Luke 23:9 Commentary and Bible Study

Herod interrogates Jesus, but he makes no reply. He hoped to see Christ perform some miracle, like a conjuror who has been hired to entertain an audience, but Christ does nothing. Is the Saviour of the world at man’s beck and call? Are his miracles something to amuse those who remain entirely committed to their evil ways. Herod was a deeply sinful man. Hendriksen reminds us of his history: ‘In the year 4 B.C., upon the death of his father, Herod Antipas had been made tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (Luke 3:1). Later on, while visiting his half-brother, Herod Philip, he had become infatuated with the latter’s wife, Herodias. The two illicit lovers had eloped. For the sin of having “his brother’s wife” he was sternly and repeatedly rebuked by John the Baptist (3:19, 20). But instead of repenting, the tetrarch had imprisoned John’, and eventually beheaded him. The Lord Jesus does not deal with all people in the same way, but takes account of the state of a person’s heart. The impenitent receive nothing from him. They are cut off from life, for they cut themselves off from his life-giving word. Not for a moment is God fooled by those who feign an interest in him, but who see him as yet one more resource that they can use for their own pleasure. Herod’s interest was excited, and he questioned Christ with great energy. He assumed that having the Lord Jesus in his power would extract from him the answers he wanted, and that the Lord would be intimidated by him, but he misread the situation to his eternal loss. In truth, he was on trial before Christ, and his every thought was contributing to his condemnation.As we know from the Gospel record, Herod had been spoken to by John the Baptist, and John had not held back, for he spoke without fear of his life. His original charge against Herod that he had wickedly taken his brother’s wife was enough to provoke the revenge of Herodias. But how can anyone take revenge against the righteous judgment of God? She wanted to silence the prophet, but John spoke plainly to Herod, and we are told that Herod hear him gladly, and evidently had a certain superstitious respect for him. This was seen in Herod belief, after John’s murder, that in the person of Jesus, John was risen again. There was evidence of a bad conscience in this belief, however erroneous it was. But in all that John said to Herod, there was no change in the tetrarch, and now it was too late. He had heard enough, and he was going to hear no more, not even a word of correction. Christ said nothing in response. This is the clearest indication that there is a terrible reality to judicial hardening. There comes a time when, if we persist in our sin and ignore God’s reasoning with our souls, God will cease to speak to us and we are cut off from all hope. The Lord Jesus remained silent, even though he apparently was completely within Herod’s power, and as Herod thought, at his mercy.