Message
Luke 22:63-23:12
Jesus Uniting Enemies
Example
Uniting for a common cause.
Describe a bad car accident
• People will rush to help.
• No-one really votes on a leader, but everything just gets organised.
• Blankets, water, shade.
• People comforting.
People who are not normally working together are united.
The dead of Jesus also brings about unity. But it is a very unusual unity.
Read Luke 22:63-23:1
Who is working with whom here?
It is the Jewish Council - also known as the Sanhedrin - working with the Romans.
Not just the Romans guards.
They are working with Pilate.
Which says a lot about how much they hate Jesus.
The Jews have not had an independence for the last 100 years.
It started in 63BC when Pompey walked triumphantly into Jerusalem after a siege of three months. During the siege twelve thousand Jews had died and many more were taken as slaves.
To celebrate his victory Pompey walked triumphantly into the Holy of Holies.
To demonstrate his authority Pompey reduced the boundary lines of the Jewish territory which caused Jerusalem to swell with refugees.
To secure Roman rule Pompey put a local governor in place.
To complete the humiliation taxes were now imposed on the Jews.
That was the beginning of a history - as a result many Jews hated the Romans. This hate continued even though the Romans brought many benefits to Judea, including proper roads, greater security, expansion of cities, and more trade. This hate continued even though the Jews were exempted from participating in emperor worship and they were still allowed to practice their religion with very little interference.
Part of the current hate can be attributed to the reign of Herod the Great - the father of Herod Antipas who we will soon read about.
Herod ruthlessly put down dissent. Herod’s military were often cruel and over-reacted with great force. He turned the Jewish council into a puppet and he murdered many scholars because he felt threatened by them.
Just after his death a 1000 Jews were killed in a riot and 2000 Jews were crucified.
Even though he has been dead for 30 years the hate of his reign was still felt.
That hate was only encouraged by Pontius Pilate. Pilate has been the governor for about five years. His rule was characterized by corruption, violence, robberies, ill treatment of the people.
On one occasion he took money from the Temple treasury to pay for the construction of an aqueduct to supply the city of Jerusalem with water.
On another occasion he told his soldiers to disguise themselves in civilian clothes, with their swords hidden under their cloaks, and mingle with a crowd of demonstrators. After they were in position, he signalled for them to pull out their weapons and attack. In the ensuing bloodbath, hundreds of people were killed.
In Luke 13:1 we read that some in the crowd “told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.”
The Jews hated Pilate. They hated the Roman military. They hated the oppression, and the taxes, and the limitations and the occupation.
But here we are:-
The Sanhedrin uniting with the Roman military to arrest, beat and mock Jesus.
The Sanhedrin uniting with Pilate to get what they want.
And what do they want?
Let’s keep reading - Luke 23:2-12
So now we have another interesting unity take place. A unity between Herod and Pilate.
This is Herod Antipas who was one of the three sons to take over ruling the area after Herod the Great died.
Herod was not liked by the people. He had divorced his wife to marry Herodias - the former the wife of his half brother. Here is one result of that situation.
Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” On his birthday Herod gave a banquet where … the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. Herod sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter.
Mark 6:17-28
The Jewish people loved John. Herod killed him. The people hated Herod.
Roman law declared that a person could either be tried in the place where he was accused or in the province where he came from.
Jesus was from Galilee. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee. So now Jesus faces another trial.
We should not be surprised that Herod had heard about Jesus. For the last three years Jesus was immensely popular in Galilee.
But the meeting doesn’t go as expected. In fact the anticipation which Herod had soon turns to derision and scorn because Jesus doesn’t act as Herod expected.
Indeed the meeting becomes a bit of a love-in for Herod and Pilate.
Before they were enemies.
Now they are best-ies.
A friendship which blossoms because of their united efforts at mocking Jesus.
But notice something in verse 10, “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.”
The Jewish Council - or at least a number of representatives - are all there as well.
United with Herod.
So let’s start thinking about this.
The Sanhedrin is the highest religious force in the nation … they are against Jesus.
The Sanhedrin has united with the Roman military the greatest fighting power at the time … and they are working together.
The Sanhedrin has united with Pilate the local governor the highest official in the city … and they are working together.
The Sanhedrin has united with Herod the tetrarch the highest ruling official in the country … and they are working together.
They are all united in the cause against Jesus.
It is a situation which would cause the Jewish population to start wondering - if all these people are against Jesus then maybe I should be against Jesus as well.
I don’t want to be standing on the wrong side.
That is a fear - a legitimate fear. We don’t want to be standing on the wrong side.
It is not part of the text we are going to read to day but I think this growing unity by the top leadership is part of the reason the crowds so quickly turn on Jesus.
On Palm Sunday the crowd were crying “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord”.
Five days later Pilate says, “Here is your King” and the crowd cry “Crucify him.”
Everyone is united against Jesus.
But it is a unity based on deception
The Sanhedrin don’t actually want to know the truth. They ask if Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus knows the game.
If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer.
They don’t want the truth. They just need an excuse.
Already back in Luke 19:47 the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. The “trial” is just a deception.
In the end Jesus gives them the excuse by saying that he is the Son of God - so he is charged with blasphemy.
What was the charge?
Blasphemy.
What do they tell Pilate that Jesus has done?
Jesus subverts the nation.
When you subvert you seek to undermine the power and authority of a system or institution.
You want to destabilise. You want to over throw.
They need Pilate to believe that Jesus is a treat to security of the nation.
Indeed Jesus taught that God’s way is the only way - and the way of the religious leaders and the way of God did not always align.
Jesus also taught that the authorities which were in place needed to be respected.
Apart from the pitiful attempt by Peter the followers of Jesus never resorted to bearing arms.
If Jesus was a subversive person the Roman authorities would have dealt with him long ago.
Jesus encourages tax-dodging.
We know that is not true.
Luke 20:25 - give to Caesar what is Caesars.
Jesus also paid his temple tax - finding the money in the mouth of a fish is an unusual way to go about it - but he paid.
The charge is an outright lie.
Jesus claims to be Christ - a King
Not at the trial he didn’t.
“If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer.” That is what Jesus said.
Interestingly this is the charge Pilate investigates.
But in verse 4 Pilate says “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
There is not enough proof
It is a declaration of innocence.
The whole civil process is just a deception.
The declaration by Pilate should have been the end of it. But Pilate knows he is in a difficult spot. He is trying to avoid an uproar.
So he unites with the Sanhedrin in the deception by bringing Herod into the mix. If Herod passes judgement that will relieve Pilate of the responsibility. Which means Pilate avoids the negative fallout that comes with sentencing a popular man to his death.
Pilate actually has a good reason for thinking that Herod will kill Jesus.
In Luke 13:31 we read, “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
Now you probably have the same question I do - why did the Pharisees warn Jesus?
Good question. But for now let’s stick with the sentiment expressed. At some point in the ministry of Jesus Herod wanted Jesus dead.
This trial before Herod is the perfect opportunity to make it happen. Instead this is the outcome.
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people,14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.
Luke 23:13-15
It is another declaration of innocence. Which again should have been the end of the process.
But the Sanhedrin, in unity with Herod, Pilate and the Roman military, still keep pushing ahead with their claim.
Everyone knows Jesus is being falsely accused and there is no basis for the charges. But the evidence is continually ignored because Jesus is too inconvenient for them.
Do you have days when you feel like the world is ganging up on you.
Ganging up because you are a Christian?
More and more we get told that our connection with Jesus doesn’t make sense. There is not enough proof. You can only believe what you see. The Bible is full of inconsistencies. You are believing in a myth.
More and more we get told that there can’t be just one way. How can we claim our system is true and all the rest are false. We are all searching for the same truth but using different paths.
More and more people gather against Christianity. Smart people. People who are respected. People who can leave us wondering.
There are days when it can feel like we are on the wrong side. Where we even perhaps doubt.
In those days know the truth.
Everyone who is uniting against us is doing so on the basis of a deception.
The deception which causes people to believe that sin doesn’t matter … that rebellion against God doesn’t matter … that repentance is unnecessary … that faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only way of salvation.
How do we know.
If sin didn’t matter why is Jesus still on the way to the cross even though all they have is false evidence and declarations of innocence?
If our rebellion against God is insignificant who didn’t Jesus show Herod a few miracles so Herod would be in his side?
If repentance is unnecessary why didn’t Jesus bring even more proof that the accusations the Sanhedrin were making are false?
If faith is Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation - why die?
Why establish the only system of believe where the key component of acceptance is not based on what you have done, but on belief in one who has done it all.
Some days it does feel that people are against you.
There may come a day when it feels like everyone is against you because of your faith in Jesus.
As the time for the return of Jesus draws closer and closer enemies will keep uniting.
Which means that we need to be examining our heart.
How secure is our faith?
How many people … people who may be close friends, family, loved ones … how many people need to unite before we start wondering if we are on the wrong side?
How many difficulties? How much pain? How many disappointments? Before we start thinking it’s time to jump ship? If it came down to just you and Jesus - could we stand?
Look at your heart.
Think about these questions in the week ahead.
Because you don’t want to be on the side of the deception.
Prayer
