Luke 23:10-12 10The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him, and dressing him in fine clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other on that same day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
Two groups of people surface as the ring leaders of the opposition to Jesus. It is unlikely that the whole Sanhedrin went to see Herod because the logistics would not be conducive to such a large group, but it would depend on what the palace was like where Herod stayed. The chief priests had given Jesus problems since he entered Jerusalem (). The scribes had long followed Jesus with questions and complaints (). Luke does not state what their accusations were, but likely the same as found in verse 2.
The mocking response of Herod and his soldiers was different than what we know of Pilate’s response. There is no description of a dialogue between Herod and Jesus. Jesus already predicted this type of response in 18:32. At the heart of the mockery was the accusation of Jesus being the messianic King. Herod Antipas had the same response as his father, Herod the Great, when his kingship and authority were threatened. Herod may have been curious about Jesus but this was not a positive or passive interest but almost a jealous inspection of a potential threat.
The saying “Your enemy is my enemy” is illustrated in verse 12 as Herod and Pilate united in the same animosity against Jesus and became friends. Luke does not give a lot of details about the events that took place during Jesus’ trials. He experienced beatings, mockery, and false accusations. These all showed rejection and hardness of hearts. He knew all this would happen because it was part of God’s plan to show the depth of his love for humanity and also the depths of human depravity. In the whole process, Jesus’ innocence also stands out. The leaders did not know what to do with Jesus because he had done nothing wrong before the law.
Sadly, people today still follow in the same path as the Jewish leader, Pilate, and Herod in their hatred for Jesus and those who follow him. The darkness cannot stand the light because it exposes its emptiness.
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