Truth and Beauty

O how desperately I want to know Christ in His glory. It is simple to find ourselves in the midst of a conversation with a non-believer or perhaps even in a debate with a Christian and rattle off John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This scripture is of course at the forefront of every argument against relativism that I have ever heard and although it is extremely relevant in that sphere of conversation, I want to pose a question that perhaps has not really been answered by many. What does it mean for Jesus to be the truth? I believe this is not only a good question, but also an imperative one. Since we are so adamantly opposed to relevant truth, and rightfully so, it is of my utmost conviction that we must resolve what it means for Jesus to be the truth. I think that the answer is simple and breathtaking all at once. 

Truth is reality. In the embodied person and work of Jesus in life and death is truth. His entire existence not only points to truth, but is truth. Jesus is reality. On the cross He was pointing out the reality of sin and the steadfast love of our God. In His ministry He was continuously pointing out the extreme ramifications of sin and then His overall power and authority over sin as a reality. Through miracles He showed truth, through signs and wonders we saw truth, as He wept we saw truth, as He paused at the well wearied by a long days journey we saw truth. Jesus showed us the true matter and state of the entire universe and He did so by simply being who He is and who He always will be. 

This is simple and unbelievably breathtaking. How can there be such an unrelenting desire inside of every man and woman to see truth and it be totally encompassed by one man. Pontius Pilate reveals all of our weakness in one discourse with Jesus just before the cross. Pilate questions Jesus about His kingship and Jesus replies thus "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." In Pilate's response we see the age old question that every human being has been asking since the fall of man. Pilate answers, "What is truth?" and in His frustration, he walks away only to concede to the will of the mob and deliver Jesus to be crucified. I feel the pain in Pilate's voice here. I feel the burden that he carries. I sense the gravity that is on him. It is in this that I begin to see the beauty that is in Christ alone.

It is only when we see Christ as the all satisfying answer to our hardest and most difficult questions that true beauty is revealed to us. The deepest, darkest secret in the heart of man is this: we do not know truth. We cannot discern it. We do not see it. We are blinded to it. It is in this that God is most glorified. In Christ the most glorious light that has ever come into the world is shined and truth is revealed. It is Him! He is truth. Once Jesus steps on the scene, He has the ability to shine the light on all truth and lead us into beauty. Once He has shined on the truth we can begin to see the beauty of things were created to be. Christ created family to be beautiful and through the terror of sin it has become so dark and enslaving, but through the cross and the truth of the gospel we are able to experience the true beauty that family was meant for. Sex was meant to be a beautiful union, a mingling of souls between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage, but it was tarnished by the deceitfulness of sin. Yet, in the darkest of times Christ shined out the brighter and through the cross and the truth of the gospel we are now able to operate in the beauty and rhythm that God created marriage and sex for in the beginning. 

Truth leads to a realization of beauty, without fail. Once we see the truth, it enables us to see Christ not as a all powerful taskmaster, arbitrarily setting rules that He knows we will all break in order to revel in joy at the sight of our punishment. Rather truth leads us to "delight in the law of the Lord" as David did in the psalms because they lead to life, "reviving the soul." We no longer see our Christian walk as a laundry list of rules to be followed begrudgingly, but as the way things were always meant to be, in truth, to lead us into the greatest possible measure of joy imaginable to the Glory of Christ. 

When we say Jesus is the truth, we mean exactly that and when people understand this clearly joy will always follow. Truth leads to a realization of beauty, without fail.