Matt Chandler - Awake to Truth

I like the speed of Spanish; I feel like I was born to speak that fast, but I just do it in English. So, um, it was 1992, and it was one of the most-watched court cases in American history. It was in full swing in '92. Marines Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey were accused of the murder of Private William Santiago and were facing murder charges, as well as court-martial. Some of you are with me, and some of you know it’s going to be fine. As the investigation and trial progressed, it became clear, though, that although Dawson and Downey were guilty, they were acting upon an order given to them by a commanding officer—an order that they would not have been able to disobey.

Now, in one of the more dramatic—by the way, you can watch this on YouTube—in one of the more dramatic moments of the case, the JAG lawyer assigned to the defendants, Daniel Caffey, actually put Colonel Nathan Jessup on the stand. What came after that was nothing short of epic. Caffey just went right at him: «Did you order the Code Red?» The judge said, «You don’t have to answer that,» but Jessup, not going to be put off by this Harvard-educated lawyer, said, «I’ll answer the question,» and then fired back at him: «You want answers?» Caffey said, «I think I’m entitled to them.» Jessup replied, «You want answers?» and Caffey said, «I want the truth!» To which Jessup, from deep within, said, «You can’t handle the truth!» Right? It’s just kind of epic.

And then from there, are you with me? You know that’s a movie. There seemed to be some confusion, like, «I don’t remember this; I was in high school in '92, but I don’t know, that wasn’t my thing.» No, it’s a movie. You’re fine. I know what you’re watching this afternoon. Now, after «You can’t handle the truth,» Jessup gives a long explanation for why our boy Caffey can’t handle it. Here’s his quote: «Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s going to do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg?» I have to watch. I’m wanting to kind of take on his voice—anybody else feel that? I’m like, «Don’t do it! Just read the quote.»

Okay, here it is: «I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know—that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth, because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.» We use words like 'honor, ' 'code, ' and 'loyalty.' We use those words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the very blanket of freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a, not a church word, what you think you’re entitled to.

Right now, I want to argue that they’re missing each other because I think they’re talking about facts under the banner of truth, and facts and truth aren’t the same thing. So let me unpack that. Facts are things that we can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear. Truth is what sits beneath those things and orients us to reality. So facts can point to a specific time, place, or action, but truth is actually behind all those facts and is more saying, «This is what the universe is all about.» So truth and facts—this is an argument about facts under the banner of him not being able to handle the truth. They don’t understand each other right out of the gate, and this is actually a common thing among human beings.

In fact, Jesus tries to help Pilate in yet another well-known court case. Jesus had been arrested, and he is back behind closed doors with Pilate. Pilate doesn’t want to kill Jesus, but he lacks the courage to live a life of conviction. In this dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, where this comes to the forefront again, here’s what it says in John 18, just about four chapters ahead of where our primary text is today: Here’s what Pilate says to Jesus: «You are a king, then?» said Pilate. Jesus answered, «You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.»

Pilate’s retort: «What is truth?» And with this, he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, «I find no basis for a charge against him.» Do you see them missing each other? Like, Pilate is like, «You’re a king,» and Jesus is like, «Well, yeah, in fact, I am, but I’m a king who’s come to testify to the truth.» Well, «What’s truth?» So Pilate is jammed up on facts, and the truth is standing right in front of him. Jesus is like, «Yes, I have come to testify to the truth. I’ve come to testify to myself.»