Luke 23: 1-12
Watch or listen to this sermon here.
You could be forgiven if you feel less than clear on the state of Canada’s federal government these days. Parliament has yet to reconvene, our Prime Minister is stepping down as head of his political party, with that party’s leadership about to be determined, and though we’re not sure exactly when, a general election also looms. Some of us are already lost, and those are just the headlines. Politics can be complex and confusing, including the broader geo-politics which have looked stormy of late too. As we’re seeing, governments can become anxious and leery of one another, fear and scarcity mindsets can sweep populations quickly, and it can all feel a bit unsettling. This is nothing new. Read history and we find plenty of stormy uncertainty too, which includes ancient history as ancient people weren’t uninformed or unequipped in the matters of politics or power.
This is the world of the gospels, ancient sources which tell us about Jesus in their time. We often point out how our world and the ancient world differs culturally, but both ancient and modern people share big questions and around human tendencies toward power. And as we hurdle toward the conclusion of Luke’s gospel, we move through a world filled with power struggles, populism, attempts at various reforms, and political maneuvers too. Does any of that sound familiar? Today’s scene sets us right in the heart of those realities. All to say, some background is needed as we step with Jesus into palaces and courts, and into the presence governors and kings. But before we do that, let’s remember where we left off in narrative.
Jesus, Jerusalem, Passover
Jesus had come to Jerusalem at Passover, a massive festival which celebrated the historical liberation of the Hebrew people, the Exodus. The population of the city had swelled up to eight times its usual size, and Jesus’ organized his arrival to resemble that of a messianic, kingly figure expected to bring freedom. So, would Jesus bring on another Exodus for his people, another mass liberation? It seems Jesus, fully aware of the public optics, had no intention of inspiring a rebellion, and so with each move he ensures a revolt is avoided. Instead, he shares an intimate Passover meal with his disciples, where he re-constitutes the whole meaning of the meal around himself, signalling that through him another kind of liberation was on the horizon (even though his disciples couldn’t get their heads around that just yet). After the meal they all go to an olive grove outside of the city to pray, where Jesus allows himself to be betrayed and led back to Jerusalem under arrest. Even if Jesus isn’t about power grabbing, others are.
The corrupt higher-ups in Israel’s leadership want rid of Jesus because he operates with a strange authority evidenced by his unparalleled wisdom and teaching, along with many incredible signs. Jesus has had several run-ins with the higher-ups, and each time their power is put in the shade by Jesus’ undeniable authority and integrity. The gospel writer shows us over again that Jesus is no ordinary teacher or prophet or even king. Everything he does and says points to one greater, unnerving conclusion. The Israelites had long waited for God’s presence to return to their temple: could Jesus somehow be the embodiment of Yahweh’s return? If Jesus was their LORD among them, the higher-ups don’t recognize him, blinded by corrupted power and twisted methods. This is where we paused recently. Jesus has been arrested in the dead of night and been put up in a sham trial, accused and condemned because the higher-ups want him gone. Conspiring, they sink to any means to do away with Jesus, but with every crooked move the damning evidence piles up against them. They’re showing their true colours, and Jesus, with every move, is showing his true colours too. Jesus becomes increasingly silent in this stretch of the narrative, because he’s said all he needed to earlier. He’d taught daily in the temple for all to hear, but as their LORD among them, he won’t force himself on the higher-ups or the people. So, in these next scenes words make way for actions.
With that, we’re primed for the episode we heard a moment ago. Let’s take a look now, by way of the main players: the council, Pilate, and Herod.
The Council, Pilate, Herod
First, the higher-ups, ancient Israel’s leadership, the high council. What we call religion and politics were not so divided up for ancient people, especially the Israelites. Numbering about seventy men, the council acted as a kind of supreme court over the whole nation, ran the massive Temple in Jerusalem, and were meant to bring guidance in accordance with the Law (Torah). So when our text today says that “the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate” this is Israel’s supreme court carting Jesus around, intent on his death. But the council’s authority had limits, because of another political reality in which they lived.
Enter, Pilate. Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea at the time, the Roman Emperor’s (Tiberius) representative in the capital, Jerusalem. At this point Judea had been under Roman control for about two generations, so even though the high council had power, they had to play ball with their oppressors. Roman foreign policy was both shrewd and brutal. Governors, like Pilate, were responsible for applying policy, collecting taxes, and above all keeping the peace. Riots or attempted insurrections destabilized major cities like Jerusalem, and so control was the top priority of any governor. Putting down an uprising was dangerous and costly, and troops were preferably focused on the Empire’s boarders.[i] For your average Roman official, Judea was often a troublesome province to manage, so it’s safe to say that Pilate did not feel he had the plumb job. Other sources cast him as ruthless and anti-Jewish.
Back to the scene. Subjects, including the high council, couldn’t just go around condemning people to death over against the rule of Roman law. So, the council takes Jesus to Pilate to make the case that Jesus is intent on revolution in Jerusalem, lying by means to that end. If they can show Jesus to be in opposition to the Emperor, Pilate will dispatch him with ease as he’d have his eye on fires which might threaten the control of his jurisdiction. Either he put those fires out, or the Emperor would put him out. Pilate is in a tricky position. The city is bursting at the seams, and unrest in Jerusalem could easily be sparked during Passover. The council is adamant that Pilate snuff out the threat Jesus poses even if Pilate isn’t convinced Jesus isn’t a revolt-leader. But Jesus is also popular with the people, so a hasty judgement of the death penalty could also spark a fire. Even with Jesus’ response to Pilate’s question (“Are you the king of the Jews?”, “you have said so”), Pilate has assessed Jesus’ hasn’t turned up to inspire rebellion.
Remember how we said that politics can be complex? Well, enter Herod. The Herodian family had generational influence in the region and so the Romans were happy to use them in a sort of subordinate role. Herod was the semi-Jewish ruler of Galilee in the north, both part the Roman province of Judea, and its own sub-territory. Jesus hailed from Nazareth in Galilee, part of Herod’s jurisdiction. So Pilate sends the council and Jesus to Herod as he’s traveled to Jerusalem for the festival. But Pilate doesn’t just send Jesus to Herod as a matter of jurisdiction, he’s probably making a calculated political move. Other sources tell us that a few months earlier Herod had complained to the Emperor over a matter of Pilate’s judgement involving Jerusalem’s temple[ii]. And now we see the political games at play. If Pilate doesn’t handle things sensitively and Jerusalem sees any unrest at Passover, Herod might be inclined to complain to the Emperor again. So Pilate sends the council and Jesus to Herod for his ruling, shrewdly keeping Herod involved.
Herod is pleased to see Jesus, because he’s heard about the wandering prophet and the incredible signs he’s preformed. Luke also tells us earlier (chapter 13) that Herod wanted Jesus dead, threatened by his popularity in Galilee. Herod is also already responsible for killing Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptizer. With Jesus now in his hands, Herod thoroughly questions him, but Jesus says silent. And, even though the council had no love for both Pilate and Herod, they continue to vehemently accuse Jesus as they want a ruling for his death. Herod doesn’t give them a judgement directly, instead he sends Jesus back to Pilate for a verdict, but not before dressing Jesus up as royalty and making him a spectacle of mockery. Herod is happy for Pilate to make the final call given the pressure of the council, and Jesus’ popularity with the people, all within the pressure cooker that is Jerusalem at Passover. Luke adds a curious note that this episode brought Pilate and Herod closer together when they’d previously been at odds. Though Herod doesn’t get a sign out of him, Jesus no longer appears a threat, now in the hands of the council and the Romans; and Pilate has avoided further alienating Herod by involving him in this sensitive process and ruling. Pilate need now only ensure the crowds are on side, and he’ll be in the clear on this Jesus of Nazareth problem. On Pilate and Herod’s friendship, one scholar points out that Jesus leaves a strange trail or reconciliation in his wake.[iii] People are always brought together behind Jesus, either with him, or allied against him.
Jesus on Parade
And that’s the scene. It’s Jesus on parade, passed around from power to power. Here’s Israel’s LORD among them: the council wants rid of him, and the mighty empire running the world doesn’t register him, including their vassals like Herod. The powers of the world don’t see true authority when it’s staring them in the face. In fact, they jeer and laugh. No one understands who Jesus is and what he carries. So strange to them, in their world of insecure power games, Jesus looks weak and uninfluential, when in fact he’s about to display a kind of power which will change things forever. Because, looking silly to them, dressed up as royalty, Jesus is about to dress down the evil power which stand behind them all. And even though they seem to have the last laugh, Jesus’ death and resurrection will be a great judo move, turning the weight of evil and death on itself, bringing about healing and life. As Paul writes later in 1 Corinthians this was “God’s wisdom…(which) none of the rulers of this age understood…”
So what does this scene tell us? Well, first, ancient biographies spent a good deal of time on how someone died, because how someone died showed you who they really were[iv]. Notice then a few things about Jesus in this run of events: he doesn’t whip up his messianic entry to Jerusalem into a riot to storm the Temple or another public building; he doesn’t resist arrest in the garden; and he doesn’t jostle for power like the authorities around him, even when his life depends on it. So one reflection we could draw is that heavenly power, godly power, often looks vastly different from earthly power. Heavenly power and earthly power. Heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom. The gospels tell us there’s a difference.
As Jesus’ disciples today, we must be very clear on the difference between both. There’s an insecure kind of power, working its will by any means necessary, to achieve results it wants, no matter who’s stepped on. And there is power as Jesus’ holds it. Jesus was very clear on what heavenly power and true wisdom looked like, even around the Passover table with his disciples just a few hours earlier:
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me… (Luke 22)
Wisdom and Power
A scene like today’s asks us a question, especially in a world such as today’s: as his followers now what sort kingdom has Jesus conferred on us, assigned to us? Is it a kingdom of political games and power plays, or a kingdom after Jesus’ own heart? What models and methods do we pattern our lives after now?
I have a friend who can’t stand the term, servant leadership, because, he argues, there’s no other kind of real leadership. If Jesus is LORD, and has shown us what real wisdom and power looks like (humble service), then why qualify “leadership” in Christian settings with “servant” at all? For my friend, any kind of Christian leadership that isn’t shaped by Jesus’ example, isn’t true leadership anyway, because it carries no godly wisdom or power. Well, even though I agree with him, my friend is something of an idealist. We know why we need to say servant leadership in Christian settings, and it’s because we’re all prone to adopting earthly forms of power gone wrong. But let’s take his point: those are forms which lack real wisdom or power as defined by Jesus. They are Pilate and Herod forms of power.
No matter our scope of influence as Christians, be it in the home or in parlement, we have been given a new pattern to follow, which doesn’t play self-interested games or force selfish agendas. The LORD of creation, as seen in Jesus, has shown us what true wisdom and power looks like and how to use it. But beware, at first, it looked like complete foolishness. Let’s remember that, at first, even Jesus’ team captain, Peter, shrinks from his example. The council rejects Jesus’ authority. Pilate and Herod are lost in a world of power grabbing and manipulation, missing Jesus entirely. Only Jesus is walking in heavenly power at this point, working out his strange wisdom in a crooked and insecure world. And yet, Jesus tells his disciples that they will inherit what he establishes through his death a resurrection. Not only will they inherit freedom from sin and death and find life, but a new sort of power. True, heavenly wisdom.
Sometimes we hear that our faith isn’t a public matter and should remain private, that we should keep all that Christian stuff to ourselves. And though that might sound reasonable on the surface, it simply doesn’t square with what it means to be a Christian at all. At no time in the Bible do we discover a faith which is entirely personal, making no impact on our public lives. Being a Christian is a personal and a public thing, because being a Christian is to follow Jesus, who lived and died and lived again, re-setting the whole world in public, while making the most personal difference to each of us. Being Christian is to carry a personal trust in Jesus, which is publicly noticeable. Following Jesus touches every aspect of our life, the very private and the very public, and this is because following Jesus is about relationships, and being human is about relationships.We’re in relationship with our Creator who knows us, loves us, has called us sons and daughters, and is heaven bent on teaching us how to love one another. We have clear instruction in the Bible on how to do that, with teachings from Jesus like, “love one another like I have loved you”, and “treat your neighbour the way you want to be treated”. We have instructions in the Bible on how to get along in society at large. We even have instructions about how to treat those we’d usually categorize as our enemies. And a lot of those lessons and examples in the New Testament can still be strange to a world full of nervous power plays and pollical games in small spaces and grand stages.
But we, assigned a new kingdom and true wisdom, we step into those spaces every day. No matter our sphere of influence or public personas – our first job as Christians is to make sure we’re in line with Jesus, his wisdom, his model of power, while not giving too much air to power used wrongly. This is what we hear in the rest of the New Testament – be truly wise.
So, have we got power in our marriage? Follow Jesus’ pattern. Have we got power as a parent? Show your kids what Jesus-shaped-power feels like, no matter what you were handed as a child yourself. Have you got influence in your workplace? Bring Jesus-like power into it, and don’t stoop, take the high roads. What does your school feel like? Students, show everyone how Jesus’ treats people whether they wear Nike or no-name. Educators, show your students what wise power means by your own example, showing students the Jesus-way, and don’t be ashamed of the gospel, because it’s the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. University folks, take Jesus’ path, tempting and tricky as it can be in your world to do so. Let the true wisdom of your Jesus-defined example outshine even all your knowledge. Employers, treat those under your authority well, because the Lord has his loving eye on you both equally.
Be a Christian person in public. Sometimes it will mean keeping your mouth shut in the clamour of power games. Sometimes it will mean speaking up by your humble, even self-sacrificial example. Sometimes it will feel like you’re marching to a different beat, misunderstood by those around you. But you’re following your LORD, who holds true authority, and who is working true wisdom through your life. Even though you’ll make mistakes, go for it. He has assigned you a new kingdom. Be clothed by the Holy Spirit with true power from on high, leaving healing and reconciliation in your wake.
[I] Rikk E. Watts
[ii] Philo, Ad Gaium, 299-305
[iii] Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone
[iv] Rikk E. Watts
Luke Knight 