I AM THE TRUTH
Jesus said in John 14: 6, ‘I am the way, the TRUTH and the life’. He said He was the way, and the life, in response to Thomas’ inquiry as to how they could follow Him where He was going. But what did He mean when He said He was the truth? When Jesus stood before Pilate, He declared Himself the One bearing witness to the truth, and that the only those knowing the truth would hear His voice (John 18 :37-38). Pilate’s reply echoes through history, the cry of a searching humanity, ‘What is truth?’ The irony for Pilate was that truth was standing right before Him in the person of Christ.
I AM THE REAL THING
The word ‘truth’ here isn’t just the simple opposite of a lie. It means much more. In fact, the closest Greek opposite to it would be ‘illusion’. ‘Truth’ was reality, genuine, the embodiment of moral truth and rightness, the proof of what was true. When Jesus declared He was truth, He was in effect saying, ‘I am reality, everything else you know or believe is an illusion, I am the real thing, genuine, right, certain, the only truth worthy of your complete trust’.
KNOWING THE TRUTH
Knowing the truth isn’t just about gaining enough head knowledge to persuade ourselves to believe, knowing the truth is knowing and trusting Jesus. John 8: 32, says, ‘you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free’. The context of this is believing in the Word of God, but it applies equally to the One who declared ‘I am truth’. We trust those who are truthful and operate with integrity, but even those we are closest to will sometimes let us down. It is difficult to always be completely truthful and genuine, because we are flawed human beings. But there is one who is perfectly true and genuine, and He can be completely trusted. He is the answer to the world’s search for truth and reality. He is the victorious, glorious One, riding on the white horse, whose name is ‘FAITHFUL AND TRUE’ (Rev 19: 11).
The only true thing in our lives should be the One we trust with all things.
Hywel leaned into Brenin, who stood and let him, just for a moment, before reverting to his more normal skittish state and trotting away. Hywel smiled to himself. He was making progress with the horse at least, little by little gaining his trust. He wondered if it was the same with him and God. As this pilgrimage went on, the things that were said, the people he interacted with, the words he was reading… Little by little, he was learning to trust God more, lean into Him more, accept that He might really care about him. Gracia had said that Brenin would be happier once he learned to submit to kind leadership. What was it she had said? ‘He will be happier and more content for learning to trust another, and in realising that he does not have to be in control. Perhaps the same is true for you?’ If he understood her meaning, she would have been praying for this. For him to trust God enough to give Him the care and control of his life and its direction. He was getting there.
THE PILGRIM pp 210-211
Joy Margetts is a published author and blogger. Her books are works of Christian Historical fiction. Set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, they tell stories of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. Joy has also self- published a short novella, ‘The Beloved‘ as both a companion to ‘The Healing‘, and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle.
‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, was published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022
More information on Joy, and her books can be found here www.joymargetts.com