Herodian coin from Judea with palm branch (right) and wreath (left), 34 AD.
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” – Luke 23:3
They had remembered hearing the indictment of this gentile governor
while hiding their faces from his Roman judgment seat. Although complicit in Jesus’ prosecution, an illegitimate half-jew Herodian sat powerless while Roman troops ruled the streets of Jerusalem.
While Jesus was not the kind of Messiah King they had expected, He did acknowledge the title bestowed by Jews accusing Jesus of treason against Judah and Rome.
Most amazingly, Jesus has now appeared to these disciples after His resurrection! He continues to appear to hundreds of disciples; here and there, even in the locked rooms of Jerusalem.
Herod’s rule as tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, holds no authority over Judea, ruled by Marcus Pontius Pilatus, Roman prefect (governor) under the emperor Tiberius.
Captive Israel, now named Judea, Samaria, Galilee and Perea had no king, only legions of Rome. Most people lamented for the days of their strong kings, David and Solomon. Occasionally some rebelled against Rome, led by misguided ambitious young lions in hope of glory.
Judge or King?
From the day Israel crossed the Jordan its people encountered many kings of surrounding kingdoms. The Hebrew people had followed the Lord, but judges would become unable to rule this stiff-necked and proud people.
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.
“… Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
More than a thousand years before Pilate judged Judea, here marks the beginning of kings of the Jews. Samuel was no more inclined to accept a king of the Jews than the Roman governor Pilate.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel,
“Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
A King to rule over Israel
A risen Christ Jesus must have reminded disciples of the Lord’s anointing of their kings. Its truth had not been as their traditions recalled, but rather a concession to the desires of their forefathers.
… “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” …
5 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”
A Humble King and Triumphant Return
What was it worshipers near Jerusalem had sung while laying palm branches before Jesus?
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
It had been a week of anointing for the King of the Jews.
The Cross had not been the anticipated breaking of Israel’s oppressors, but the Lord’s embracing forgiveness for mankind.
And now with a resurrection begins the ascent to His Kingdom of righteousness and everlasting reign. Jesus certainly must have repeated stories of the kings and predictions of the Prophets. For the Gospels retell those very scriptures.
His disciples hear their beloved friend, the risen Messiah, tell why He had to be crucified on a cross and sacrificed for our sins.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Can you come up with a proverb from scripture anymore applicable to leaders of this 21st century?
They self-appoint a leader with strong-arm authority as Caesar for life. Or perhaps the rich and powerful will poison your opposition, if not literally, at least in the press. The evil ones manipulate the election, anointing and celebrating key world leaders. They imprison, assassinate or remove vocal opponents from the spotlight of the multitudes. All new, right?
Certainly not. For such political intrigue preceded the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, not only among its religious authorities, but also across the world in Rome.
Even though the popularity of Jesus, King of the Jews, threatened local leaders, the criminalization and public execution of Jesus could deter others from opposing the authority of the politically appointed.
Leaders in the first century
Israel is not a country; therefore Roman states and authority do not parallel Jewish identification of a former Judah and Israel.
As mentioned in previous posts in this lenten series, Rome’s conquest of the Mediterranean led to installment of Jewish leaders with limited power.
As Rome itself grew from republic to empire a strong military sought alliances with influential kings and leaders, including Herod the Great. Greek influence (Hellenism) gave way to Roman order.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
After Herod’s death, three sons (two named Herod and Philip) administered separate Roman-ruled provinces. Religious divisions and insurrections also sought to weaken Roman rule by selective terrorism.
The religious/political leaders of Jerusalem divided into three parties, really as much political beliefs as traditional religion. The Lord was not foremost in the philosophies of most of the Jewish elite, which included the Sadducees and Scribes or the more middle class Pharisees. The Essenes were sort of the monks of the day, with limited influence from the wilderness on the religious rule of the cities. (John the Baptist is thought to be one of the Essenes.)
All of this turmoil preceded the birth of the Messiah Jesus during the reign of Herod the Great and continued even beyond Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, ruled by Herod Archelaus.
The natural question to Jesus by leaders on all sides of political and religious belief would of course be, “.. who gave you this authority?” – Matthew 21:23
Leaders of every political persuasion and religious belief had already challenged Jesus frequently in His three years of teaching. Everyone knew of His power, righteousness and positions in matters of Law, the Scriptures and God.
And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” Mark 1: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. – John 1:17
Sadducees believed the Law was literal and authority came though the Priests. Jesus challenged their authority, but not that of the Law.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished… – Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus had explained to his Disciples:
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace.
Religious officials hearing him would likely have understood that Jesus identified them as the weeds in the parable of the weeds.
Pharisees too were far from immune to identification with sin and hypocrisy by Jesus. They had a tendency to impose priestly law and complex interpretation of the Law on the common people. Jesus challenged them.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. – Matthew 23:23
This Jesus, arriving at the gate of Jerusalem, worshiped by huge crowds is no stranger to these religious leaders. In fact, the Son of Man, the Messiah of Scripture is a direct challenge to their own future.
Scriptures
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. – John 5:39-40 NIV
Again, even now, no book is so controversial as the Bible.
Sadducees interpreted the written word of God so literally as to not leave room for the many modes of literary expression. Pharisees loved to spin their own interpretations of God’s word with such complexity as the Lord never intended. They added an oral law of their own making.
The Essenes actually had it right, using inspired exegesis of the Bible.
Jesus told Parables, but also quoted scripture to explain why the religious authorities failed in their teaching of scripture. The religious officials of Jerusalem knew what Jesus had previously spoken during the festival of the booths.
… 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. … then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people…
13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching…
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
… 25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? …
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
… 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
This Jesus of Nazareth was well known in Jerusalem and controversial as well, even prior to His entry into Jerusalem, even after the resurrection of Lazarus.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
Jesus Is Equal with God
5:18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
The Authority of the Son
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
We began this series with the priest of the second Temple Ezra, Looking Back at times preceding the fall of Jerusalem and the first Temple. Continuing with contrasts of Looking Back in real time from our 21st century, we examined a recent history of the Sadducees, whose auspicious beginnings were relatively new in the time of Jesus.
The question of the preceding centuries before Christ addressed who is in charge in a captive Israel, rather than that those in charge must first serve God.
We learned that the Sadducees had only been around since only about 175 years at the time of Christ’s teachings. In fact, the Essenes, like John the Baptist, and also the Pharisees could only trace their roots back to this same time.
Again, think of it in terms of today as looking back to the time of the American Civil War between the divided 33 states of the U.S. Yet the larger question to all generations is: should we look to our leaders for morality?
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6
Sadducees had it wrong, because they did not believe the evidence of the resurrection. They filtered scriptural knowledge of others by their own strict literal Hebrew translation, which may or may not have been accurate. The other two parties of Jewish belief were the Pharisees and the Essenes.
Pharisees and the Essenes
John the Baptist had withdrawn from the towns ruled by Romans and the religious controversies of power. He believed as the Essenes in a continuing spiritual life after death if we forsake our worldly ways in this mortal life.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” …
5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Even though the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, they also believed more in intellectual wisdom than in following the foolishness of the Lord. The Essenes on the other hand were seeking the Messiah of Scripture, the promised Teacher of All Righteousness. This is why John sent his disciples to Jesus and asked, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” – Matthew 11:3b – NKJV
Pharisees would have seen Jesus agreeing with them on the resurrection as a victory. Yet Jesus cautioned the crowds against their hypocrisy even more than opposing practices of Sadducees, Scribes or other political leaders.
Pharisees had likely been complicite in the elimination of their popular Essene rival, the prophet John, who Herod beheaded. Now the most popular opposition in Israel (which was, of course, a nation no more) was Jesus of Nazareth. Perhaps this charismatic itinerant rabbi is no more knowledgeable of Scripture than a common carpenter’s son. He cannot have done the miracles to which the multitudes give witness. They should easily be able to convince the crowds against this Jesus.
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying,
“Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?”
Not real complementary of these religious leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus did not speak against Herod with the prior intensity of John the Baptist or against their Roman governors. Now the Lord shows the Pharisees a Roman coin and tells them to pay their taxes and ‘give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” – v.21a
Jesus also reminds us: ‘and (give) to God the things that are God’s.” – v.21b
Matthew, the gospel writer, Disciple and former tax collector records the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus’ answer to the question Pharisees had carefully crafted to trip Him up.
When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. –Matthew 22:22
Thriving on Controversy
Pharisees were common people just like you and me, but ambitious to many faults.
In many ways Pharisees are no different than the politicians and self-absorbed religious leaders of today.They argued amongst themselves endlessly about subtleties of religion and culture they thought most applied in these changed times. They legislated their own interpretations of the Law of Moses to educate their disciples to obey as equal to written Scripture and the Torah.
Pharisees interpreted Law written for Priests and worship into laws forced upon all Jews by additional strict rules of interpretation. These oral laws given to fill in the gaps of what the Law does not prescribe required their own scholarly interpretation, as well as obedient application in everyday life by followers of the Pharisees. A few centuries later these new oral traditions would evolve into various versions of modern judaism.
Jesus challenged the elevation of Pharisees and other religious participants into authority and glory reserved for Almighty God. The Pharisees sought to dethrone Jesus the Nazarene by catching the Lord off guard in His exclusive claims to powers reserved for God. Even the Scribes agreed of His blasphemy. For no man, after all, can forgive sins; but many have witnessed that Jesus spoke these words to those He healed:
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Herod’s rule as tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, holds no authority over Judea, ruled by Marcus Pontius Pilatus, Roman prefect (governor) under the emperor Tiberius.
