Trials come when we least expect them, especially when you’re out hiking on an unfamiliar path. A friend and I were hiking a path which led to the spot pictured above. We looked around for signs or markers to see how the trail was going to get us around this waterfall and slippery rocks. We finally found it, but it required climbing up and over huge boulders—not easy and not exactly what we had in mind for a leisurely hike in the woods.
The Roman trial of Jesus included three parts of the trial. Keep in mind that there is a slight overlap with the Hebrew trials we talked about yesterday.
(1) The appearance of Jesus before Pilate.
“Then the entire council took Jesus
to Pilate, the Roman governor.”
Luke 23:1
When the religious leaders heard what Jesus had to say for Himself, they figured they had enough proof to put Him away and took Him to Pilate. So Pilate asked Jesus a few questions and then turned to the leading priests and the crowd. In an attempt to get Jesus out of his hair and off his mind, Pilate told them he didn’t find anything wrong with what Jesus said. The crowd became insistent that Jesus should be crucified.
When Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean, he sent Jesus to Herod because that was his jurisdiction…anything to get rid of Jesus. Besides Herod had a reputation for corruption…let him deal with it.
Jesus gave short answers that did not directly affirm nor deny their questions. You have said it. He let them think about their own question and decide the truth for themselves. What is our first recourse when someone accuses us of something? I didn’t do it. OR It was him as we point the finger at someone else to get us off the hot seat. Jesus did not do that. He was willing to take the brunt of the accusations.
(2) His arraignment before Herod.
“Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus…
Then Herod and his soldiers began
mocking and ridiculing Jesus.”
Luke 23:8a, 11a
At first Herod was pleased to see Jesus. He’d heard about Jesus and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle. I wonder if Herod would have believed if Jesus had performed a miracle??? But it wasn’t a private audience. The religious leaders were also present and were not at all silent. They were hurling accusations to which Jesus wasn’t responding. When Herod wasn’t getting what he’d hoped for he, too, began mocking Jesus.
Jesus had short answers for Pilate, but now with Herod, He did not answer a word. That is a good example to follow. No answer is often better than short angry answers or longer ones that say too much. Responses that aren’t what the other person wants to hear usually spur on more unnecessary disagreement and tension whereas no response lets things simmer and die.
(3) His reappearance before Pilate.
“Finally, they put a royal robe on Him
and sent Him back to Pilate…
So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.”
Luke 23:llb, 24
Jesus must have felt like a ping pong ball being batted back and forth between Pilate and Herod. Politics at its finest! Pilate and Herod weren’t exactly friends before this, but now they were becoming friends because they became united in their mockery and disdain for Jesus. It looks and sounds like Pilate really didn’t see any reason to execute Jesus but was afraid of not only the crowds but the Roman authorities who had already warned him about restlessness in his jurisdiction. He was afraid the crowd might get out of hand and threaten his own leadership.
It’s not my job. That’s your responsibility. Essentially that’s the game Pilate and Herod were playing with Jesus in the middle. We play that game in life, too. If there’s something in it for us, we want to take credit, but if there’s nothing in it, we want to pass the buck to someone else. Jesus didn’t do that. He accepted full responsibility for the weight of the world that was on His shoulders. He didn’t call it quits when it got tough. He went all the way to the end, to the cross, and then resurrection.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to know when to be quiet and when to speak. May I be willing to take the blame when it’s mine to take, give it up when it belongs to someone else, and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering (W), pain (T), and struggles (F-S), rejoicing (Palm Sunday), Trials (M-T-W), Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Silent Saturday
- Easter – resurrection and salvation