he Kingdom of Truth

Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and called
Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus
answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee
concerning me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and
the chief priests, delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom
were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should
not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from
hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus
answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been
born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear
witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my
voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?

And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and
saith unto them, I find no crime in him.--John 18:33-38.

All kingdoms rest on force; formerly on swords and bayonets, now on big
guns. To overthrow them you must prepare more force, bigger guns. Jesus
was accused before Pilate of being leader of a force revolution aiming to
make him king. He claimed the kingship, but repudiated the force. To his
mind the absence of force resistance was characteristic of his whole
undertaking. Instead, his power was based on the appeal and attractiveness
of truth. When Pilate heard about "truth" he thought he had a sophist
before him, one more builder of metaphysical systems, and expressed the
skepticism of the man on the street: "What is truth?" But Jesus was not a
teacher of abstract doctrine, whatever his expounders have made of him.
His mind was bent on realities. If we substitute "reality" for "truth" in
his saying here, we shall get near his thought.

Which is more durable, power based on force, or power based on spiritual
coherence?

Fourth Day: A Mental Transformation

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service. And be not fashioned according to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will
of God.--Rom. 12:1, 2.

In the first century the Christians were a new social group, confronting
the soci