Herod and Pilate became friends with one another

Luke 22:54-23:12 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. ⁵⁵ After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶ And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” ⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸ A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” ⁵⁹ After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” ⁶² And he went out and wept bitterly.

⁶³ Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, ⁶⁴ and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” ⁶⁵ And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

⁶⁶ When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, ⁶⁷ “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; ⁶⁸ and if I ask a question, you will not answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” ⁷⁰ And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”

23 Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. ² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”³ So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

⁶ When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸ Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

As I read the last sentence of today’s text, Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other, I couldn’t help but to think how today there are also unexpected alliances formed over opposition to Christ. Those who oppose Christians for their Biblical morals and values concerning marriage and sexuality, actually ally themselves with other religions who believe those same people, homosexuals, transgenders and seductive women are worthy of death. Those who argue that Christian values are to restrictive, will ally themselves with those who mutilate women’s bodies so that they feel no pleasure in sex. Those who say that Christians have no right to impose their morals in children, will ally themselves with those who inject hormones into their children’s bodies to alter their gender. Those who defend a woman’s right to choose an abortion, ally themselves with those who think women do not have the right to be seen or speak in public. It should not surprise us though, in John 15:18-25, Jesus Himself says: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”   It seems as though people are willing to overcome even the deepest divisions to unify against Christ. Jesus says: ‘They hated Me without a cause.’  In truth, hating Jesus is their cause.  Like wise then: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you,” many will be united against us if we stand with and for Christ.  

In a similar way, the text also says:   When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying,  “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe;  and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.”   There will be times that we are asked to give a testimony, evidence of who Jesus is. There are times we may be asked to defend our faith; to affirm that Jesus is the Christ, and yet they will not believe us. We should not though think in advance about how we should defend our faith. We should not practice our debating skills that we might better convince them. In Luke 12:11-12 Jesus says:  “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”   If our testimony is to convince them of anything, if they are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, it will not be by our eloquent speech or convincing words, it will be by the power and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  

Today’s text begins with the account of Peter’s denial of Jesus saying: Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.   Just prior to this, in Luke 22:33, Peter said:  "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" We need to recognize that regardless of our faith and commitment, we to might fail in the weakness of our flesh. In Acts 1:8, Jesus says: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”   It is not in our own strength that we should rely. It is not even in the depth of our own faith that we should trust. It is in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is seeing Christ, the object, the author and perfector of our faith, through the eyes of the Spirit that we should depend. In Matthew 24:13-14 Jesus says:  “He who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.” Jesus says:  “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit; though the world would be allied against me, I will believe and testify Your truth. Empower me by the Spirit that my flesh would not fail. I trust in You to speak for me and through me, that I might be Your witness and testify of who You are; that I might preach the good news of the kingdom, enduring and overcoming to the end; that one day I will even stand before You and hear, “well done good and faithful servant.”  In Jesus name, the name above every name, the only name by which people can be saved, I pray and testify.   Amen.