The Passion 12

Jesus Stands Trial Before Herod

            Luke’s gospel was the only one that mentions Herod Antipas. Who was Herod Antipas? Herod Antipas held the position of tetrarch ^[1] over Galilee and Perea, which was appointed by the Roman emperor Augustus to rule over one quarter of his father's kingdom. He ruled from 4 BCE until 39 AD. Antipas was one of the sons of Herod the Great, who was known for his architectural achievements* and for attempting to kill baby Jesus. As a result of that many children were killed, though God had protected His son sending a warning to Mary and Joseph. 

            It just so happens that Herod Antipas, who was a half-Jew, was in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. This was the same man who had John the Baptist killed. When Pilate realized that Jesus was from Galilee he gladly sent Him to see Herod, whose jurisdiction, as stated above, was Galilee. Once Herod became aware of Jesus also being in Jerusalem, he “was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about Him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle.” (Luke 23:8) Luke lets us know that Herod asked Jesus a number of questions, to which Jesus had no reply. This disappointed Herod so he and his soldiers began to mock and ridicule Jesus. To add insult to injury, Herod had a royal robe draped over Jesus shoulders. This meeting was before Pilate had Jesus flogged.

            Herod Antipas had two advantages over Pilate: He came from a hereditary part-Jewish monarchy and had held his position much longer than Pilate had. However, Pilate had two advantages over Herod: He was a Roman citizen and an envoy to the Emperor Tiberius. What’s more, Pilate’s position was created to replace Herod’s half-brother, Archelaus, who was considered ineffective at his job. This created an uneasy coexistence between Pilate and Herod Antipas. It was Jesus’ trial that actually brought them together. The trial was what caused Pilate to recognize Herod’s authority over Galilee. Because of that, Herod stopped feeling threatened by the Roman governor. It was because neither man knew what to do about the predicament they both found themselves in their common problem acted as a uniting factor that seemed to erase past animosities.

            Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

^[1] tetrarch, in Greco-Roman antiquity, the ruler of a principality; originally the ruler of one-quarter of a region or province.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/tetrarch-ancient-Greek-official

* He is known for reconstructing & expanding the Jerusalem Temple, building fortresses, and building pagan temples.

The Passion 11

Jesus Mocked & Beaten

 

            Is it fair to chastise the Roman soldiers who mocked and abused Jesus prior to His being crucified? Did they really know any better? Jesus stated while hanging on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NLT) The soldiers, being gentiles, know nothing of the Jewish laws and frankly more than likely couldn’t care less to know them. These men were brutish, tough, hard-nosed military men who may not have been all that bright. They used brute force and looked to take advantage of each situation to inflict pain, so when they were offered the opportunity to first flog Jesus, then escort Him to the crucifixion site, they no doubt seized it relishing the chance to, in their minds, have some fun.

            Matthew & Mark mention the number of soldiers as a “whole regiment”. That’s around 200 soldiers! So, after His flogging* the enormous crowd of brutish men mocked Jesus. He did nothing to retaliate. They made Him a crown of thorns which they beat down around His head. A crown whose thorns were roughly 1” long and dug into Jesus’ scalp. The soldiers then placed a robe on the Lord. The blood from the flogging was fresh and adhered to the cloth, soaking it.

            Understanding the soldiers probable mindset, it was no wonder that they took the opportunity to make fun of the supposed “King of the Jews”. It was only when they had tired of mocking Jesus that they took off the robe** they had placed on Him and redressed Him. Then they led the Lord away to be crucified. The blood that poured from Jesus’ body obviously made Him weak. The pain Him endured was indescribable. That pain, plus the tremendous weight of the sins of mankind made this time for Him nearly unbearable.  Yet He willingly obeyed His Father’s will, knowing it was necessary to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for man.

            Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible

*3 of the 4 gospel accounts say that the whip had lead tips. Historians tell of a scourge that was commonly used to whip criminals with. The scourge had broken pieces of metal, and jagged stones affixed to each of the three straps making up the scourge. 

**Having the robe ripped off Jesus body after the blood had a chance to congeal (solidify; coagulate) meant His cuts and sores would be ripped open all over again, inflicting MORE pain. 

The Passion 10

How Jesus’ Trial was Illegal

                  It is plain in the gospel accounts that even before the trial began it had been predetermined that Jesus must die (Mark 14:1; John 11:50). “Innocent until proven guilty” was not in play here.

                  The Jewish leaders sought out false witnesses to testify against Jesus (Matthew 26:59). Under normal circumstances the leaders would have gone through an elaborate system of vetting any witnesses to ensure justice, but not this time.

                  No defense for Jesus was either sought or allowed (Luke 22:67-71). This fell in line with OT prophesies regarding Jesus trial and death. 

                  The trial was conducted at night (Mark 14:53-65; 15:1), which was in and of itself illegal according to the religious leaders own laws.

                  Caiaphas, the High Priest, put Jesus under oath, then incriminated Him for what He said (Matthew 26:63-66).

                  Cases involving such serious charges were to be tried only in the high council’s regular meeting place, NOT in the high priest’s home (Mark 14:53-65).

                  It was never the religious leaders plan to give Jesus a fair trial. They felt it was imperative that Jesus be eliminated. Their blind obsession with removing Jesus led them to pervert the justice system they were appointed to protect. The reasons given above were illegal in that they violated THEIR OWN laws.

                  Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: The Life Application Study Bible

The Passion 9

Condemned to Die

            Pilate’s annual custom was to release a criminal during the Passover celebration as a means of placating the Jewish leaders and their people. Ironically, put up for release with Jesus was an insurrectionist against the Roman government by the name of Barabbas. While an enemy of Rome, he was no doubt a hero to the Jews. 

            “The location of Jesus’ sentencing before Pontius Pilate took place in a paved, open place with an elevated platform for the judgement seat (or tribunal), which was near Herod the Great’s old palace, then functioning as the Roman Praetorium.” ^[1]

                  A motivation for the Jewish leaders hatred of Jesus was revealed by Matthew in v.18 of chapter 27, as it states: “He (Pilate) knew very well that the religious leaders arrested Jesus out of envy.” There is no question from scripture that the Pharisees and Sadducees didn’t like his immense and growing popularity among the Jewish people. 

            In Matthew’s gospel, he tells us that while Pilate was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent as message to him saying: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.” Matthew is the only disciple who reveals this.

            In the meantime, the Jewish leaders had begun whipping the crowd up, urging them to call for the release of Barabbas and not Jesus. This entire scenario had been set in motion since the dawn of time and was coming to fruition. When the crowd called for Jesus crucifixion Pilate, who believed Jesus to be innocent, asked the crowd, “Why? What crime has He committed?” But their cries for His death were escalating. Pilate was sensing a potential riot, which he wished to avoid at all costs. So to seemingly absolve himself of any responsibility of an innocent man he called for a bowl of water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. As he washed them he said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” In reply they yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death – we and our children!” Little did they realize the curse they had just placed upon themselves out of ignorance and spiritual blindness. The Messiah they had all long waited for was being sent BY THEM to be murdered. 

            To appease the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas and ordered Jesus flogged, then taken to be crucified. These details were missing from Luke and John, but were in Mark, minus the part of Pilate’s wife.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

^[1] https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2022/04/14/behold-the-man-where-did-pilate-sentence-jesus/

The Passion 8

Jesus Stands Before Pilate

            Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, wished to know one thing according to Matthew’s gospel. Was Jesus the king of the Jews? 

            Luke’s gospel makes the point that the entire council TOOK Jesus to Pilate. Matthew mentions that the leaders bound Jesus and LED Him to Pilate, but Luke has the governor speaking with the council while the Lord was standing before him. It is in Luke’s account that Pilate first says that he finds no guilt in Jesus. 

            John’s gospel gives a more detailed encounter. Seems the accusers of Christ didn’t go in to speak with Pilate for it would defile them and with the Passover coming they would be ceremonially unclean due to their interaction with a gentile, thus making them unable to celebrate the holy days. In John’s rendering Pilate asked what the charges were against Jesus. The Jewish leaders declared that they wouldn’t have brought Jesus to him if he weren’t a criminal. Pilate tells them to judge Jesus by their own laws, but their chilling response was, “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone.” According to John, THAT is when Pilate asked Jesus if He were the king of the Jews. His reply is a little more lengthy here, as He wants to know if Pilate himself wanted to know, or if others saying this had prompted the question.

Pilate then wanted to know what Jesus had done to bring about the ire of the Jews religious leaders. Jesus response reveals that His kingdom is not of this earth, for if it were His followers would have fought to defend Him. To that Pilate exclaims, “So You ARE a king?”

Jesus answer wasn’t direct with regards to the very specific question. Rather, He proclaims that He came into this world to reveal the truth and those who love the truth could see that what He had said was the truth. 

            Being cynical, Pilate was of the mind that all truth was relative. In other words, whatever the majority agreed was true was then true. To taint this idea, the people including the religious & political leaders would lean toward whatever thought or idea would best benefit them personally. So His cynicism led Pilate to ask the question: “What is truth?” 

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible.

The Passion 7

Pilate

 

            In Jesus’ day, any death sentence had to be approved by the Roman official in charge of the administrative district. Pontius Pilate was governor of the province of Judea, where Jerusalem was located. When the Jewish leaders had Jesus in their power and wanted to kill him, they had to obtain Pilate’s permission. So it happened that early one morning Pilate found a crowd at his door demanding a man’s death.

            Pilate’s relationship with the Jews had always been stormy. His Roman toughness and fairness had been weakened by cynicism, compromises, and mistakes. On several occasions his actions had deeply offended the religious leaders. The resulting riots and chaos must have made Pilate wonder what he had gotten himself into. He was trying to control the people who treated their Roman conquerors without respect. Jesus’ trial was another episode in Pilate’s ongoing problems.

“They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.”- Acts 13:28 NLT

            For Pilate, there was never a doubt about Jesus’ innocence. Three separate times he declared Jesus not guilty. He couldn’t understand why these people wanted to kill Jesus, but his fear of the Jews’ political pressure made him decide to allow Jesus’ crucifixion. Because of the people’s threat to inform the emperor that Pilate hadn’t eliminated a rebel against Rome, Pilate went against what he knew was right. In desperation, he chose to do wrong.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Source: The Life Application Study Bible, p2159.

The Passion 6

How Did Judas Die?

 

“Did Judas Iscariot die by hanging or did he die by falling and bursting open?”

 

The relevant passages are: 

 

Matthew 27:5 - “Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

Acts 1:18 - “Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out.”

 

“Some people have wrongly assumed that Matthew and Luke (the author of Acts) are contradictory in their account of Judas’ death. Since the Bible is inerrant Judas cannot have died by hanging and died by falling and bursting open. Rather they are two different viewpoints of the same event. For example, if I saw a car hit a pedestrian, I might simply say that the pedestrian died because he was hit by the car. The coroner who came on the scene later but did not actually see the accident might give a graphic description of the injuries to the pedestrian. Both the coroner and I are describing the same event just different aspects of it.

There is no contradiction surrounding Judas’ death but rather two descriptions given by two different authors of the same event. Matthew tells us that Judas died by hanging (death is inferred from the passage). Luke, being a doctor, gives us a graphic description of what occurred following the hanging. The reason for ordering the events as such is twofold. First, if someone has fallen and their internal organs spilled out, they would die and so could not subsequently die from hanging. Second, even when people suffer bad falls, they do not usually burst open and have their internal organs spill out. Skin is very tough, and even when it is cut in the abdominal area, internals do not usually spill out. Thus, it is unlikely that Judas could die in this manner merely from falling.

Gruesome as it is, Judas’ dead body hung in the hot sun of Jerusalem, and the bacteria inside his body would have been actively breaking down tissues and cells. A byproduct of bacterial metabolism is often gas. The pressure created by the gas forces fluid out of the cells and tissues and into the body cavities. The body becomes bloated as a result. In addition, tissue decomposition occurs compromising the integrity of the skin. Judas’ body was similar to an overinflated balloon: as he hit the ground (due to the branch he hung on or the rope itself breaking), the skin easily broke, and he burst open with his internal organs spilling out.

There is no contradiction surrounding Judas’ death but rather two descriptions given by two different authors of the same event.”

Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

This article was written by Dr. Georgia Purdom on May 25, 2009. Dr. Purdom is a speaker, writer, VP of Educational Content, Director of Research, Director Answers for Women Conferences Answers in Genesis.