45 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
45 lines
2.4 KiB
Markdown
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title = "Luke 23:1–12"
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date = "2023-02-15"
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### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Lk23.1-12)
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Confident that they have ample justification to kill Jesus, the entire Council
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takes Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, to demand His execution.
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Now, Pilate doesn't care at all about a blasphemy charge, so they have to get
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Jesus on the hook for something that will bring a capital punishment under the
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Roman code. They choose insurrection and "misleading the nation" (_v. 2_),
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whatever that means. They even claim that Jesus was encouraing the people not
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to pay the tributes, collected as tax by the Romans. They say He claimed to be
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the Christ, which they explain as a king to Pilate. But none of these charges
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are true. Jesus didn't claim for Himself the title of Christ, but He did affirm
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Peter's answer, speaking for the rest of the disciples, when He asked, "Who do
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you say that I am?" That was a private conversation; hardly a movement meant to
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throw off Roman rule.
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I think even at this point Pilate knows that the Jewish leaders are trying to
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pull one over on him. He asks Jesus if He is the King of the Jews, and Jesus
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again replies with "If you say so." With just that "interrogation" Pilate
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determines that Jesus isn't guilty of the charges. It would be comedic if this
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were any other situation, and the fate of the whole world didn't hang in the
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balance. "Are you guilty?" "No." "You see? He says he's not guilty. Case
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closed."
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Pilate then finds out that Jesus is from Galilee, so he says he doesn't have
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jurisdiction over Jesus, and tries to pass the whole situation off onto Herod
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so he can have the headache from dealing with the Sanhedrin. Herod has actually
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wanted to see Jesus for a long time, so he's glad to have the chance. Jesus
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doesn't provide any entertainment or inspiration, so Herod and his soldiers
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mock and mistreat Him instead and send Him back to Pilate in fancy clothing.
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Somehow, this makes Herod and Pilate become friends, but I can't figure out how
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that works really.
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Throughout this whole drama, the Council members are lobbing accusation after
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accusation against Jesus to everyone who will listen. They probably see their
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chance to be rid of Jesus slipping away as Pilate and Herod drag their feet.
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* * *
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We remember the prophecies of the silent lamb being led to the slaughter. All
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of these things were foreordained from the beginning to bring about salvation.
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