Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor presiding over the trial of Jesus, uttered one of history’s most haunting questions: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). This wasn’t an honest inquiry—it was a cynical response from a politician drowning in relativism, situational ethics, and public pressure.
Pilate stood face to face with the Truth in flesh, Jesus Christ, yet rejected Him to appease a fickle crowd. Tragically, history records that Pilate’s political career ended in disgrace and suicide. It is the cautionary tale of what happens when Truth is placed on trial and sentenced to die.
Pilate’s question reminds me of an old story:
Three men applied for the same job: a statistician, a mathematician, and a politician. Each was asked a simple question: “What is two plus two?”
- The statistician consulted his charts and graphs and replied, “Somewhere between three and five.”
- The mathematician scribbled formulas and answered, “Exactly four.”
- The politician glanced around, leaned in, and whispered, “What do you want it to be?”
That joke illustrates how Pilate approached truth—something flexible, adjustable, negotiable. Pilate embodied the spirit of relativism: the belief that truth depends on the situation, the majority opinion, or personal convenience.
A Culture Drunk on Relativism
Our world isn’t much different. The Bible described a similar period in ancient Israel:
“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
When a nation rejects God as King and His Word as law, it starts inventing its own rules. People redefine morality, marriage, and even the sanctity of life based on whatever feels right at the moment. Sound familiar?
But there’s a serious problem with that thinking. God reminded Job with this question:
“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4)
In other words: “You didn’t create this world. You don’t get to make the rules.”
Truth Is Not Up for Debate
God’s creation runs on fixed, immovable truths. Consider gravity. If someone stands on the edge of a cliff and says, “Gravity might be your truth, but it’s not mine,” then steps off—they don’t defy gravity. They prove it. Whether they feel like a bird or not doesn’t change the outcome.
The same is true for God’s moral and spiritual laws. Jesus declared in His high priestly prayer:
“Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17)
- The reality of heaven and hell is truth.
- The offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is truth.
- The danger of sin and the existence of the devil are truth.
Rejecting spiritual truth has consequences far more permanent than ignoring physical laws like gravity.
Pilate Faced a Fickle Crowd—and Folded
Pilate governed a people who, just days earlier, shouted “Hosanna!” to Jesus as their King. But now, stirred by pressure, they screamed, “Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:13). When the mob declared, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15), Pilate crumbled.
Faced with truth and a choice, Pilate asked the wrong question and made the wrong decision. He washed his hands but could not wash away his guilt.
What About Us?
In a world where politicians ask, “What do you want two plus two to be?” and culture redefines morality by popular vote, followers of Christ must not be fickle. We must be people who cling to the unchanging truth of God’s Word.
Jesus didn’t just speak the truth—He is the Truth:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
When you stand for truth, expect pressure. Expect to be misunderstood. But stand anyway. Pilate’s tragedy was not in being politically pressured—it was in rejecting the only One who could save him.
Today, governments are still putting truth on trial. Individuals still echo Pilate, asking, “What is truth?”—but the answer has never changed. The Word of God is still Truth. Jesus is still Truth. And the stakes are still eternal.