“Can they hear me?” Amelia asked as she turned questioningly from watching the last roof truss being placed on top of her new house. We had watched the crane set a dozen or so trusses in place from the window before going onto the front porch. She and Ezra ran back and forth excitedly on the driveway until I motioned for them to watch the last piece being lifted into place. Amelia froze when the giant section came into view above the house and she cheered, “Woo Hoo! Good job, work people!” Luckily I caught the moment on video to share with her mom and dad and before long, the crane truck driver headed out, blaring his horn for the two excited toddlers waving and dancing across the street. I’d wager the entire neighborhood heard their whooping and hollering.
Sometimes, though, I ask Amelia’s question when I’m repeating myself for the umpteenth time. Can they hear me? I know they are always listening because when I least expect it, Ezra or Amelia will repeat something I’ve just said back to me. Sometimes they choose not to acknowledge what I’ve said and often I think their little minds are so engrossed in their own play that they simply tune me and everything else out. Other times, their little brains are overloaded, especially when they’re tired, and not everything I’ve said registers. Such may have been the case when Jesus sought to comfort His followers on the night of His betrayal. Knowing that His time had come, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He sent Judas into the night before He predicted Peter’s denial. The hour was late yet there were so many things He still longed to say. How could He reassure them in the face of what was coming?
“Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God; believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
And you know the way to where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.
From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am?
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
So why are you asking me to show him to you?
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.
Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.
Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
If you love me, obey my commandments.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.
The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.
But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
John 14:7-11, 15-17, 26 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.14.9-26.NLT
Jesus called Himself Truth and He testified before Pilate that he came to bear witness to the Truth. (John 14:6, 18:37) Paul teaches that God our Savior desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth. (I Timothy 2:3) When we claim to know Jesus, we are in effect saying we are well acquainted with Truth. Jesus maintained that all who love the truth recognize that what He says is true. (John 18:37) To know Christ is to know Truth, and as Jesus prayed, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
John 17:17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.17.17.NLT
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.
In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.
Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.
We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.
No one has ever seen God.
The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.”
John 1:1-4, 14, 18 NET
https://bible.com/bible/107/jhn.1.1-18.NET
“Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning.
Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor.
His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover.
So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”
“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.
“Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.
“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied.
(This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.)
Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him.
“Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.
Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)”
John 18:28-40 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.18.33-39.NLT
“What is Truth?” Pilate’s question was dismissive. He was no more interested in knowing Truth than the Jews who asked him to crucify Jesus. Each had their own agenda. Pilate, to secure his seat of authority, contented himself in the knowledge that Jesus posed no threat to Rome. Likewise the Jewish leaders, in order to defend their positions, sought to take Jesus out before the whole world went after Him. (John 12:19) It’s ironic how people can witness the same events and have such very different perspectives. Two thieves were crucified with Jesus. One continued mocking Jesus as he died, condemning himself to eternity apart from God. The other passed through death into life everlasting in the presence of the Father.
“That same day (that Jesus was raised) two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.
As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened.
As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.
He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.
Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
“What things?” Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said.
“He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people.
But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him.
We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel.
This all happened three days ago.
Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report.
They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive!
Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”
Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people!
You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.
Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”
Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Luke 24:13-15, 17-27 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.24.13-27.NLT
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1ti.2.5-6.ESV
Are you truly interested in knowing Truth? Jesus, God’s one and only Son is Truth. God’s Word is Truth. You can know the Father only through Jesus. When you accept that He and the Father are one, you will receive the Spirit of Truth who will lead you into all Truth.
“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
A Fitting Reply 