Witness

Christians have often viewed themselves as witnesses to Jesus. The first followers saw themselves as witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Subsequent followers have witnessed to Jesus by passing on to others what they have received concerning Jesus through Scripture, through others’ testimonies, and from their own experience and thoughts about Jesus. At times, Christians have even come up with theologies and formulas for speaking about Jesus to others—a kind of how to talk about Jesus. Often the focus has been on gaining converts. Witnessing has been understood along these lines.

Jesus, however, spoke about being a witness in another sense. To governor Pilate he said, “For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (John 18:37)

To his followers, the one who is in the world to testify to the truth said “Learn from me.”

What we learn from Jesus is that we are to witness to the truth. Therefore, we are to become truthful, first with ourselves, then to the world. We have a Helper for this. Jesus tells his followers that he sends the Spirit of truth to guide them into truth. (John 16:13)

Like Jesus, the Human One (“Son of Man”), we are to be witnesses to the truth—the truth of our humanity and of true community rooted in love. Simply talking about Jesus does not make us (we who are Christians) witnesses. Being truthful does. Loving does.

I raise this issue, in a time of easy Jesus talk, because more easy Jesus talk is not needed. Truth is needed. Pilate dismissed both Jesus and the truth. He said to Jesus, “What is truth?” He did not seem to care to know.

From the Gospel of John we are given these words of Jesus: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) If we are going to come to God it is through “the way and the truth and the life.” Jesus without the truth is not Jesus. Witness to Jesus without the truth is not witness to Jesus.

We encounter truth—the kind Jesus testified to—when the truth of our humanity is spoken and lived, when loving action exists, when our untruth is called out. Without such truth, Jesus talk is just talk. We need truth in our time. True witness to Jesus is witness to the truth.

Jesus testified to the truth, truth that brought life and healing and uplift; truth that shared God’s mercy and forgiveness and liberation. He welcomed sinners. He went to those who were pushed aside and demeaned. He welcomed all. He testified to the love of God that reached out to all.

Jesus testified to the truth, to hard truth, truth that got him in trouble. He said of many religious leaders that “on the outside they look righteous to others, but inside are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28) To king Herod who indicated he was out to kill him, Jesus said, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.” (Luke 13:32) Jesus was going to be about his calling no matter what King Herod did. His calling was to testify to the truth as he lived the truth.

Jesus calls people from falsehood to truth, from false ways of being in the world to living out our true humanity as an expression of the love of God. Therefore, Jesus calls Christians to turn from a Christianity that seeks power to carve out a secure place for itself (including by political means). He calls Christians to “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him” in welcoming and serving others with compassion. In other words, to come to know and live and testify to the truth.