#187 Lu. 23:5-12 THE SECOND HEARING OF JESUS BEFORE THE ROMANS

Introduction:

	In our text last Sunday the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate for
a hearing before the Romans.  I am sure they hoped that it would
be the last hearing.  They were hoping that Pilate would sentence
Jesus to death.  Instead, Pilate ruled that Jesus was innocent of
all charges made against Him.

I.  The Jews' reaction when Pilate pronounced Jesus "Not guilty"

    This should have settled the matter.  Jesus should have been
set free.  It did not work out that way.  Instead of quietly
accepting the verdict that Jesus was not guilty, the Jews
protested angrily.  V. 5, "And they were the more fierce, saying,
He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry,
beginning from Galilee to this place." They renewed their first
charge against Him, saying that Jesus had stirred up trouble
throughout the land.  They insisted that He was teaching things
which stirred up great crowds of people to violent, disruptive
and destructive activities.
	They made a special point of saying that Jesus started His
trouble making back in Galilee and then spread trouble throughout
the whole land even into Judea.  Keep in mind that Pilate ruled
in Judea and Herod Antipas ruled in Galilee.  The Jews knew that
Pilate was a bitter enemy of Herod Antipas.  They calculated that
Pilate would be especially hard on anybody who came from Herod's
domain over into Judea making trouble in Pilate's domain.

II.  Pilate's reaction to the anger of the Jews

	However, Pilate's mind was not centered so much on his own
conflict with Herod as it was on the possible trouble that the
Jewish leaders might cause him with the Caesar in Rome.  The
Jewish leaders had already made one trip to Rome to complain
about him to the Caesar.  That trip had resulted in the Caesar
sternly rebuking him sternly and threatening to remove him from
power if he could not get along with the Jews.  The anger in the
voices of these Jews now before Pilate struck fear into his
heart.  He was afraid that if he set Jesus free they would be
angry enough to make another trip to Rome and that he might be
removed from his position of rulership in Judea.
	The question was:  What could he do?  If he sentenced Jesus
to death as the Jewish leaders were demanding, he would be
sentencing an innocent man.  If he did not sentence Jesus to
death, he might lose his governorship.  What in the world was he
going to do?

III.  A way out for Pilate

	But then something the Jews had said registered with Pilate.
They said that Jesus had started His trouble-making in Galilee.
V.  6-7, "When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man
were a Galilaean.  And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto
Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was
at Jerusalem at that time."
	Pilate must have been exceedingly delighted.  Herod Antipas
was right there in the city.  Herod had brought some soldiers and
would be staying in Jerusalem throughout the Passover
celebration.  This was just a precautionary measure in case the
Jews stirred up trouble while so many Jews were in the city.  The
extra Roman soldiers would be there to help quell the trouble.
Now all Pilate had to do was to send Jesus to Herod and let Herod
make a judgment concerning Jesus.  Either way Herod might rule,
Pilate off the hook --- or so he thought.  If He set Jesus free,
the Jews would have to complain to the Caesar about Herod -- not
about himself.  If Herod sentenced Jesus to death, it would have
to on Herod's conscience that he had sentenced an innocent man to
die.  So Pilate immediately sent Jesus and the Jewish leaders to
see Herod.

IV.  Herod's reaction to the opportunity of trying Jesus

	Pilate was not the only one who was exceedingly glad.  Herod
was glad.  V. 8, "And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding
glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he
had heard many things of him..."
	This was the same Herod who had ordered John The Baptist
beheaded.  At one time when Jesus was performing many miracles,
Herod had become afraid.  He was afraid that Jesus was John The
Baptist come back to life again.  It frightened him to think that
the man whom he had beheaded was alive again and was
demonstrating great power.
    However, as time went by he must have overcome that fear
somewhat because now he is anxious to see Jesus.  He must have
become somewhat convinced that Jesus is not John The Baptist.  At
any rate, if he could just see Jesus, he would see for himself.
	It surprised Herod and pleased him that Pilate had sent Jesus
to him.  Herod could hardly believe that Pilate would turn any
court case over to him --- especially the case of such a famous
man.  There was no man in all of Israel who was more famous than
Jesus.  Herod and Pilate had not at all been on friendly terms
and it flattered Herod exceedingly that Pilate would ask him to
officiate in the trial of such a famous personage as Jesus.
	But the news about the miracles of Jesus had just kept coming
in and this excited Herod and caused him to want to see Jesus.
(8), "...and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him."
Herod not only wanted to see Jesus to see for himself if Jesus
was John the Baptist.  He not only wanted to try the case because
he was flattered that Pilate would send Jesus to him, but he
wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle.  It seemed that it never
dawned on him that Jesus would not perform a miracle just to
entertain him.
	Let me point out, however, that if Jesus were really wanting
to be set free, what a grand opportunity this desire of Herod for
a miracle presented to Him.  All He had to do to be set free was
just to perform a few choice miracles for Herod and Herod would
surely rule in His favor and set Him free.  However, Jesus was
not trying to be set free.  He was submitted to going to the
cross and so He performed no miracles for Herod.

V.  Jesus's reaction to the questions and accusations

    V. 9, "Then he questioned with him in many words; but he
answered him nothing."  Luke said that Herod asked Jesus many
questions.  I cannot help but wonder if one of the questions was,
"Are you John The Baptist?" But whatever the questions might have
been, Jesus did not answer him a word.  Herod asked Jesus many
words; Jesus answered Herod not a word.
    V. 10, "And the chief priests and scribes stood and
vehemently accused him."  Pilate had sent the Jewish leaders with
Jesus to Herod and they made many accusations against Jesus
before Herod.  They must surely have repeated the charges against
Him which they had made to Pilate.  That is, they must surely
have stressed the idea that Jesus had caused trouble throughout
the land.  They most likely presented the charge of blasphemy to
Herod which they had not presented to Pilate.  They had not
mentioned the charge of blasphemy to Pilate because Pilate was
not a Jew and would not care if Jesus had blasphemed the God of
the Jews.  Herod was not of Israelite blood, but he was a Jew by
religion.  Therefore, he just might be concerned if they could
convince him that Jesus had really committed blasphemy.

VI.  Herod's decision and treatment of Jesus

	Apparently Herod was not persuaded that Jesus was guilty of
blasphemy or any other thing of which the Jews accused Him.  Down
in verse 15, which is not in our text for today, we learn that
Herod, like Pilate, found Jesus "Not guilty."
	However, in spite of the fact that he found Him "not guilty"
Herod took advantage of the situation and made sport of Jesus
with a game of mockery before sending Him back to Pilate.  V.
11, "And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked
him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to
Pilate." There is no mention by Luke of any cruel beatings by the
soldiers as there had been by the Jewish temple guards.  But they
did -- at least -- poke fun at Jesus mocking Him.  Even if this
was not physical cruelty, it was most certainly the worst kind of
emotional cruelty.
	You will note that Luke said that Herod had Jesus dressed in
a gorgeous robe before sending Him back to Pilate.  Language
scholars tell us that the word used in the original language
means "shining white."  It was a glistening white robe.  The
fabric may have been interwoven with some kind of metallic thread
to make it glisten in the light.
	But the point is, that Herod did not settle the case.  He did
pronounce Jesus go be innocent of the charges, but like Pilate,
he did not set Him free.  Perhaps he, too, feared the Jews like
Pilate did.  Perhaps he, too, feared that if he set Jesus free,
the Jews would make trouble for him with the Caesar.  Instead of
setting Jesus free, as he should have done, he sent Him right
back to Pilate and the ball was in Pilate's court once again.
	In our text today, Luke does not tell us anything else about
the trial of Jesus.  That will come in the following text.  But
Luke does tell us in this text that the two rulers, who had been
at odds with one another made friends this day and apparently got
along well thereafter.  V. 12, "And the same day Pilate and Herod
were made friends together: for before they were at enmity
between themselves."

VII.  Our opportunity to make a decision in the case of Jesus

	Herod had opportunity to set Jesus free and he did not do it.
Instead, he sent Jesus back to Pilate and we know that after one
more hearing, He would be sent to the cross.
	We had no choice in the matter.  We had no opportunity to set
Him free.  But we do have opportunity to make some very important
decisions about Jesus.  For one thing, we have opportunity to
turn to Jesus and trust in Him to be our Savior.  If we turn to
Him and trust in Him, we will be saved.  The Bible says, "For
whosoever shall call upon Him shall be saved," Rom.  10:13.  If
we do not trust in Him as our Savior, we will spend eternity in
the fires of hell.  John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on him is
not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God."  This is a choice that every individual must make for
himself.
	For another thing, after one is saved, he has an opportunity
to profess Jesus Christ publicly and follow Jesus in baptism.
This, too, is a choice which the individual must make for
himself.  Then, too, after one is saved, he has the opportunity
to make the decision that he will give his life in service to
Jesus.  This a decision that only the individual saved person can
make for himself.

Conclusion:

	The question is, what decision will you make today?  If you
are lost and hell-bound, what decision will you make about Jesus
Christ the Savior?  Will you turn to the Lord and place your
destiny in the hands of the Lord?  Will you call on Him and ask
Him to have mercy on your soul and keep you out of hell?  Will
you trust Him right now right here today and depend on Him to
cleanse you from your sins and take you to heaven?  If so, will
you come forward during this invitation hymn and profess Jesus as
your Savior?
	Some of you may have already be saved.  But the question is,
will you come forward to unite with this church and give your
life in service to the Lord who has saved you?  If so, will you
come forward during this invitation hymn?