What is Truth?

I'm going to honor this special day by quoting one of the most interesting and enlightening dialogues in recorded history and the Holy Scripture:

‎33 Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" 35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?" 36 Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." 37 Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."

‎38 Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" (John 18:33-38).

This conversation takes place just before Christ punishment and execution. But its enlightening by the fact that it takes place between an elevated man from a particular culture at that time, and a pagan man from the prevailing civilization. Pilate has more reasons to doubt that the Jews, because he is totally out of context. However contrary to the Jews he gives Jesus the benefit of doubt. Maybe this man is not a criminal after all, and what he has to say may be important. The priests on the contrary are totally in context, they are partials in the debate and want Jesus dead because he is saying things contrary to their privileged status quo. Pilate has no reason to think this way and asks him honestly "Are you the King of the Jews", and then he points out that he is not a Jew, he has no reason to believe or disbelieve him. For him is almost a matter of indifference. For the Jewish priests it is not. There is no crime in Jesus words and Pilate is more driven by an intellectual interest of discovering what is so annoying for the Jews. His final decision of executing Jesus is only based on political reasons: preserving the peaceful status quo of a very turbulent province of the Roman Empire. He does never believe that Jesus is guilty; he washes his hands for he is not committing the crime of injustice. Pilate's decision is driven by the reason of state.

Finally he asks "What is truth?" His scepticism is the beginning from which faith can spring. He is not denying Jesus. Only the religious bigotry of the priests gave no space for Jesus argument. Their status and wealth depends on not understanding Jesus words. Even if they believe them to be true, it is a inconvenient truth. The debate between the pagan Roman and Jesus is the first encounter between Christian faith and the breakdown of the pagan world. Pontius Pilate is the first Roman to face Jesus, but his circumstances don't allow him to take him seriously. He follows political needs completely unaware of the historical consequences of his decision. That this execution would change the face of the Earth he is completely ignorant of.

A very curious character Pontius Pilate is. How many men find themselves in the precise place and precise moment where history is about to take a radical shift, and are totally unaware of it?