Are You the King of the Jews?

 

 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 this 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 Christ's betrayal and 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 tells us that the religious accusations against Jesus (Luke 22:66-71) would not be enough to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation.  So, therefore, the chief priests invent false (Luke 20:20-26) and politically charged accusations in order to persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death.  Pilate's question ("Are You the King of the Jews?") is more a mockery of the accusation itself than of Jesus.  Clearly, he doesn't take the political charges seriously ("I find no fault in this Man").  The answer Jesus gives, "It is as you say," can also be translated more ambiguously, "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 this 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 comments that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.  (Perhaps this is the way he had also viewed St. John the Baptist; see Mark 6:20.)  Christ's silence in this instance before Herod is an act of compassion.  To reveal divine mysteries in the face of such blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, says my study Bible, Herod is a figure who represents all unrighteous people who, if they don't recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles.  

 

In terms of the "darkness" which we read about over the past few readings and those to come (see But this is your hour, and the power of darkness, Monday's reading), we see that darkness expressed in certain ways in today's reading as well.  There are first of all the deliberate falsehoods told to Pilate in order to extricate from him the death penalty for Jesus.  This is one level of darkness indeed, in which malice, spite, and envy play a great part in this devious behavior.  Note also that the chief priests and scribes offer to Herod the same false accusations.  There's the particular darkness of Pilate, who in fact can see that Jesus is innocent and that the accusations are preposterous, but who doesn't know nor understand Jesus.  And then there is the peculiar darkness of Herod, a Jew in some sense only by "training" in order to rule as tetrarch.  He knew John was a holy man, Mark's Gospel told us, and he delighted in asking questions and treating John as a sort of curiosity he had in his court for a while.  Here, Herod once again delights in being able to see Jesus, someone who is different and extraordinary, about whom we know he has heard much (Luke 9:9).  We're told that 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.  Perhaps because he's been rebuffed by Jesus, who is not a pleasing plaything or curiosity as He answers nothing, and perhaps feeling justified through the vehement accusations of the chief priests and scribes, 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.  Luke's Gospel here witnesses the same mocking and humiliating behavior given to Jesus at His detention overnight in the home of the high priest (see yesterday's reading, above).   Jesus, responding to this kind of "darkness," which is based in a type of ignorance, answers nothing.  St. Ambrose, as noted in my study Bible, categorizes unrighteous people such as Herod as those who will never understand His words or even comprehend his miracles because they don't recognize Him as the Christ to begin with.  Perhaps it would be more clear to say that, because of their own blindness, they cannot.  There is a blindness (or darkness) which is born of not simply ignorance but a preference for a kind of brutality, a sheerly material outlook, one characterized by the kind of indulgence we can observe of Herod throughout the Gospels.  This is a man who cares for power and what he gets thereby, more interested in pleasing his men of war and his own sense of "honor" before them than the things which are God's.  It's a very interesting note that Luke adds for us to this passage: that very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  Those familiar with any sort of hierarchy or bureaucracy can recognize such a friendship, based as it is on a kind of complement or courtesy of power, in that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod in what might be interpreted among the powerful as a gracious gesture of acknowledgment of his authority.  But there also might be a deeper sense here, also part of the darkness of the time, in that shared guilt or responsibility for injustice also seems to act as a kind of bind, even enslavement between people, a pact that ensures conspiracy when desired.  There are plenty of public scandals today which testify to this phenomenon at work among the powerful.  But let us consider here the grace of Jesus which stands alone among this darkness, mockery, lies, and injustice.  We -- especially in the modern Western world -- may be conditioned by our secular political perspectives to believe that it is always proper to speak out.  But Jesus knows something different, something better, and a deeper truth.  That not only would revealing more of the truth about Himself deliver an even greater condemnation to these men when they reject it, as they are bound to do (for it is judgment that is at work, the Judge who is standing before them), but that there is no purpose in delivering truth to those who cannot and will not see.  As He tried so hard to save Judas by any means available, so no doubt He would also try to save these others, if it were at all possible.  He gives us this touch -- a hint of wisdom, if we can but see it -- that there are times when it is proper not to speak, but to withdraw.  And so He does.  Midst the indignities, He holds His dignity, but the ignorant, in their darkness, cannot likely see it.  And so, this also explains His answer to Pilate, which might be translated, "You say so."   There is no point to answer what will not be clearly understood.  Perhaps it is Christ's humble demeanor which Pilate can easily read, for he's a shrewd man who's reached a position of authority in the Roman hierarchy.  Let us consider the time, and consider also what we might see around us in our own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find no fault in this Man

 

 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 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 points out here that the religious accusations against Jesus (see yesterday's reading, above) would not be enough to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation.  So, therefore, the chief priests have invented false accusations (see Luke 20:20-26), which are politically charged, so that they may persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death.  Pilate's question ("Are You the King of the Jews?"), my study Bible says, is more a mockery of this accusation than it is of Jesus, as it is clear that he does not take the political charges seriously ("I find no fault in this Man").  My study Bible comments that Christ's answer,  "It is as you say," can also be translated with the more ambiguous, "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 suggests that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.  It notes for us that Christ's silence is an act of compassion.  This is because to reveal divine mysteries in the face of such blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  St. Ambrose sees Herod as a figure who represents all unrighteous people who, if they do not recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles.  

It's quite interesting that Herod is seen as somewhat of a highly destructive bumbler through the Gospels.  He's consistently a person for whom holy people have the kind of draw of unusual and exotic animals from strange lands.  He is fascinated with John the Baptist.  In Mark's Gospel, we're told that although Herod had him arrested for criticizing his marriage to Herodias, he "feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly" (Mark 6:20).  One gets the feeling that John the Baptist was a sort of protected thing of interest for private audience.  But then Herod rashly (and perhaps drunkenly) swears to Herodias' daughter, because he's moved by her dancing at his birthday party, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you" and "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom" (Mark 6:22-23).  And then, when she's counseled by her mother, who hates the Baptist, she asks Herod for John's head on a platter.  At that stage, Herod is "exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her" (Mark 6:26), so he follows through with her wish.  Both Mark and Matthew also tell us that when Herod heard of the things that Christ was doing, he was curious to see him.  But then he also became paranoid, believing that possibly Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, and that was the explanation for Christ's power (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14).  In today's reading, Herod is once again like an immature child.  He wants to see Jesus because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Herod wants to be amused and dazzled by what he does not understand.  He behaves like an overspoiled person, who sees others as things to be acquired and consumed like entertainments for his pleasure and wonder.  Christ's response is telling by His silence.  There is nothing to engage in Herod.  So, once again without any sense of understanding or wisdom, Herod behaves as a sort of spiteful teenager -- and, of course, is once again surrounded by his court as he was at his birthday party.  We're told that with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  Perhaps these are the same men of war before whom he was afraid to back down on the oath he swore to Herodias' daughter.  His character is consistently unwise, overindulgent, and vainly destructive.  Christ, accused of proclaiming Himself king of the Jews, stands before a worldly king who fails in every possible aspect we associate with good leadership.  Herod's earthly father was known as Herod the Great.  Also known as Herod the Builder, he built many monuments, but the most splendid and famous is not doubt the beautiful temple in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, which would be completely destroyed by the Romans in the year AD 70, in response to a Jewish uprising.  Herod the Great is the same Herod who slew the infants in Bethlehem, seeking to kill Christ (Matthew 2:16-18), having heard of the birth of Jesus from the Wise Men who'd come to pay homage to Him.  Herod the Great, even in a world known for its brutality and use of raw power, was considered to be ruthless even by such earthly standards as kings and emperors of the time.  Perhaps we should contrast Herod's father with Christ's Father, so that we understand that when we choose to worship Christ, we choose also to participate in an entirely different set of energies than the ruthless worldly power of the family of Herod.  In the contrast between Herod Antipas, the son, and Jesus Christ the Son, we see the contrasting outcome between the two.   The Gospel today tells us afterward, that very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  One Roman representative becomes friends with another, and they will share in the violence done to Him, despite their knowledge that He is a holy Man.  For if we watch the way of the world, we will see that this is the way that violence works so often:  denying its culpability, and hiding behind titles and falsehoods.  Both men know that Jesus is innocent, but each somehow excuses his role.  Christ stands before them, but the real truth here is that they stand before Him.  We live in a world that still remains one of expediency, even ruthlessness, caught in a web of presumably good intentions assigned to large institutions, whole countries, administrations, and human affairs of all kinds.  But we each stand before Christ nevertheless, for He is with us.  Some leave lasting marks on the world, but none more so than the One who is condemned as an Innocent.  Let us consider what we think of as great, and what it is we might leave behind us.  

 

Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

 

 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 one another. 

 

- Luke 23:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that 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 tells us that the religious accusations against Jesus (Luke 22:66-71, in yesterday's reading, above) wouldn't be adequate to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation.  So therefore, the chief priests need to invent false, politically charged accusations ("We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King"), so that Pilate can be persuaded that Jesus is deserving of a death sentence.  See also Luke 20:20-26.  Pilate's question ("Are You the King of the Jews?") is, according to my study Bible, more a mockery of the accusation itself than of Jesus -- as he clearly does not take the political charges seriously.  Christ's response, "It is as you say," can also be translated into the more ambiguous, "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 one another.   My study Bible explains that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.   Christ's silence, it says, is an act of compassion -- for to reveal divine mysteries in the face of such blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  St. Ambrose sees Herod as a figure representing all unrighteous people who, if they don't recognize Jesus as the Christ, won't ever understand His words nor recognize His miracles.

Jesus' defiance of Pilate and Herod takes on strange tones, things we're not necessarily familiar with in One who is subject to injustice and false charges.  Instead of fighting what are obviously lies -- even, apparently to both Pilate and Herod -- Jesus stands more or less completely silent.  Even to the question asked by Pilate, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus offers a meek blurb of a reply we could translate as "You say so."   The chief priests and scribes respond ever more vociferously, and seeking to stir up the crowd against Him.  But Jesus remains silent.  He won't protest and He won't prove anything.  Not to Pilate, and not to Herod, who would be all too glad to witness some miracle or other marvel from Jesus.  He is not there to prove He's innocent.  He's put on trial by a world that cannot and does not understand Him, for that is only possible through the work of faith, and the eyes of those in the future which will hold and build and expand His Church upon the pillars of faith among His present apostles.  Pilate and Herod, like the religious leaders in the temple, represent in some sense a world that is passing away.  They might be the ones who hold power today, the worldly mighty in positions of support for Rome, the ruling empire.  But even Rome is passing away, just as sooner or later -- forty years from this time, to be precise -- Rome will overrun Jerusalem and destroy the temple which remains destroyed today.  All things are passing, but those who represent the power of the world in this scene work for regimes and entities which do not hold the future.  It is, ironically in light of what is happening in today's reading, the One who stands accused and mute before them who will be responsible for the demise of these empires.  It is the abuse of power and lack of faith which will ultimately condemn those regimes that are passing away and whose people will have to change and adapt to survive what is coming.  The world that they know is going to be upended and transformed through the ministry of Christ, in just one generation away from this time of this trial.  The very way that our years are numbered in the world will shift our consciousness away from what was before Christ, and dividing it from the years and centuries -- even millennia -- after Christ.  This mute and meek Man, unjustly accused, is the lever, the fulcrum, upon which all else hangs and divides.  And that is simply in a worldly sense!  We say nothing of the heavenly power that is at work, and which waits to make itself understood, and to change a cosmos and its order.  But the power in this Man who does not speak, does not protest, does not make a defense against injustice and brutality in the treatment He's given, is absolute, and it is all there whether or not these figures of worldly power understand it.  What we might take from the impact of this realization is simply that with God, all bets are off.  Anything is possible, and nothing is impossible.  There may be great power in the meek and silent, while those who become more fierce, and who vehemently accused Him in response, are ultimately powerless to protect and defend themselves from the change that is being implemented -- with God's grace -- through the effort they make to kill Him.  This is why we are to understand our dependence upon God for victories in ways we cannot predict and cannot comprehend.  This is the history we're told throughout the Bible, of a small people, dependent upon God, who go astray when they forget and seek to be like the other nations, and in this One who "will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street" at His trial (Isaiah 42:2).  For He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, even if lords and kings of the world cannot comprehend it.

Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered nothing

 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 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 one another.

- Luke 23:1-12

Yesterday we read that, while He was in custody in the house of the high priest, 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 tells us that the religious accusations against Jesus, which concern blasphemy and making Himself equal with God (see yesterday's reading, above), would not be appropriate or adequate to justify a death sentence under the Roman occupation.  The chief priests therefore invent false accusations (see 20:20-26), which are politically charged, in order to persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death.  Note that these particular charges put pressure on Pilate as well, given that they concern the regard due to Caesar.  Pilate's question, Are You the King of the Jews?, is, according to my study bible, more a mockery of the accusation itself than ti is of Jesus, as Pilate clearly doesn't take the political charges seriously (as we can see by his subsequent statement that he finds no fault in Jesus.  Christ's answer, It is as you say, could also be translated with a more ambiguous turn of phrase:  "You say so."  As in His response to the council in yesterday's reading, above, this answer actually prevents condemnation of those who question Him, as it avoids a direct teaching to those who "will by no means believe."

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 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 one another.  My study bible comments here that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.  Once more, Jesus' silence here is an act of compassion.  To reveal divine mysteries in the face of his blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  My study bible notes that St. Ambrose sees Herod as a figure which represents all unrighteous people.  If Jesus is not understood as the Christ, then neither the meaning of His words and teachings, nor His miracles, will be recognized.  Note that Herod responds to Jesus the same way as did the men guarding Him in the home of the high priest, with contempt and mocking.

What do we make of Herod?  Pilate seems to be a serious man, or at least to take his position quite seriously as the Roman governor.  But Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great) is given to impulsive behavior, as we learn from the story of the beheading of John the Baptist (see Mark 6:14-29).  Although he is called a "king" of Galilee -- the province from which Jesus comes, he rules as Roman tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter"), recognized by Augustus after the death of his father Herod, and rules the region as a client state for Rome.   Herod (Antipas), we've been told in the Gospels, fears that Jesus is John the Baptist returned from the dead (9:7-9).  As with John while he was in his custody, Herod has a fascination with the holy; he was curious about John and is now curious to see a miracle by Jesus.  In some sense he is like a powerful and wealthy man fascinated by some rare treasure or exotic animal in his possession.  He understands nothing of the holy himself, otherwise Christ would not have remained silent.   As he was given to fulfill a gratuitously extravagant oath before all the "great men" assembled for his birthday when John was beheaded, so he now -- together with his men of war -- responds by mocking Jesus and treating Him with contempt.  Such is the picture we have of this man of power.  It is an interesting one, for Herod seems easily swayed by the manipulations of others, including Herodias his wife, needing the approval of those around him, and therefore is at heart weak and rules irresponsibly.  It is no accident, then, that Herod and Pilate become fast friends after Jesus is handed to Herod for judgment, and then sent back to Pilate.  Over the ridicule and diminishing of Christ, Herod binds himself to a new political friend.  But even such a one, who had John the Baptist beheaded and his head brought on a platter to his birthday dinner, is still treated by Christ as one who bears a soul to which He will not add more condemnation by presenting to Him holy things to trample.  Christ has taught us, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).  But we rarely stop to think that this teaching, too, isn't merely a negative characterization.  It's also a form of protection against a deeper condemnation for those who will not receive nor understand what is holy, and will respond with contempt, mockery, hostility, violence, rage.  Let us understand Christ, and have respect for the power of the holy by taking the realities of the Kingdom as seriously as does Jesus.  There will be those for whom we may not repeatedly present our faith, nor entreat with Christ's pearls for all kinds of important reasons.  There will be times to remain silent, and to stay away, keeping important boundaries with wisdom.  Let us respect our Teacher, and learn from His conduct, even under the worst circumstances.