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. And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. 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. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
Understanding And Applying the Text
Jesus had been a target of Herod. According to Luke 13:31, some Pharisees told Jesus he should leave the area because Herod wanted to kill him. But now Herod was looking for a show. He considered Jesus a magician. And he wanted to see a magic show. But Jesus said nothing. I picture the chief priests and scribes in near panic. They do not see this going well for them. Pilate had already told them he could find nothing Jesus did that was wrong. What would happen if they released Jesus? What would happen if they allowed him to go back to the temple and teach? Their position and authority among the people would be gone. They could not let that happen. So I picture them standing there and hurling non-stop accusations. Jesus may not have spoken because he could not. They were doing all the talking. Jesus may not have spoken because he did not need to speak. They were his best defense. The real reason Jesus did not speak was because he did not want to speak. He gave himself willingly for you and me. He gave himself willingly to die on the cross. Jesus had shown himself more than capable of mounting a verbal defense. But this time he said nothing. He gave himself willingly.
Jesus sacrificed himself. He submitted himself to the will of the Father. For Jesus, things were bad and going to get worse. He knew it. Christ gave himself to redeem you and me. We too are called upon to submit to the will of the Father, believe, repent, and be baptized.
