Quid Est Veritas? That is the very next line in the Gospel; Pilate’s cynical question, “What is Truth?” Our focus is on the Kingship of Jesus, but this deflection is an accurate expression of the attitude so many have toward the Kingdom of God today.
Earlier this week, news broke of a young man being killed on a remote island, home to one of the last untouched tribes in the world, called the Sentinelese. They don’t have modern technology, do not speak a modern language, and have no resistance to modern bacteria. They’ve also never heard of Jesus Christ. John Chau decided to try to change that last part. And he didn’t just do it impulsively. He spent years preparing; This was the last of several trips.
Now, if you look pull up the different news stories – and follow the various threads of comments – you’ll see a variety of reactions, almost all of which disapprove of John’s decision, sometimes with violent hatred. It was illegal. It was stupid. It was disrespectful. It put their health at risk. This man was foolish; he just wanted to be a martyr.
Actually, no, he didn’t. He explicitly wrote “I don’t want to die” in his journal. I don’t know if his approach was the best. I don’t know all the details of the story – no one does. But I do know he clearly said he believed God was calling him there. I know that he had the guts to take seriously what we celebrate today, even though he wasn’t Catholic.
Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. In a defining moment, this King gives us his mission statement: “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Short and to the point: “To testify to the Truth.” Period. This missionary king did not come to end world hunger. He did not come to overthrow Pontius Pilate, Caesar, the Roman government, or any government. He did not come to celebrate diversity and protect cultural purity. He came to testify to the truth. And the truth is that all of us, including every remote native tribe in the world, have sinned and need redemption. All of us need Jesus Christ more than anything else in the world.
But you already knew that. What you may not fully understand, however, is just what form that mission often takes. When Jesus says he came to “testify” he is using the Greek word martyreo. It is the word that gives us “martyr.” We now use that word to describe someone who died to give their testimony. The history of that linguistic change is fairly straightforward. When Christians did testify to the truth about God, the fallen world, and the redemption of God’s Kingdom, they often wound up dead. First with Jesus himself and then with millions since.
The primitive tribe near India killed John Chau because he was an outsider – they didn’t know what he was preaching. So, it’s not exactly the same as most martyrdoms. Still, John chose to take that risk only because he wanted to testify to the truth. Do you think Jesus will quibble with him about the technicality? Do you think Jesus will care more about “imperialism” and microbes? Or will he see an act of Love, imperfect though it may be? Will he see a 27-year-old man, in perfect health and with everything to lose, risking it all for the amazingly unlikely chance to partially fulfill the words of the Prophet Daniel that people from all nations will serve the Universal King?
I have hope, but I am not the judge. What I’m more interested in, though, is how Christians react to these events. The way a person responds to this news suggests a lot about their values. Do they value the laws of India more? Do they think first of health? Or of respecting diversity in other cultures? Or do they take the King at his word? Testimony to the Truth above all else. Ultimately, what I’m interested in is the answer to question with which I began. What. Is. Truth?
It’s true that I and many others love this country. It’s true that we should respect its laws and the laws of all nations. It’s true that caring for the health of others is good. It’s true that we should rejoice in the diversity of the human race and appreciate the various ways cultures can express and adorn the truth. But I pray that I am willing to sacrifice every single one of those things if they ever threaten to undermine the greatest truth of them all: that the Kingdom of God is not of this world, and that we shouldn’t be either.
John Chau died for his decision. Maybe some of the natives will die from his diseases. You know what? They were going to die anyway. You and I are going to die too. Today is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year; a time to remember that the world will end. All will die. All will face judgment. And then we will see the Kingdom of God in its fullness; A kingdom that spans every nationality, language, culture, and time. Its citizens are distinguished by one thing: they belong to the Truth.
“Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to my voice.” If you listen to the voice of the Heavenly King, then you belong to his Heavenly Kingdom. If not, then you do not. And that is not something you want to find out on the day of Judgment. So, listen to his voice. Do everything you can to not just “know” the truth, but to belong to it.
I don’t have an exciting new method of belonging to the Truth. Study the faith. Serve others humbly. Fast regularly. Give generously. Speak honestly to God in prayer and about God to others. There is plenty of need for testimony right here. You don’t have to go to North Sentinel Island like John Chau to proclaim the truth. And, if you do go to some untouched tribe, please take every precaution for your safety and theirs, but let no excuse isolate them from the Kingdom of God.
Our world mocks Jesus along with Pilate: “What is truth?” Who are you to impose your values on me? Respect my culture, my identity, my beliefs, and keep your truth to yourself. I cannot. For, my King did not. We do not impose, but we must testify. And as with our king, we should be prepared lest our testimony, like his, costs us even our lives.