“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. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Herod and Jesus facing off…this Herod Antipas, son of the great Herod who built the temple…the ruler of Galilee, the playboy ruler who thought he could play games with Jesus. 

Pilate saw a gap, a way out of his dilemma. Herod just happened to be in Jerusalem, so Herod would be a good excuse for Pilate to pass the buck because the accused was a Galilean. 

It seems that Herod loved entertainment, so he decided that, since Pilate tried to pawn Jesus,  this “hot  potato”, on him, he would use this opportunity for a little “fun”.

Together with the Roman soldiers guarding Jesus, Herod attempted to coax Jesus to do a little miracle or two. Maybe, just maybe he would release the offender if the show was good enough. Didn’t work! So, they turned the heat up! What about a little “friendly persuasion?”  

Egged on by the audience of bystanders, the ever-present, rulers of Israel, Jesus’ tormentors…Herod and his cronies, the soldiers…began to attack His person, the real Jesus, with mocking and insults. 

That didn’t work either! Jesus was selectively deaf to their taunts. His mind was elsewhere, on His Father and His mission. All their efforts to degrade Him, to lure Him into retaliating or defending Himself, fell on deaf ears, did nothing but boomerang back on them!  

Why did Jesus not take the bait…Why did He not react to this onslaught on Him? He was fully human, fully aware of what they were doing to Him…but He was also fully aware of His mission. He was being shaped into the perfect atoning sacrifice for sin. Had He in any way reacted in “the flesh”, in His humanity, He would have failed the test. 

What was Jesus’ greatest test, His most dangerous moment? He had two choices…fight back and follow the path of fallen humans…or absorb the worst of unjust suffering without retaliating…and win the war.  

Peter understood!

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ NIV‬‬

The secret was out! Jesus trusted the Father for the victory! He won the war!

Whoever did the devil’s dirty work…whatever they did to inflict the worst they could think of, it didn’t work because…with His heart and mind on accomplishing the Father’s will, as Isaiah predicted centuries before…

 “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And the outcome?

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

With His eye on the eternal prize, Jesus remained silent. They could ridicule His name, mutilate His body, ruin His reputation in the eyes of man…but they could not turn Him from His purpose…to fulfil the Father’s will. 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

What purpose! What resolution! Jesus had a mission and, come what may, He would do it!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We, too, as children of God and followers of Jesus, have a goal to reach and a mission to fulfil…and an example to follow. 

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ NIV

To be continued…