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The Book of Luke, The Second Trial of Christ before Herod Antipas - Lesson 237
Luke 23:8-12, And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. 9Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. 10And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. Jesus Christ has now been brought to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. Pilate, seeing a way out of the sticky problem brought to him by the Jews, realized that he could use Herod Antipas to rid himself of any decision concerning this just man, for he found in him nothing worthy of condemnation. He saw his way out of this problem by a change of jurisdiction for it was revealed to him that Jesus preached mainly in Galilee. So Jesus was led by the Jewish leaders and their followers to the place where Herod resided while in Jerusalem for the Passover. This Herod Antipas was one of three sons of Herod the Great who ruled Israel from 74 to 4 B.C. Herod the Great was that Herod who tried to kill the baby Jesus by commanding that all children under 2 years old be killed who lived in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. It was Herod Antipas who ruled over Galilee during the lives and ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus and who was responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist. Another Herod, Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, was the "Herod" of Acts chapter 12, who killed James, the brother of John, and who arrested Peter with the intention of putting him to death as well. So the Herod’s were no friends of Jesus Christ and those who served Jesus Christ. We have met Herod from time to time as we have studied the Gospel of Luke. He was introduced to us in Luke 3 where his position relative to the other Tetrarchs was listed. Luke describes his contact with John the Baptist while John went into all the country around the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This call for repentance became personal to Herod for John rebuked Herod because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had taken to wife, and all the other evil things he had done. Eventually he added John’s beheading to this list of evil. When Jesus came on the scene Luke shows us in chapter 9 a superstitious Herod who is perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead. At that point we are told that Herod wanted to see Jesus but there is no meeting recorded between them until the time of this trial in Jerusalem. In chapter 13 of Luke, Jesus Christ, after having been warned of Herod’s intention to kill him, calls him a fox (sly and crafty, skulking and cowardly). He gives instructions to tell Herod that he has a ministry to carry out in Galilee and that no prophet can be killed outside of Jerusalem. In other words if Herod truly intended to kill him in Galilee it could not happen for it was not his Father’s will for him to die anyplace except in Jerusalem. Jesus also, as reported by Mark, refers to the yeast of the Pharisees and he includes Herod in that reference. Beware of the yeast of Herod. He lumped Herod with the Pharisees, both of whom wished to test him in his performance of a miracle. This wish of course was unfulfilled but continued in Herod’s heart until this day when Jesus stood before him. We read of this in Luke 23:8, And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. When Jesus warned His disciples to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod, the disciples could only think in literal terms of yeast and of bread and not think of what yeast meant in a spiritual way. They were like Pavlov’s dogs and began salivating at the mention of yeast and by that mention they were reminded that they had not brought lunch with them. This of course was not the point that Jesus was making. Jesus was not telling them to be concerned about food for he would meet their every need. There were, as is always, spiritual implications of His words. Both the Pharisees and Herod were compared to yeast, spreading their wickedness throughout the land. The Pharisees and Herod both wanted Jesus to perform some great sign, to prove that He was, the Messiah. Both were looking for external evidences, rather than looking at the Old Testament prophecies concerning Messiah, to see if Jesus had indeed fulfilled those prophecies. In other words an emphasis on external experiences instead of what God says. Jesus will again teach this lesson after the resurrection by telling Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. But the disciples had a kind of preoccupation with that which is external and that which is physical. It was a preoccupation with that which can be seen with the eye as opposed to the unseen things which faith sees. If we pay attention to God’s word we will soon see how great a value there is in simply believing God’s word versus having to have some visible demonstration from God. Without faith, without believing God’s word it is impossible to please God. So here in Herod is a man without faith, a man who longs for a demonstration of Jesus’ power simply for his entertainment. Herod was very eager to see Jesus. He had been hoping to see Him for a long time but his motives were wrong. He wanted to see Jesus work some wonder. He wanted to see him in the same way he would want to see a magician. I don’t know whether or not Herod ever received the message from Jesus Christ where he called him a fox and told him in essence that he would not stop his work regardless of the threats against him. We are not told from the scriptures that Jesus ever came in direct contact with Herod. So this second Roman trial was as far as we know, the first time that Jesus and Herod were together. The chief priests and scribes were standing nearby, constantly voicing their charges against Jesus, pressing Herod for a guilty verdict. Herod questioned Jesus with many words but heard absolutely no reply from our Lord. Other silences of Christ are reported in scripture. There was a time when he was silent before Caiaphas and Pilate but these were not complete silences and followed some words of Christ. But this was different for he spoke not a word. Herod’s only interest in Jesus was simply based upon curiosity. Not a curiosity that would lead to faith in Jesus Christ but a contemptuous curiosity. Jesus Christ does not satisfy that kind of curiosity and therefore spoke not a word. Jesus not responding to Herod at all must have been a extremely frustrating experience to one who was thought of as a king. I suppose that Herod focused his questions in such a way as to try to bring about miraculous works and signs from our Lord. He wanted to see Jesus for a very long time and this was his opportunity to see some miraculous evidence of His power. But all that Jesus gave to Herod was silence. This Herod was the man who had beheaded John, the man whom Jesus called the greatest prophet of those who are born of women. Herod, as ruler, was used to having things his way, and to having people submit to his power but he had never before been in the presence of the Son of God. But Jesus had no words for him, not one. Herod was, as was Pilate, in a very sticky position here. The religious leaders who wanted Jesus put to death, kept pressing their charges all the time he was trying to interrogate Jesus. But the fact was they had no real evidence to back up their charges. Jesus would not testify against himself, so they were all at a stalemate. Herod was seemingly caught between a rock and a hard place. He did not want to offend the Jewish leaders and would have liked to grant their request but they had nothing with which to work. Jesus did not cooperate either, producing no miracle which would have proven the charges against him as false. So Herod, not wanting to pronounce this man innocent and release him, decided to do nothing but participate with his soldiers in mocking and abusing Jesus. They dressed him in a brilliant robe, as if he were already an earthly king, and sent him back to Pilate. So by refusing to take the right stand Herod became part of the mob. Herod like any good Roman always desiring order, abhorred the possibility of riot which never resulted in a good report to the Emperor. Pilate will later infer that Herod found Jesus innocent, but in reality Herod has avoided the wrath of the chief priests and scribes by pronouncing no verdict. He refuses to be for or against Jesus Christ. That is a position that Christ has told us does not exist for he has said you are either for me or against me. But Herod seems to be "firmly standing" on both sides of the issue at the same time. Seems like he has honed his political skills to a sharp edge! In the final analysis, Herod forced Pilate to make the decision which he did not want to make himself. We find in Herod another buck passer! But in passing the buck he did so in a way that actually won the friendship of a former enemy. We are not told why Pilate and Herod were enemies, nor are we told exactly what it was that healed this wound. We do know from Luke 13:1 that the blood of a number of Galileans had been mingled with their sacrifices in Jerusalem, by none other than Pilate. As Galilee was Herod’s territory and Jerusalem was under Pilate’s control, this was surely one source of tension between the two men. For Pilate had intruded into Herod’s jurisdiction. When Pilate sent Jesus to Herod this sensitivity about jurisdiction may have been one of the factors. So what took place in these two trials joined these two evil men together. Pilate had honored Herod by sending Jesus to him for a decision and now Herod does likewise to Pilate. Somehow this produced a balm to cover the open sore that was previously between them. This incident with Herod is only recorded in Luke but it provides us with the knowledge that everyone rejected Jesus as the Messiah, including Herod. But it was absolutely necessary for Rome and the Gentiles to share in the rejection and the crucifixion of Christ so that all men, not just the Jews, might be guilty of His innocent blood. Anyone who solely blames the Jews for the death of Jesus does not know scripture which tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. My sin, and your sin was carried by Jesus Christ on the cross and his blood was shed for all mankind. Herod and Pilate are but representatives of the Gentiles who along with the Jews show their contempt for that which God the Father has provided as the only Savior of men. |