Slices
Prepare
As you read of the suffering and injustice Jesus endured on his way to the cross, let God speak to you afresh about the enormity of Jesus’ actions in these tumultuous hours before his death.
Bible passage
23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.’
3 So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’
‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied.
4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no basis for a charge against this man.’
5 But they insisted, ‘He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.’
6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends – before this they had been enemies.
Explore
Are you in a position of authority? In your family, workplace or church? Authority is a powerful thing to hold. Sometimes it is earned, sometimes given freely, sometimes seized. It is often abused, misunderstood and resisted. Yet, true authority when rightly used can be liberating and inspiring.
In today’s passage we see terrible examples of authority being used for selfish, corrupt and ultimately evil purposes. The religious authorities continue hounding Jesus, fabricating a political charge against him to justify taking him to Pilate (vs 1,2). Pilate himself, the secular governor of Judea, seeks to pass on the authority he has received by sending Jesus to Herod (vs 6,7). Pilate hopes Herod can take the difficult decision out of his hands, but Herod – a man oozing authority and corruption in equal measure – simply mocks and ridicules Jesus before returning him to Pilate.
In the midst of all this, much like in our reading yesterday, Luke shows Jesus as the one person who had true, authentic authority. He is once again submissive to the will and authority of his heavenly Father as he allows the events to unfold.
Respond
How do you handle the authority you carry? With humility and servant-heartedness? Or with selfishness and pride? Ask God to help you lead and exercise authority in a way that honours God and serves people.
Deeper Bible study
‘An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.’1
When the religious leaders brought Jesus to him, Pilate was not convinced that their charges were political in nature such that they required a death sentence. He probably suspected that the matter stemmed from their envy of Jesus. Nonetheless, he allowed himself to be swayed by them. When the religious leaders tried to corner him by saying that Jesus was a populist teacher throughout Judea, Galilee and even in Jerusalem, Pilate weighed his political options and realised that he could send Jesus to Herod, his enemy (v 12), whose jurisdiction included Galilee. Pilate hoped to wash his hands from the final decision.
Pilate is an example of a selfish person who preferred to hold on to his own position, status and power. He knew he was doing the wrong thing by bowing to the pressure of the religious leaders and the crowd by sentencing Jesus, who was innocent, to the cross. His conscience was seared when he made the biggest compromise of his life. In contrast, Jesus was firm and steadfast. He refused to answer any questions thrown at him except those related to his identity as the Messiah, the Son of God and the King of the Jews (v 3).2 Jesus never swayed from affirming his identity when he was under various trials by the religious and Roman authorities.
How simple it is for us to cave in to pressure from our peers, society and workplace. How easy it is to do something that we know is ethically and morally wrong, or to remain silent when we see injustice around us. Do we compromise on what is right because it may jeopardise our reputation and status? Let us be people of courage and resolve to stand up and speak for the truth and be a voice for the voiceless and marginalised.
Almighty God, give us courage so that we who have been set free by your truth will constantly speak the truth.
1 Prov 12:17 2 See also Luke 22:67–70
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Joshua 10,11; Psalm 38
