highest quality
available. His primary duty was to promote Roman control and
administer revenue collection in the region. Pilate belonged
to the Roman Empire, witnessing and pointing to a system of
exploitation, hierarchy, force and control.
On this Christ the King Sunday, we are presented with a question,
“What is Truth?,” and the opportunity to see representatives
of truth and non-truth and to think about which one we belong
to: Pilate or Jesus. Of course, collectively as the church we
claim Jesus as Lord. Together, we will make this claim when
we read the Nicene Creed and celebrate the Holy Eucharist. But
individually, for most of us, we accomplish the impossible -
belonging to both Jesus and Pilate, seeking faith on the one
hand and the benefits of the world’s structures on the
other. But we know that it is ultimately impossible, because
Pilate is governor of a jealous system and world that will eventually
claim all of your life, by force if necessary to keep the control
it needs to sustain itself. It is this temporary dual citizenship
that makes us uneasy about “the truth,” and we want
to avoid facing it head on. But the question won’t go
away and it must be faced. Make no mistake, we are here to witness
to Jesus and the truth he represents, but we need to remember
what the truth is. Pilate asks, “What is Truth?;”
Jesus witnesses to the truth. The truth is that Jesus is King
– but the crown he wears is brittle, sharp and pierces
his forehead as droplets of blood roll down his face. Where
are the jewels, ermine and gold? There is a throne, but it a
footstool next to a bowl of water and hand towel for drying
freshly washed feet. Where is the mahogany, velour and fleur
de lis? There is banquet, but it is a simple loaf of bread and
cup of wine, served on a plain wooden table. Where is the pheasant,
roasted lamb, butter, cream and heaping piles of grapes? There
is victory, but it is in suffering and death. Where are the
parades, salutes and ticker tape? There is power, but it is
in surrender and defeat. Where is the army, the guns and the
military uniform? There is a wall around the kingdom, but it
is a porous and transparent curtain of mist. Where are the watchtowers,
bricks, barbs, mote and wrought iron gates? There is a banner,
but it a weathered and rough cross of tree limbs. Where is the
eagle, the stars, stripes and white gloves? There is an official
title, but it is a simple, humble name, a nickname – Jesus.
Where is the Your Highness, Your Honor, Your Esteemed, Your
Greatness? There is an entourage, but it is a motley, disorganized
band of homeless, diseased, criminals, prostitutes, gays, and
rejected outcasts from every nation and tribe. Where is the
well-dressed, well-bred security force that protects and shields
the King? Pilate asks Jesus, “So you are a king?”
Laughter laced with scorn and pity echoes through the governor’s
headquarters – through the hallways and down through the
centuries. We can hear it now. This is the kingdom of God’s
truth – a nonsense and farce to be mocked by the world
but a reality that pulls at our souls and hearts because it
is true love, true honesty, true humility, true power and true
healing.
In the Middle East, Israelis and the Palestinians each claim
persecution, danger, and a need for safety and protection. Each
claims to be deeply wronged. Each blames the other for the cycle
of violence. Each appeals to sacred Scriptures. There is paralysis
and entrenched attitudes. Where is the truth? Where is love?
During the Illinois governor’s race, one candidate claimed
that joblessness in the state had increased significantly. The
other claimed that there were more jobs and a lower unemployment
rate. Both, in fact, were correct. Yet where is the truth? Where
is the humility?
The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion struggle over
issues of sexuality and leadership. One side claims inclusion,
makes its appeal to experience and relationships and sites anecdotes
of persecution, suffering and injustice. The other side claims
authority of Scripture, sites Lambeth resolutions and makes
accusations of arrogance, selfishness and moral catastrophe.
Where is the truth? Where is Jesus?
Groups within St. Mark’s clashed over the decisions
of the 2003 General Convention. One group decided it could not
remain in the Episcopal Church. The other clung to its Episcopal
roots and affirmed its commitment to this parish, the diocese
and the national church. Where is the truth? Where is reconciliation?
Henri Nouwen tells a story of how one day a fugitive came
to a village to hide from pursuing soldiers. The people accepted
him, gave him shelter and refused to tell the soldiers where
he was. The soldiers threatened to kill every man and burn the
village if the man was not handed over to them by dawn. The
people went to the minister of the town to ask what they should
do. He went to his house and began searching his holy Book in
hopes of finding an answer. Hours passed. In the darkest minutes
before dawn, he came across these words, “It is better
that one man dies than the whole people be lost.” The
minister rushed out of his house and went to the soldiers to
tell them where the fugitive was hidden. After they led the
man away to be killed, the people celebrated. The town was saved.
But the minister did not join them. He returned to his house
in deep sadness. That night an angel came to him to ask what
he had done. He said, “I handed over the fugitive to the
enemy.” The angel said, “But didn’t you know
that you have handed over the Messiah?” “How could
I have known?” asked the minister? The angel answered,
“If instead of relying on your book you had visited this
young man just once and looked in his eyes, you would have known.”
The truth that Jesus testifies to is nothing more than the
light. What isn’t truth is darkness. Look into the eyes
of Jesus. It will hurt your eyes and heart – but don’t
be afraid of the pain, because that is where you will find the
answer to the question on P52, and the truth will set you free.
Amen.
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