In Pontius Pilate’s efforts to find his own moral compass, he came to the question “What is Truth?”—a profound question echoed in the cry of humanity today. Pilate, a Roman governor from the first century, is infamously known as the judge who sentenced Jesus to be crucified, ignoring all the facts affirming that Jesus was innocent. Inquiring “What is Truth?” under the pressure of politics and in his own confusion, Pilate was left without an answer he could understand.
But at that same time, there were those who could answer that question with complete conviction. Christ Jesus’ life bore witness to Truth, and his followers understood Truth by his healing works. “What is Truth?” was answered by the demonstration of Truth in their own lives, which were healed and restored. They simply felt the gentle touch of the Christ, Truth, lifting human consciousness Spiritward. They understood in a degree what Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Unity of Good: “Truth is God, and in God’s law. This law declares that Truth is All, and there is no error. This law of Truth destroys every phase of error” (p. 4).
Today, we’re introduced to a wide array of humanly constructed “truths”—alternative truths, post-truths, and emotional truths with little regard for facts. And in societies that deeply value logical thought, these so-called truths clash with logic and bring up the question, “What do we really know to be true?” Once again, as Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “The question, ‘What is Truth,’ convulses the world.” She adds, “Many are ready to meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding; but more are blinded by their old illusions, and try to ‘give it pause’ ” (p. 223).
