Seven Sundays To Easter: The End—but It Wasn’t Series

According to several commentaries, this Herod was Herod Antipas, the man who heard John the Baptist but ordered John put to death in order to please his wife and her daughter (Matthew 14:1-12). Herod had apparently never seen Jesus in person and seemed to welcome this chance to meet Him and ask Him questions “in many words”. Herod also wanted Jesus to perform a miracle! But the Lord did not answer any of Herod’s questions and He refused to perform a miracle just for someone else’s gratification. After all, the Lord had been told before that

Herod wanted to kill Him (Luke 13:31) so of course He was very careful in Herod’s presence. Of note also is that the chief priests and scribes were there, too, accusing Jesus!

Herod realized he wasn’t getting anywhere in his “interview” with Jesus, so he decided to send Him back to Pilate. Before he took this action, however, the crowd there at Herod’s mocked Jesus and “set Him at nought”, which seems to mean they treated the Lord with contempt, per various newer translations.

5 Finally, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Text, Luke 23:11b-12, KJV: 11b and (Herod) arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

Pilate may have thought he solved the problem of what to do with Jesus by sending Him, a Galilean, to Herod, whose jurisdiction included Galilee. Herod had questioned Jesus but received no answer to any of his questions (one wonders what kinds of questions Herod has asked), Finally Herod placed a “gorgeous” robe on Jesus and sent Him back to Pilate. Luke does not record any correspondence, if any existed, from Herod to Pilate, explaining why Jesus was shuffled back to Pilate. Luke does mention that because of Jesus, or at least what had happened that night, Pilate and Herod became friends. Why they were not friends before is never specified.

Once Jesus arrived at Pilate’s “hall of judgment (John 18:28)”, Pilate seems to have questioned Him again in earnest. John 18:28-40 has the details and the narrative (omitted here for space). When Pilate finished, he had Jesus scourged, thinking that would be punishment enough (even though Jesus was innocent of any crime) to satisfy the Jews.

He was so, so wrong.

Pilate had to make a choice, and choose he did. He gave in to the mob and condemned an innocent Man to death.

The outcome of those trials was a sentence of death for Jesus

Text, John 19:16-20, KJV: 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.