Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” echoes through the centuries because it captures the core of our human struggle. Pilate stands in front of Jesus, a man whose innocence he openly acknowledges, and yet he remains trapped in the familiar patterns of human history—a history of power abused, justice twisted, and truth silenced. His question is not flippant or dismissive. Rather, Pilate voices the deep uncertainty within each of us when faced with a world that appears unchanging in its cycles of selfishness, pride, and violence.
We recognize Pilate’s dilemma because it is ours as well. We have seen how easily truth becomes a casualty of convenience or fear. Every day, we observe leaders who serve themselves instead of the common good. Every day, the innocent suffer while crowds look away or, worse yet, applaud. The repetition of injustice and evil can make truth seem irrelevant or unattainable. Like Pilate, we might wonder, “Does truth even matter amidst such enduring darkness?”
Yet in response to Pilate’s profound question, Jesus gives no spoken answer. His silence is powerful and intentional, for the answer he provides is deeper and clearer than words could ever convey. The truth Jesus offers is himself—silent, suffering, surrendered on the cross. In choosing solidarity with our pain, God enters fully into human history. Jesus does not merely observe our brokenness; he takes it upon himself. He does not merely comment on injustice; he absorbs it. On the cross, God’s answer to Pilate—and to each one of us—is unmistakably clear: the truth is a love that embraces suffering, a love that redeems brokenness, a love that transforms even death into life.
God’s entry into our human story was never about willing sacrifice and suffering as ends in themselves. God willed to be among us, to teach us love, to offer us eternal life. Yet humanity, repeating its tragic cycle, chose death for the innocent one. And God allowed this choice, not out of weakness, but out of profound love, so that no one might ever suffer alone or believe evil to be the final word. By enduring the cross, Jesus shows us that every pain, injustice, and sorrow can be transformed. No suffering is meaningless; nothing is beyond redemption.
But this transformation requires our willingness to break free from humanity’s endless cycles. To experience the power of the cross, we must surrender our own histories—our pride, our fear, our complicity in injustice—and lay them at the feet of the Crucified One. Only by embracing Christ’s humility and obedience can we genuinely participate in the truth he embodies.
As we gaze upon the cross today, let us recognize not simply suffering, but salvation. Christ does not offer us easy answers; he offers us himself. He invites us to leave behind the futile attempts to solve human history’s tragedies through power or violence. Instead, he calls us to follow him through humility, sacrifice, and love. For only in his cross, in his silence, and in his profound solidarity with our pain do we find the truth that sets us free—a truth that triumphs over history itself, bringing peace, joy, and eternal life.