Herod Finally Meets Jesus!

And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. -- Luke 23:8

After Pilate discovered Jesus was from Galilee, the jurisdiction of Herod, the Roman governor quickly sent Jesus off to see Herod. At that time, Herod was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Passover with the Jewish people. But before we get into Herod's excited anticipation to meet Jesus, let's first see which Herod this verse is talking about. Several men named Herod ruled in Israel over the years. The first and most famous was "Herod the Great," who was made the first governor of Galilee when he was twenty-five years old. His kingship was launched by the order of Octavius and Marc Antony - the same Marc Antony who had a famous relationship with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. Flavius Josephus, the wellknown Jewish historian, recorded that Herod the Great died in 4 BC.

Who Killed Jesus?

Ray Pritchard

Who killed Jesus?

That question has echoed down the ages. Did the Jews kill Jesus? Was Pilate guilty of murder? What about Caiaphas the high priest and Herod the king? What role did the centurions play? What about the crowd shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”?

And we can’t forget Judas who betrayed him.

Each person and each group mentioned had a role to play in the unfolding drama of redemption. But in the larger sense, no one “took” his life because he “gave himself up for us.”

You cannot understand the love of God unless you go to the cross. You cannot understand the cross unless you see in it the outpouring of God’s love. Christ’s death became a sacrifice that was a “fragrant offering” to God. The NLT uses the phrase “a sweet aroma.”[Ephesians 5:2]

If we had been there on that Friday in early April, we would have been repulsed by the odor. Crucifixion was a ghastly way to die. The Romans intended to make it brutal and bloody. They had mastered the art of cruel killing. That day at Calvary the smell of death was everywhere.

But the cross smelled good to God. He was well-pleased by the sacrifice of his Son.

Taken from “Fragrant Offering” by Keep Believing Ministries (used by permission).

http://www.jesus.org/death-and-resurrection/the-crucifixion/who-killed-jesus.html

Today no one gets saved

John Shore

Good Friday.

I didn’t casually choose the illustration: I never present violence, or anything meant to crudely shock.

I haven’t seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ; I assume this is a still from it.

Either way, it shows what happened to Jesus, doesn’t it? The only reason to show it in any way less graphic would be in order to make us feel better.

That’s all Christ does, is make us feel better.

But not today. Today Christ does not save us. Today Christ, and we, are beyond saving—and hope. And love. And everything else in the world worth anything at all.

Today we all go down.

From The Book of Mark. If there’s one day of the year on which you should attentively read this, it's today.

Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace, and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”

Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.

“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

We are the people who killed Jesus.

John Shore

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/john-shore/today-no-one-gets-saved.html

Pilate - The Man Who Sinned Against Conscience

Pilate [Pī'late]—one armed with a dart. The surname of the fifth Roman procurator of Judea, who was recalled by Tiberius and banished to Vienna, where tradition says he committed suicide in 41 a.d. (Matt. 27).

What a different story we would have had if Pilate had obeyed his own conscience and also had followed his wife’s intuition and advice. 

Pilate held office for some twelve years, and by his covetous and cruel government caused himself to be hated both by the Jews and Samaritans. 

His first name, Pontius, means, “belonging to the sea.”

What a man he was for shirking responsibilities! He turned Christ over to the Jewish authorities (John 18:31), and then to Herod (Luke 23:7 ). 

When Christ was returned to him, he proposed to inflict a minor penalty (Luke 23:22). When he could not silence the cry of the mob for the blood of Christ, he directed attention to Barabbas (Matt. 27:17), and when the die was cast, engaged in a hypocritical ceremony (Matt. 27:24).

Some authorities affirm that the name Pilate is from “Pilus,” a felt cap which was worn by a slave as an emblem of liberty.

Today's reading is from:

All the Men of the Bibleby Herbert Lockyer A portrait gallery and reference library of over 3,000 named biblical characters. Characters you can learn from and teachings you can apply. Buy it now!