The Gospel's Scandalous Claim - Jesus is the Truth

There is a highly popular creed that circulates in our society, is often heard and repeated but is not really believed by anyone. As much as it seems nice or, at best, convenient, if we really believed this creed then the whole of society across the world would collapse into chaos and ruin. We say we believe it. In reality, we don't. Because we can't. What is this creed? All beliefs are equal. You are free to believe whatever you like, provided it makes you happy. There is no such thing as absolute truth. That is completely wrong. Absolute baloney. Nothing short of a heinous lie. And no-one really believes it. How can I say this? Let's imagine the following scenario: you have been falsely accused of a crime. Your lawyer has already told you that the whole thing is nonsense. It's clear you didn't do it. He will definitely get you off. So when you take the stand during the first hearing, you're really confident that you'll be out of there before lunch. Your lawyer begins his defence. "Your Honour, I submit to you that all truths are equal. Therefore I am free to believe that my client is innocent and you are free to believe that they are guilty. So if you decide to send them to prison for a crime I believe they did not commit, then that's perfectly okay, provided it makes you happy." I can imagine you would be furious about that. The criminal justice system is not just a debating competition with silly wigs for public schoolboys who were too snooty to work in an office. No, it has to be based on the idea that an absolute truth must exist: that there is such a thing as innocence and guilt. Or take science. Imagine you went to a physics conference with some of the most important scientists in the world. Now imagine one of them stated her belief that the moon is made of cheese, the sun is an orange, Mars is a beetroot and the Milky Way is made of custard. Would you really be okay with her saying this, provided she was sincere in her belief? Or say someone made up seriously awful and completely slanderous allegations against you and your family, lies with no basis whatsoever, and had them printed in newspapers, posted in social media and broadcasted on the news. Would you still believe they are fully justified in believing what they want? The International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris, France might sound like a office for uber-nerds, but without this office we would all be in deep trouble. They impose international standards for every kind of measure, from weights to electricity and gas and power, and many, many more. It's because of them that we have a standard pound and kilogram and tonne. Without them, shopping and trading and commerce of any kind would be chaotic. What Jesus is saying in this verse is that there has to be a standard for truth. There has to be a measure for determining if something is true or false. He is not offering Himself to be that measure. He is not saying that He is a better measure. He is saying that He is the measure, and there is no other. If anyone else were to say this, we would see them as insanely arrogant and have them checked out by a psychologist. But Jesus is not arrogant. He is not mad. John says this about Him: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1‭, ‬14 The Greek word translated as 'Word' here - the word 'Logos' - means more than just 'word' in English. We derive the word 'logic' from it. It means thought processes, reasoning, doctrine, cause, and their expression in discourse and speech. In fact, 600 years before Jesus came to the earth, it is already in use to describe God's purpose and plan in a changing universe, first used in this way by the Greek philosopher Heracletus. In other words, Jesus came to the earth as the human expression of the Divine thoughts and logic that underpins everything. He is the ultimate in Truth. There is no other leader or figurehead or boss who can compare with this. In fact, Paul writes words: Let God be true, and every human being a liar. Romans 3:4 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/rom.3.4.NIVUK Maybe you think Christians are arrogant to claim that Jesus is the Truth and all others are liars. However, that is complete misunderstanding. Since Jesus is the Truth, He is the standard by which we live our lives. He is the Truth; we are not. He is the standard; we fall short. As John explains in His first letter: If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8‭-‬10 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/1jn.1.8-10.NIVUK In other words, the belief that Jesus is the Truth doesn't cause us to be arrogant like a know-it-all coming out of a test in school, boasting that they know something we do not. No, belief in Jesus as the Truth makes us realise that we are not the Truth; that there are lies and shortcomings in us that we need to confess. We live in a desert of truth. We are surrounded by a deafening din of lies, spoken by liars determined to have us believe them so that we carry out their wishes. In the middle of this cacophony, Jesus and His Word stand as the beacon of Truth to lead us through life. Belief in Jesus as the Truth is not arrogance or intolerance or ignorance, just as belief in the force of gravity is not folly. Instead, it's a simple, humble admission that we have got it wrong and He is right. If you need to know the truth; if you are desperate for certainty and reality instead of conspiracy, abandon the lies and come to Jesus. He will lead you into all Truth. He will set you free. Jesus is not just the way and the truth. We will now see that JESUS IS THE LIFE.