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Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered him and said, "It is as you say." So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man." But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.
- Luke 23:1-12
Yesterday, we read that after His arrest, the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him. As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God." Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am." And they said, "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."
Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" He answered him and said, "It is as you say." So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man." But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place." My study bible says that the religious accusations against Jesus (see yesterday's reading, above) aren't enough to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation (even if blasphemy under Jewish law would do so). Therefore here the chief priests make politically charged accusations in front of Pilate, so that he might be persuaded to put Jesus to death. We've seen the attempt to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes, here. Pilate's question, it says, is more of a mockery of the accusation than a mockery of Jesus -- he clearly doesn't take the political charges seriously. Jesus' response, "It is as you say," may also be translated, "You say so."
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other. My study bible says that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty. (He had a similar attitude toward John the Baptist.) Christ's silence, it notes, is an act of compassion -- revealing divine mysteries in the face of blasphemy would have brought Herod a greater condemnation. It says, "St. Ambrose sees Herod as a figure representing all unrighteous people who, if they do not recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles." We note the irony of the newfound friendship between Herod and Pilate, cemented through the abuse of Christ.
Jesus becomes a pawn in the hands of the worldly powerful. He is shuttled between Herod and Pilate, an opportunity to cement relations between the two men. Each time He is handed over to another court, abuse takes place -- He's mocked and struck and spit upon. Earlier before being presented at the night trial of the Council, He was even told to prophesy who hit Him. It is a kind ultimate humiliation not only of One who came to save, but of the One who is divine. And as the time passes now, we will see Him further humiliated, brought low, crucified as one of the worst criminals. One of the things that is striking here is that all of these people know He is innocent. He's innocent of the charges against Him, innocent of seeking insurrection against the state or of proclaiming Himself a worldly king. He has often said that He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets; He does not come to the world to tear down Jewish spiritual heritage. And yet, here He is, for all kinds of reasons, but none of them having anything to do with justice or with truth. As we've discussed earlier, we know the motivation of the religious leadership is envy. We can see the politics between Herod and Pilate, the cynical way Pilate views the religious leadership who've brought Christ before him. Herod is a kind of spoiled child figure, fascinated by holy men and trying to see some sort of miracle performed on cue. It is a loathsome scene, in that in some sense it is the worst of the world on display, having their way with our Savior. He has warned about casting pearls before swine, giving what is sacred to dogs, we know. So we have to ask ourselves, who is really on trial here? Who's actions will be weighed in the balance? It's rather an extreme picture in which we can remind ourselves of Jesus' words: "Judge not, lest you be judged." And therein is the power of "witnessing." We look to the note in my study bible, speaking about Christ's mercy to Herod in not revealing more. If we stand for what is righteous and spiritually true, then we bring a kind of judgment into the arena, wherever we are. It may be a hard fact to grasp, but Jesus teaches over and over again about witnessing, about the righteous of the past who will rise to witness against the present generation, about the righteous of other lands who will judge Israel. Judgment comes by the work of the Spirit, and when we witness in the word, in the righteousness of the Spirit, when we truly shine the light we are asked to shine, it becomes a time of judgment. But we're not the judge, He is the judge. Righteousness must be present for this kind of judgment, true witnessing is the testimony in this spiritual court. When we stand for something true, when we stand in righteousness -- no matter what the response we think we see -- we should always remember who's really on trial, and who the real judge is. We witness to that court, and we follow Him. Righteous witnessing calls on others to do the same, and sets a standard for everyone, whether they know it or not. There will be times we are called to speak, and times we are called to silence -- but this court is always in session.
