What does it take to make you curious? If you’ve ever considered the life of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament gospels, surely, there is something to pique your curiosity. The truth is, curiosity and questions come rather naturally to human beings. The real test of our character is what we do with that curiosity and the questions it engenders.
Especially when it comes to seeking and knowing the truth, is curiosity enough?
In the Bible, two kinds of people encountered Jesus. Some were curious about Jesus and the truth He embodies, while others were committed to Jesus and the truth He embodies. Not every curious questioner of Jesus was an honest seeker of Jesus. The Pharisees, for example, asked Jesus many questions in hopes of confirming their assumptions about him. Still others went beyond their curiosity and accepted Jesus for who He claimed and demonstrated Himself to be.
These two categories of people are on full display in the narrative of Jesus’ arrest and trial. In John 18, Jesus had been arrested and hauled before the Jewish religious leaders. The religious leaders questioned Jesus about his doctrine. When Jesus responded that they already knew His doctrine because He had taught it publicly throughout His ministry, the religious leaders revealed their true motives. Their curiosity about Jesus’ doctrine was not in pursuit of truth. They knew what Jesus had taught, but they did not want to believe what He had taught. So, they condemned Him! They found Jesus guilty of blasphemy because He made explicit claims to deity (see Mark 14:61-62). Since they had no authority to execute him, the Jews brought Jesus before the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition.
Pilate found himself alone with the famous “Jesus, of Nazareth.” Perhaps he thought, “Wow, Jesus is literally my captive audience!” So, Pilate asked his own questions of Jesus. He asked Jesus if He were “King of the Jews,” perhaps trying to discern if Jesus was a political threat or perhaps truly curious about His identity.
To this, Jesus responded, “Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?” (John 18:34). It is almost as if Jesus were asking Pilate, “Do you really want to know who I am?” He was testing Pilate’s heart. Was Pilate merely curious or committed to the truth?
Subtly, Pilate shifted the focus from himself and placed it back on the religious leaders who had delivered Jesus to him. Essentially, Pilate said, “Don’t bring me into this. I’m just trying to understand their problem with you. What have you done?” Jesus explained that His kingdom is not of this world. He had no fight with Rome. If His fight were with Rome, then Jesus’ servants would not have allowed Him to be captured.
Jesus’ otherworldly response piqued Pilate’s curiosity even more, and he asked, “Art thou a king then?”
Jesus replied, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37). Jesus lays it all out there for Pilate. Jesus is clear that His mission is to share the truth with others. He is also clear that everyone who is an honest seeker of the truth will listen to Him. Everyone who truly wants it has access to the truth.
Then, Pilate gave his now infamous reply, “What is truth?”
His response is infamous because Pilate did not stay for an answer to his own question. Until then, Pilate had asked Jesus very direct questions, and Jesus has given very direct answers. But John 18:38 says this: “Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews . . .” This verse is stunning! Pilate said his question. While it may have ended in a question mark, Pilate clearly did not want an answer. He left the question hanging in the air between him and Jesus. As soon as he had said it, Pilate left Jesus and went back to the crowd. Why didn’t Pilate stick around for Jesus’ answer? We did not hear Pilate’s tone, but we can speculate. Perhaps he meant it as a rhetorical question, a sarcastic statement like many postmodernists today would have meant it. Or maybe he was afraid to hear Jesus’ answer!
Ah, there it is. That is the problem with mere curiosity.
Pilate’s response demonstrates that curiosity about the truth can bring you to the brink of discovery, but it takes more than curiosity to push you over the edge. In his book, Christian Apologetics, Douglas Groothius explains the problem of mere curiosity in the search for truth, saying, “Curiosity is not intrinsically good because it can lead to gossip, violations of privacy (snooping) and wasted time and effort—as represented by the content of any issue of People magazine. In other words, curiosity can be a vice . . . Studiousness, on the other hand, earnestly inquires after what ought to be known.”[1] Anyone can be curious, but it takes courage to commit oneself to honest truth-seeking.
This conversation between Pilate and Jesus in John 18 also demonstrates that curiosity can be held simultaneously with pride. Matthew Henry commented on this passage: “But many put this question that have no patience and constancy enough to persevere in their search after truth, or not humility and sincerity enough to receive it when they have found it.”[2] Curiosity is beneficial because it prompts us to ask questions. But if all we ever do is ask questions without staying to hear the answers, curiosity can keep us in a state of skepticism. While some pass off their skepticism as humility, saying, “Well, I just don’t know. Who can ever know?”, skepticism is not the same as humility. Humility is recognizing that there is such a thing as Truth and submitting myself to Truth. Humility is admitting that I don’t know everything and never will, while also taking responsibility for the truth that I can know and do know.
In contrast with mere curiosity, commitment can keep us humble yet confident in a postmodern world where the question “What is truth?” swirls everywhere. Curiosity may lead you to Jesus, but you must take a lingering look and listen to really know Jesus. Will you stay long enough to hear Jesus answer the question, “What is truth?”
Thankfully, we have examples of people in the other category as well. In John 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus approached Jesus with a similar question. It was question of Jesus’ identity and the truth He possessed. Nicodemus asked hard questions and received hard answers. But Nicodemus stayed long enough for Jesus to explain those hard answers. In contrast with the skeptics and Pilates of the day, Nicodemus was more than curious. He was committed to finding the truth. He wasn’t just curious about Jesus; he wanted to know Jesus. Likewise, the centurion, when he felt the earthquake and saw the blackened daytime sky that accompanied Jesus’ last breath, made a confession of faith: “Truly, this man was the Son of God!” These men were not merely curious about Jesus; they believed who Jesus claimed and demonstrated Himself to be.
What application can these two categories of people, hold for us today? Whether Christian or not, all people fall into either the curious or committed category. If you are a Christian, you have already accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior that He is. That’s wonderful! But learning about Jesus does not end at salvation. How are you doing as a disciple of Jesus? To be a disciple of Jesus, you must be more than curious about Jesus. Jesus has said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). So, disciples of Christ are more than just curious spectators; they are committed followers. They are obedient servants of Christ! Asking questions like, “What would Jesus do?” is great for provoking thought, but we cannot stop there. We mustn’t passively ask what Jesus would do in theoretical situations when we know what Jesus has commanded us to do in many specific situations.
If you are not a Christian, ask yourself whether you are just curious about Jesus or whether you are willing to commit yourself to the truth of the gospel. This means that you must admit that you are a sinner deserving of God’s judgement. This also means that you must accept Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf as enough to merit God’s favor. You must reject the premise that anything you are, or anything you could do is enough or worthy to be added to Christ’s finished work on the cross. When you humbly turn away from your work and turn to Christ in complete dependence on His work, that is commitment to the gospel.
When you accept Jesus Christ as your only Savior, then God accepts you as His child. John 1:12 says it this way: “But as many as received him [Jesus Christ] to them gave he power to become to the sons of God, even to them that believe on his [Jesus’] name.” If you are curious about Jesus, great! So was Pilate. In the end, although he tried to wash away his guilt with water, Pilate will give account for what he did with Jesus that day. How about you? As you see Jesus standing in Pilate’s hall, will you stop at curiosity like Pilate did? Or will you allow your curiosity to lead you to the truth, and then will you commit to that truth? Jesus stands with open arms, ready to welcome any honest seeker!
[1] Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 141.
[2] Matthew Henry, “Commentary on John 18 by Matthew Henry,” Blue Letter Bible, Last Modified 1 Mar, 1996, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Jhn/Jhn_018.cfmBlue Letter Bible