Rabbi Yeshua is the Most Important Person who ever lived. He is the Son of God, and the Son of Man – fully God and fully human. That makes Him absolutely unique. That makes Him uniquely qualified to help suffering humanity. The events we are considering are the most important events connected to the most important day in the life of the Most Important Man who ever lived!
These important events, which made a new beginning and new life possible for humanity – reconciliation to God, and eternal life – are connected to Spring, which is a time of new life and new beginnings for nature, and Passover, which was a time of new life and new beginnings for Israel as we were set free from harsh slavery in Egypt. That first Passover forms a prophetic background to this greater Passover and greater Lamb who provides a greater deliverance, a greater rescue and salvation from darker and more powerful forces than those of Egypt!
During His last day, Messiah experienced several trials – one before the high priest; another trial before Israel’s Sanhedrin, the highest seat of authority of the Jewish people; another before Pontius Pilate – who represented the authority of the Gentiles of the world; and before Herod – another authority; and then Yeshua’s final trial before Pilate once again.
This means Messiah was thoroughly examined by the representatives of the Chosen Nation, and by the representative of Rome – the leading empire of the world. Any one of these authorities could have done what was right – declare Yeshua, who was a good and righteous man – innocent of false charges and set Him free.
None of them chose to do what was right. That tells us that not just Judas and Peter and the other disciples failed spectacularly, but the Jewish world and the Gentile world also failed spectacularly. But, humanity’s spectacular failure doesn’t have to be the end of our story! God is so great and wise and merciful and good that He is able to bring amazing redemption even from mankind’s spectacular failure!
In response to their question about whether Yeshua was the Messiah, the young Rabbi had boldly declared to the Sanhedrin that He was the Son of Man – a unique and perfect and powerful and honorable human being who was and would be very close to God. Yeshua also clearly declared to the leaders of the Chosen People that He is the divine Son of God – equal to the Father in nature, ruling with God the Father over all things, all beings, all forces, all powers.
The Sanhedrin had finally gotten what they wanted – a crystal clear declaration from the mouth of Yeshua Himself that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. It happened to be the truth – but among political and religious leaders who were far from the truth, it was enough to convict Yeshua of blasphemy and give them grounds to try and have Him put to death by the Roman authorities, who had the power to execute capital punishment. But, Roman law and Roman authorities weren’t interested in the intricacies of Jewish religion. The Jewish leaders needed to approach Pilate along different lines to accomplish their goal to have Yeshua put to death. And, they found an area that did interest Rome – potential rebellion against the empire.
Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Messiah, a King”. So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews”? And He answered him and said, “It is as you say”.
Just as He had boldly told the truth to the highest Jewish authorities, now Yeshua boldly declared the truth to the highest Gentile authority. Yes, He was the rightful King of the special nation that God chose to help Him save the nations of the world that were alienated from Him. Even though this admission could have caused Him very serious trouble from the mighty Roman empire, Yeshua declared that He was the God-ordained leader of the nation that was designed by God to be a light to the other nations who were in darkness and far from God and truth and life.
But, in spite of His bold declaration of His kingship, Pilate sensed that the young Rabbi was no threat to Rome. He would not be stirring up rebellion against the empire. The charges against Yeshua were biased and flimsy and motivated by other considerations, and Pilate knew it. Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man”. This is the Roman governor’s first declaration of Yeshua’s innocence.
The Jewish leaders didn’t give up at Pilate’s first refusal to do what they wanted. They were determined to get rid of Yeshua. But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place”.
Ah, Galilee! The mind of Pilate saw a potential way out of this difficult situation – a change of jurisdiction would help him. He could shift this problem to someone else. When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.
Conveniently, Herod was in the city. And, he had his own reasons for being willing to get involved with the Miracle Working Rabbi from Nazareth. Now Herod was very glad when he saw Yeshua; 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.
Even though Herod was rich and powerful, and could have proclaimed Yeshua innocent, and spared His life, Yeshua did not cater to Herod’s desire to see a miracle. The Righteous One was not and is not impressed by human power or wealth, and Yeshua would not do a miracle to impress this king – even if it meant being set free.
And, just as Isaiah had predicted 700 years earlier, Messiah was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth to defend Himself; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open his mouth during this time of trial. And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. Doing nothing and saying nothing to Herod was the right thing to do – even if it caused Yeshua further suffering.
And the chief priests and the scribes (the experts in Torah) were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. Herod was in charge of this trial, and if Yeshua was on trial before Herod, these leaders were still determined to have the popular young Rabbi from Nazareth eliminated.
Herod wouldn’t have the silent Galilean, who refused to answer him or do a miracle, killed – but he could show the Nazarene who was the real king, and who wasn’t; who was in charge, and who wasn’t; and who was worthy of respect, and who wasn’t. 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. Herod and his soldiers believed that Herod was a true king, and worthy of honor, and that the Carpenter-Turned-Rabbi, even if He did have some connection to the family of David, was not a true king, and was worthy of their contempt and humiliation. The Son of God, through whom the universe was made and is sustained, could have asked His Father to destroy these vial, insulting little creatures – but He did nothing. For our benefit, and to make our salvation possible, He patiently endured their humiliation.
How surprised Herod and his soldiers will be on the Day of Judgment, which is a real day which is really coming, when these same men appear before the glorious Son of God, who will be yielding power and authority over Israel and the nations, and they find out who, all along, was the real king, and who wasn’t; who really was in charge, and who wasn’t; and who really was worthy of respect, and who wasn’t! Make sure that you are not like Herod and his soldiers, and to your shame and horror, are horribly surprised on that Day!
To get out of a difficult situation, Pilate tried passing jurisdiction of Yeshua to Herod. Herod returned the favor and passed the responsibility back to Pilate. Politics makes strange bedfellows. It turned out that Herod and Pilate had more in common than they thought. Common dislikes can create allies. My enemy’s enemy is my friend. Luke tells us that from Yeshua’s trials before the two of them, a new political alliance was forged that day. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
Now we come to Yeshua’s final trial. It was before Pontius Pilate, the representative of Gentile world power. He had the authority to kill the King of the Jews, or do the right thing and release Him. Will the representative of the Gentiles do the right thing? Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. Therefore I will punish Him and release Him”. This was the informed determination and the second declaration of Yeshua’s innocence by the representative of the mighty Roman empire.
Pilate’s desire was to set free the innocent young Rabbi. A Roman custom offered him some hope of doing just that. Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner. But the Jewish leaders and the people who supported them would not make that possible. They pressured Pilate to release someone else. But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas”! (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) These were the leaders of the nation of Israel, and their supporters. These were the leaders of the nation that was closest to God. But, this part of humanity preferred Bar Abba, whose name means, “Son of the Father” to be released, rather than the true Bar Abba- the eternal Son of the eternal Father.
Even though they were very religious men, they were so far from God that a real criminal, a rebel against Rome and a murderer was preferable to them than the righteous and innocent Son of God. This shows us that even leaders, even the majority of leaders, even leaders who are deeply religious can go very far from God, go very far from the truth and make the most mammoth mistakes.
How about you? Are you really close to God? Are you really close to the truth? Are you really doing what is right in His sight? Are you really pleasing Him, or is your life based on colossal miscalculations?
Pilate knew enough of the truth about Yeshua to want to do what was right. Pilate, wanting to release Yeshua, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him”! Knowing that the popular young Rabbi was innocent, Pilate again attempted to have Yeshua released. He could have – if he exerted his political will – but he was unwilling to do that. It might cost him something to release Yeshua, and he was unwilling to pay that price.
And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him”. This is the third official declaration of the representative of the Gentile leaders of the world that Yeshua was innocent. There was no question in the mind of Pilate that the King of the Jewish people was innocent and should not be put to death.
Another idea came to this Roman politician: maybe Yeshua’s adversaries would be satisfied with a severe punishment, and that suffering and humiliation would be enough to satisfy them? So he offered to punish Yeshua and release Him. But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And politicians tend to listen to the majority, or to those who make the most noise – more than the minority who are right and innocent – especially if it a minority of one. And, the Roman governor yielded to their demand. He caved into political pressure. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Yeshua to their will.
Pilate made perhaps the worst judicial and political decision in human history. He also violated his conscious. He did what he knew was wrong. He knowingly had an innocent man killed for political expediency. He showed us what the leaders of the world so often are like. He showed us what humanity is really like. He showed us the corruption of human nature. He showed us the depths of the corruption of politics. He showed us the corruption of human judicial systems. He corrupted his office. He shamed himself and his family and the mighty Roman empire, and its system of law and justice. In fact, he shamed all of humanity.
Human political and religious leaders, nations and even great empires, have failed humanity time after time after time. And, they are no better now than they were 2,000 years ago. That is not where we look to, to get our hope, our strength, to be our role models. We need something greater, someone greater, better, purer, more honest, more truthful, more reliable.
One of the Passover psalms teaches us: It is better to take refuge in the Lord, than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
Another psalm declares: How blessed, advantaged, much happier and far better off is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who have gone into error.
And the prophet Jeremiah wrote: This is what Adonai, the Great Creator God, says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in humanity, who depends on other human beings for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives (sound horrible!). But blessed, advantaged, happier and better off is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (sounds delightful and successful!).
Yeshua is indeed the Messiah and the Lord that God the Father sent. We must know that! We must trust Him! We must place our confidence in Him in order to lead a truly blessed and successful life in this world, and have any hope of experiencing eternal life in the world to come! I pray that God would help each one of us do that, before we leave this world!