Reading the Word

Luke 23:6–12 (ESV)

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Pilate sent Jesus to Herod hoping that doing so would relieve him of having to deal with Jesus. Herod had been wanting to see Jesus because he had heard about the miracles Jesus’ had been performing. Herod hoped Jesus would perform for him. For Herod, Jesus was entertainment. However, Jesus would not comply and remained silent. This led Herod and his guards to mock Jesus, dress him up, and send him back to Pilate. Doing so must have amused Pilate because he and Herod became friends as a result.

Herod wanted Jesus to perform on demand, but he would not. The Creator and Lord of all is not under the authority of any man. He does not bow to our commands. Herod believed he was in control and had authority over Jesus, but the exact opposite was true. Jesus was the one in control and he was the one with all authority. We too must remember this. God does not perform on demand for us. We do not control him. When we go to him, we may ask, but we must always remember that God answers us according to his plans and purposes. We can trust those plans even when they are not ours because we know he is loving and good. As C. S. Lewis wrote in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe about Aslan the lion who represented Christ:

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

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