“KING OF THE JEWS”
LUKE 23:1-12

I. Introduction
“Jesus the Nazarene – The King of the Jews.” John tells us that those were the words that were tacked to the cross just above Jesus’ head when they crucified Him. All four gospel writers report that detail. Matthew’s words are, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” Mark simply says, “The King of the Jews.” Luke tells us it said, “This is the King of the Jews.” Since John was the only one of the four gospel writers to actually witness Jesus’ crucifixion, his words – “Jesus the Nazarene – The King of the Jews” are probably the most accurate.

But do the exact words really matter? The fact that the inscription was written in three dif-ferent languages – Hebrew, Latin, and Greek – easily accounts for the variations reported by the four gospel writers. Their accounts are slightly different, but whatever the order of the words, all four gospel writers tell us the same thing. The truth is that they crucified the King of the Jews, and His name was Jesus.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ll be coming to the details of the crucifixion soon enough. But today we’re going to focus on Luke 23:1-12, where we will meet the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate and someone whom we’ve met before in Luke, Herod Antipas.

Antipas was one of Herod the Great’s five sons. He was tetrarch (1/4) of Galilee and Peraea during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. He came to prominence in the NT when John called him out publicly for his sin of adultery with his half-brother Herod Philip’s wife, Herodias. This adulterous affair ultimately led to John’s imprisonment. And once John – the last of the OT prophets – was out of the picture, Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee began.
Mark 1:14-15
14 And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preach-ing the gospel of God.
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.”

The second key figure was Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator (governor) of all of Israel. He had been given this office by Tiberius Caesar in 26 A.D. He was a virulent anti-Semite who seems to have taken great pleasure in provoking the Jews whenever and however he could. It was Pilate who would demand that the words “King of the Jews” be tacked on the cross. It certainly wasn’t that he believed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah; it was that he was mocking the Jews, saying, in effect, “Look, your King is as pathetic as you are.” Based on what we now know of Pontius Pilate, he would have enjoyed that.

Yet the gospels don’t even suggest that Pilate wanted Jesus dead. The Jews wanted Him dead, but living in subjection of Rome, they had no authority to execute capital punishment.
Thus the Jewish religious leaders – the Sanhedrin – had to turn Jesus over to Pilate – to Rome – if they had any hope of having Him executed. Pleasing the Jews was the least of Pilate’s concern, but in order to quell the uproar from those who were clamoring for the Lord’s death, he chose to act not as a strong ruler, but as a cowardly one. In the end, he found it expedient to give in to the crowds and have Jesus crucified.

Look at those who rule us today. It doesn’t matter if they rule from Washington, D.C., from Madison, from the county seat in Elkhorn, or from the city hall here in Lake Geneva. Do those who rule over us do so humbly, with integrity, always striving to do what is right? Or do they govern by popularity polls, all too often succumbing to the whims of the crowd with the most influence or the loudest voice? Something to think about when you vote, isn’t it?

By the way, that principle applies here as well. God’s people should be asking the same questions of those who rule over them and serve in the local church.
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II. Review
On the night before Jesus’ arrest He had celebrated His last Passover meal with the twelve disciples; He had instituted the Lord’s Supper – our Communion; Judas had gone away to betray Him; and Jesus and the remaining eleven disciples had gone to the Garden of Geth-semane to pray. At least Jesus prayed. The rest of them fell asleep. It was in the garden where our Lord’s suffering really began. In agonizing prayer He fought off the temptation to flee from the horrors of being made sin for us, and being crushed under the full weight of God’s wrath for your sin and for mine.

It was the middle of the night when Jesus was arrested. He was taken to the home of Annas, the former high priest, where the guards spit on Him, mocked Him, beat Him with their fists, and said evil and vile things against Him. From there He was taken to the Sanhedrin, where the Council, led by the current high priest, Caiaphas, accused Him of blasphemy. When He was asked if He was the Son of God, Jesus said, “Yes, I am.”

In Luke 22:71 they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
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III. Text
And so we come to this morning’s text.
*Luke 23:1-12 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
1 Then the whole body of them arose and brought (Jesus) before Pilate.
2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding (the people) to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
3 And Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And (Jesus)
answered him and said, “It is as you say.”
4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no guilt in this man.”
5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place.”
6 But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.
7 And when he learned that (Jesus) belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.
8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.
9 And (Herod) questioned (Jesus) at some length; but He answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehe-mently.
11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other.

With the exception of Joseph of Aramithea and Nicodemus, the entire Council of the Sanhe-drin wanted Jesus dead. (If there were any other on the Lord’s side Scripture does not name them.) So when the mock trials at the home of Annas and in the Council chamber had concluded, Jesus had been “convicted” of the crime of blasphemy. The Jews would have killed Jesus themselves – their preferred method of execution was to throw someone off a high wall or into a pit, and stone them to death – but they lived in the Roman Empire, and were bound by Roman law in all capital cases. Only Rome could condemn Jesus to death.
*Luke 23:1
1 Then the whole body of them arose and brought (Jesus) before Pilate.

They were sure that Pilate would do their bidding. After all, how could such an august body of upstanding religious leaders be wrong? But before we move on to the next so-called trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas, there is one other player in all of this that we should not forget, Judas Iscariot. After Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane, he followed the crowd to the house of Annas and then to the Sanhedrin.
Matthew 27:3-5
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed (Jesus), saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!”
5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
I don’t want to veer too far away from our text, but this issue of Judas’ remorse and sorrow over his betrayal of Jesus has been so badly misunderstood, and so much that is untrue about it has been taught, that it is important to say something about it. Some liberal theologians have gone so far as to actually feel sorry for Judas! They say things like, “The poor man felt so badly about what he did that he took his own life. Surely he must be forgiven.”

No, he was not forgiven. In fact, Jesus said this about Judas at the last supper…
Matthew 26:23b-25
23b “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me.
24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Jesus) said to him, “You have said it yourself.”

But someone says, “Judas felt remorse for his sin, and Jesus forgives sin, doesn’t He?”

This is so important. If you take nothing else with you today, take this: Remorse (feeling sor-ry or bad about something) is not repentance. The Bible defines repentance as “a change of mind that produces a change of direction.” True biblical repentance is both of these things. They must go together. In other words, a change of mind without a corresponding change of direction can be called many things, but it cannot be called repentance as the Word of God defines it. Judas changed his mind, but he did not change his direction!

Let me quote one of the clearest explanations I have heard of the difference between the two. It comes from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – 2 Corinthians.
“True biblical repentance is not psychological, emotional human remorse, seeking merely to relieve stress and improve one’s circumstances. Though it (biblical repent-ance) inevitably produces the fruit of a changed life, it is not behavioral, but spiritual. The sorrow of the world – remorse, wounded pride, self-pity, unfulfilled hopes – has no healing power, no transforming, saving, or redeeming capability. It (the sorrow of the world) produces guilt, shame, resentment, anguish, despair, depression, hopeless-ness, (and) even, as in the case of Judas, death.”

It’s so important that you understand this. If there is no change of direction in a person’s life, there is no repentance. And if there is no repentance, there is no salvation. Conversely, that change of direction is proof of a changed life. Do not allow yourselves to be swayed by those who dispute that most basic and fundamental truth. (back to the this morning’s text)
*Luke 23:2 (standing before Pilate)
2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding (the people) to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He
Himself is Christ, a King.”

The religious leaders’ first accusation against Jesus is an outright and obvious lie. It is one that Pilate probably knows is a lie. That’s because it’s most likely common knowledge that Jesus has taught the polar opposite, essentially saying that whatever belongs to Caesar is Caesar’s. When asked about paying taxes to Rome Jesus had said, “…render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Luke 21:25).”

The religious leaders’ second accusation is also a lie. Jesus had never advocated rebellion against the Roman Empire, even though many who followed Him wanted Him to do so. But as it was, the Jews could offer no evidence to support either charge.
*Luke 23:3
3 And Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And (Jesus)
answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

At this point John gives us more details about what takes place when Pilate meets Jesus.
*John 18:34-38 (Pilate asks Jesus if He is King of the Jews.)
34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying (asking) this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”
35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him.”

Do you get the impression that Pilate is flummoxed by Jesus’ answers to his questions?
• His first question in v. 35, “I am not a Jew, am I?” expresses his disdain for the Jew-ish people. His second question in the same verse, “…what have You done?” seems to be at least somewhat sincere. I wonder if he thought to himself, “This man doesn’t look like a threat to me.”
• In v. 37 Pilate’s question, “So you are a king?” would seem to carry both skepticism and sarcasm with it.
• And in v. 38, I’m sure that the question, “What is truth?” is dripping with cynicism.
Could Pilate have been thinking, “There are hundreds of religions in the Roman Empire, and they all think they’re true, and we tolerate them all. So what is truth?”

Yet with all of this, even Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator, a Gentile, and an unbeliever, sees no threat, no harm, and no guilt in our Lord Jesus Christ. (back to Luke 23)
*Luke 23:4-7
4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no guilt in this man.”
5 But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place.”
6 But when Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.
7 And when he learned that (Jesus) belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.

Just to be clear here – in v. 4 Pilate is saying that he does not see where Jesus has committed any crimes against Rome. And he really doesn’t want to deal with what he no doubt sees as another insignificant religious dispute among the Jews. But, of course, the Jewish religious leaders and those whom they’ve stirred up are not about to let it go. They want Jesus dead! But Pilate just wishes this whole thing would go away.

In vv. 5-7, when the Jews say Jesus is a Galilean, and has caused trouble in Galilee, Pilate sees his way out his dilemma. Since it was Passover, Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee was in Jerusalem for the feasts. What luck! Pilate would just send Jesus over to Herod. We might call this “passing the buck.” In this we learn something of Pilate’s character. He would much rather be comfortable, at peace, and at ease in his position as Roman Procurator of Israel than wield his power and influence to do the right thing.

Listen, Jesus Christ is innocent of the crimes of which he is being accused. Pilate knows it, but he doesn’t care. He’s thinking, “I’ll send Him to Herod. Maybe he’ll give the crowd what they want, and I won’t be held responsible for the consequences by this Jesus’ sympa-thizers and followers.”

For one ruler to send a prisoner to another ruler was not uncommon. In fact, years later, the Apostle Paul would have his case sent from the then Roman procurator Festus, to the last of Herodians, Herod Agrippa II.

Think about this. How often do you and I “pass the buck” or shirk our duty when we have an opportunity to do what is right, or to protect the innocent, or, here’s one – when we have an opportunity to stand up for our Lord and Savior? We’ll see what he does then. Will he do the right thing or will he prove to be a coward? Pilate will get another chance to do what is right in next Sunday’s text. What do we do with the chances God gives us?
*Luke 23:8-12
8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.
9 And (Herod) questioned (Jesus) at some length; but He answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehe-
mently.
11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.
12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other.

Herod had heard of Jesus’ ministry and miracles sometime after he had John the Baptist executed. It was way back in Luke 9:9 when Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see (Jesus). Herod did want to see Jesus, but it wasn’t because he wanted to repent. It was because he wanted to see a sign or a miracle. He just wanted to be “entertained.” And if he wasn’t pleased with Jesus’ performance, Herod could have Him beheaded too.

In vv. 9-10 of this morning’s passage Herod’s questioning of Jesus goes on for some length of time. He wants to be entertained, but he also wants answers to the Jews’ accusations. But Jesus does not speak a word. This silence must infuriate Herod. When others have been brought before him they profess their innocence or they beg and plead for mercy. But to remain silent is to disrespect Herod and his high office, and he doesn’t like it.

Why won’t Jesus respond? I think the first reason is clear; He was fulfilling prophecy.
Isaiah 53:7
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.

But there is another reason, one that should grab hold of our attention. We know that Herod has heard the call to repent and believe. He heard it from John before he had him beheaded.
Mark 6:20 (excerpts)
20 Herod was afraid (had a reverential fear) of John, knowing that he was a right-eous and holy man…when he heard him (preach) he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

So Herod had heard the gospel and the call to repentance more than once. And it’s clear that he was intrigued by John’s message. Furthermore, since John’s death, Herod has heard that Jesus is preaching the same message of repentance. So he has had ample opportunities to respond to the gospel. Yet Herod had ignored all the warnings. All he really wanted from Jesus was that the Lord will do a few tricks for him.

There is a solemn warning here for everyone. There comes a time, after someone rejects the gospel again and again, that God will see to it that they will never come to saving faith. It happened to Pharaoh; it happened to Judas; and now it’s happening to Herod.
Proverbs 29:1
1 A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken (cut off; destroyed) beyond remedy.
Let me be very clear. There’s no question that God’s patience with sinners is long. But it is not infinite. His offer of salvation by grace through faith will someday come to an end. And when it does He will judge those who have rejected His Son. Please, if you are being drawn to Jesus, don’t wait! God may allow you to reject His Son this time. But this may be the last time. You may never be this close to Christ again. You may never have another oppor-tunity to receive Him. Please don’t wait. (back to Luke 23)

In Luke 23:11 Herod has had his last chance. Standing in the presence of God’s Son he hears nothing, because God will not speak to him. I believe Jesus’ silence is nothing less than judgment against Herod, proof that although Herod is living and breathing, He is now a dead man. He has rejected Jesus for the last time. Jesus has nothing more to say to him.

If you need proof that Herod has completely and finally rejected Jesus, just look at what he does in the rest of v. 11. He treats Jesus with utter contempt, mocks Him, and dresses Him in a kingly robe – probably one that Herod has worn out and rejected. What a picture!

To Herod, this whole thing must seem like a joke. Since the prisoner won’t do any tricks, or even talk to him, he’ll just send Him back to Pilate. He’ll let the Procurator deal with Jesus.

Finally, in v. 12, we’re told that due to their respective dealings with Jesus, Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator, and Herod Antipas, the Galilean Tetrarch, became friends. It isn’t clear why they hadn’t been friends before, but it may have had to do with personal rivalries and quests for power. In any case, they both treated Jesus shamefully, and in the process, they both sealed their fate.
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IV. Conclusion
There is great irony in the last thing Herod does to Jesus; he places the robe of a king upon our Lord. How amazing is that? Once again we see that even those who hate God do His bidding. Remember Caiaphas, the high priest? He hated Jesus, but even Caiaphas spoke for God when he said, “…it is expedient for you one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish (John 11:50).” Caiaphas spoke truth!

Now Herod Antipas mocks Jesus by dressing Him in a robe that had been fit for a king. This man hates Jesus, but he does what God would have him do. Even from an evil and cor-rupt and heart comes truth. Jesus IS King!

But there is one more thing that leaps off the pages of Scripture about Jesus being taken before these two men. Neither of them can find Him guilty of any crime. The accusations are there, but neither of them can find any evidence to convict our Lord of anything. These two godless and vile men confirm His innocence.

Yet these two men are complicit in having Jesus crucified. They murdered an innocent man even though they knew He was an innocent man.
This is why Jesus’ sacrificial death – the death of God’s innocent and spotless Lamb – is able to save us from our sins. We know Jesus was without sin and now we know that those who had Him crucified knew it too!

Thus we see illustrated two of the great doctrines of the faith. The first is the substitutionary atonement. Simply put, Jesus died for us, and in our place.
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 He (God the Father) made Him (God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, (in order) that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (in Christ).

1 Peter 2:24
24 …He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, (in order) that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

The second great doctrine of the faith that Jesus’ innocence illustrates is that His death made propitiation, that is, a satisfactory payment for sin.
Romans 3:24-25a
24 (Christians have been) justified (made righteous in God’s sight) as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
25a whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation (a satisfactory payment) in His blood through faith…

*1 John 4:9-10
9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begot-ten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

What can we do? He is our King. We can love Him. We can worship Him. And, as we will sing, we can praise our King and watch for His return in power and glory.

~ Pray ~