Power, Duty, Curiosity, Conformity (Luke 23:1-25)
Luke again gives us four views on Jesus. This time, we see the responses of the priests, Pilate, Herod, and the crowds. All four views are wrong and show us dangers to avoid:
The priests and religious leaders have been concerned with Jesus as a threat for some time. They want to maintain their power and control over the crowds. They see the world through a religious lens, which is all too often less about the issue, “How does one please God?” and more about, “How can I stay in charge?” This is a danger for us all. Do we follow Jesus because we see Him as Lord, or to simply accomplish our own plans using Him as an assistant? As they approach Pilate and demand a verdict, their argument is, “He is stirring up the people.” They do not want anyone other than themselves to be in control. Their argument is canny, however, because it speaks to Pilate’s concern.
Pilate is charged with governing the region for Rome. He does not want the people being stirred up. However, he quickly sees that Jesus is no threat to security. He is not a rabble-rouser. He is not an insurrectionist. Pilate sees Jesus as insignificant, because his concern is his duty. Jesus is not a threat and does not need to be handled. The priests, however, could be. So, Pilate takes advantage of the system and passes the buck. This is the danger of allowing the system to dictate our actions. Too often the right thing to do disagrees with the system. It is sometimes necessary to break the world’s rules to do the ethically right thing.
Herod had long been hearing about Jesus. He saw Him as a curiosity, a celebrity. Herod had not been among the crowds witnessing Jesus’ miracles, but he wanted to see them. Herod could be motivated by boredom more than anything else. Who wouldn’t want to see real supernatural things revealed? The problem is, Jesus is not a showman. He did not do the miracles He did to impress. His mission was proclaiming the Kingdom of God, not merely physically fixing the temporal problems of the world. He does not perform for Herod. Are we followers of Jesus because we have submitted ourselves to His rule, or are we merely caught up in the emotional, performative aspect of what Christianity offers?
Finally, when Jesus lands in Pilate’s lap again, he wants to do the right thing. Jesus is not a threat. However, the crowd will not have it. The crowd is motivated by the crowd. Individuals have lost themselves in the mass, and the mindless drive to do what everyone else is doing. They are motivated by conformity and see Jesus as an opportunity to respond en masse. This is perhaps the scariest mistake. What do we do to fit in?
Jesus is a threat to the powerful. He is insignificant to man-made systems. He is a curiosity that demands our attention. And He is a test of our will. Will we make the mistakes that everyone else falls into? Will we be motivated by power, duty, curiosity, conformity, or will we see Jesus for who He is and surrender?
The priests and religious leaders have been concerned with Jesus as a threat for some time. They want to maintain their power and control over the crowds. They see the world through a religious lens, which is all too often less about the issue, “How does one please God?” and more about, “How can I stay in charge?” This is a danger for us all. Do we follow Jesus because we see Him as Lord, or to simply accomplish our own plans using Him as an assistant? As they approach Pilate and demand a verdict, their argument is, “He is stirring up the people.” They do not want anyone other than themselves to be in control. Their argument is canny, however, because it speaks to Pilate’s concern.
Pilate is charged with governing the region for Rome. He does not want the people being stirred up. However, he quickly sees that Jesus is no threat to security. He is not a rabble-rouser. He is not an insurrectionist. Pilate sees Jesus as insignificant, because his concern is his duty. Jesus is not a threat and does not need to be handled. The priests, however, could be. So, Pilate takes advantage of the system and passes the buck. This is the danger of allowing the system to dictate our actions. Too often the right thing to do disagrees with the system. It is sometimes necessary to break the world’s rules to do the ethically right thing.
Herod had long been hearing about Jesus. He saw Him as a curiosity, a celebrity. Herod had not been among the crowds witnessing Jesus’ miracles, but he wanted to see them. Herod could be motivated by boredom more than anything else. Who wouldn’t want to see real supernatural things revealed? The problem is, Jesus is not a showman. He did not do the miracles He did to impress. His mission was proclaiming the Kingdom of God, not merely physically fixing the temporal problems of the world. He does not perform for Herod. Are we followers of Jesus because we have submitted ourselves to His rule, or are we merely caught up in the emotional, performative aspect of what Christianity offers?
Finally, when Jesus lands in Pilate’s lap again, he wants to do the right thing. Jesus is not a threat. However, the crowd will not have it. The crowd is motivated by the crowd. Individuals have lost themselves in the mass, and the mindless drive to do what everyone else is doing. They are motivated by conformity and see Jesus as an opportunity to respond en masse. This is perhaps the scariest mistake. What do we do to fit in?
Jesus is a threat to the powerful. He is insignificant to man-made systems. He is a curiosity that demands our attention. And He is a test of our will. Will we make the mistakes that everyone else falls into? Will we be motivated by power, duty, curiosity, conformity, or will we see Jesus for who He is and surrender?
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