Day 16 :: Impress Me!
Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him. So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him.
Luke 23:8-9(6-12)
We live in a society where the culture is focused on ‘IMPRESS ME!’ We either spend time trying to impress others or looking to be impressed. All aspects of our lives are sadly affected by this. We don’t want to be viewed as less than impressive or a failure. We seek the thrill of being impressed and try to find short term happiness under the guise of being impressed by something – new clothes, a car, or a holiday. Although we think this is a problem in modern day society, it’s been a problem for many years and Herod shows that to us.
In today’s reading, Pilate sent Jesus off to Herod because Jesus was from Galilee and Herod ruled here; it meant Pilate didn’t need to make any decisions on his case. Herod would have been Pilate’s counterpart in authority, in a different region. Herod had ruled here for many years. He was interested in spiritual matters and he was the one who had John the Baptist killed. When Jesus began to make a name for himself, he was interested in him – he felt both guilt for the killing of John but also wanted to meet Jesus as he thought He was unique and entertaining.
‘Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracles performed by him’ (V8)
Herod finally gets to meet Jesus after hearing much about him, however his interest was only a desire to be amused and entertained. Jesus would have spent the majority of his time in Galilee where Herod ruled – therefore he would have had endless opportunities to hear Jesus, however he chose not to. When he did meet him, he wanted to see Jesus prove himself and demanded him to do a miracle. His interest in Jesus was not sincere - he didn’t care about him, he didn’t want to praise him – he only wanted to use him for self-promotion and enjoyment.
‘So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him’ (V9)
Jesus would have had the opportunity to clear his name here with Herod, all he would have had to do was a miracle to win Herod onto his side – yet he didn’t even speak. Jesus likely understood that Herod was not genuine and was only using him.
‘Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright clothing, and sent him back to Pilate.’ (V11)
Whenever any person comes into contact with Jesus they have a decision to make. They need to decide if they are going to open their lives to Jesus, repent from their sin and look forward to the eternal life they will have with him. Herod would have had the opportunity to make this decision here, however he shows what he really thought of Jesus. Because Jesus refused to impress him and instead made Herod look foolish in front of his men, he and his soldiers beat, mocked, and dressed Him in kingly clothes to make fun of him. So, as Jesus would not impress Herod with a ‘magic trick’ Herod attempted to impress others by mocking Jesus. Herod shows here that he not only rejected Jesus, but he never even took him seriously to begin with.
Herod shows the true shallowness of his heart. He wants to be impressed and entertained and when he doesn’t get his way, he turns into a bully. He was curious about Jesus, yet he wanted him on his own terms. Herod wasn’t prepared to be confronted with his own sin or the need for his repentance, therefore he rejected Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.
How many of us today are in a similar position? While we find Herod’s contempt wrong, are we any better than Herod? Are we guilty of only turning to Jesus when we specifically want something from Him?
One main reason people reject Jesus is they do not want to give up their sin or be confronted with how they live their lives. Jesus wouldn’t give Herod what he wanted, nor will He give us what we want just to win our acceptance.
Jesus reminds us ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ (Mark 8:34)
Jesus wants us to repent and seek forgiveness from God. He wants us to discipline ourselves to follow his teachings and live as he did. By doing this we are accepting him as our one and only Saviour and we are only then making the choice to have eternal life.
If we have trusted in Jesus as the way to God and are willing to take up his cross, then there is nothing else we can do that would impress God!
Passages to read: Luke 23:6-12
A thought to remember: Jesus did not come to impress, but to save.
A question to ask: How might you want Jesus to impress you, or how might you look to impress others?
A song to sing: King of Kings