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The Desire of Ages
Should he refuse to give Jesus into their hands, a tumult would be
raised, and this he feared to meet. When he heard that Christ was from
Galilee, he decided to send Him to Herod, the ruler of that province,
who was then in Jerusalem. By this course, Pilate thought to shift the
responsibility of the trial from himself to Herod. He also thought this
a good opportunity to heal an old quarrel between himself and Herod.
And so it proved. The two magistrates made friends over the trial of
the Saviour.
Pilate delivered Jesus again to the soldiers, and amid the jeers
and insults of the mob He was hurried to the judgment hall of Herod.
“When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad.” He had never before
met the Saviour, but “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.” This Herod was he whose hands were
stained with the blood of John the Baptist. When Herod first heard of
Jesus, he was terror-stricken, and said, “It is John, whom I beheaded:
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he is risen from the dead;” “therefore mighty works do show forth
themselves in him.”
Mark 6:16
;
Matthew 14:2
. Yet Herod desired to
see Jesus. Now there was opportunity to save the life of this prophet,
and the king hoped to banish forever from his mind the memory of that
bloody head brought to him in a charger. He also desired to have his
curiosity gratified, and thought that if Christ were given any prospect
of release, He would do anything that was asked of Him.
A large company of the priests and elders had accompanied Christ
to Herod. And when the Saviour was brought in, these dignitaries, all
speaking excitedly, urged their accusations against Him. But Herod
paid little regard to their charges. He commanded silence, desiring an
opportunity to question Christ. He ordered that the fetters of Christ
should be unloosed, at the same time charging His enemies with
roughly treating Him. Looking with compassion into the serene face
of the world’s Redeemer, he read in it only wisdom and purity. He
as well as Pilate was satisfied that Christ had been accused through
malice and envy.
Herod questioned Christ in many words, but throughout the Saviour
maintained a profound silence. At the command of the king, the
decrepit and maimed were then called in, and Christ was ordered to
prove His claims by working a miracle. Men say that Thou canst heal
the sick, said Herod. I am anxious to see that Thy widespread fame