Luke 23:8-12

Luke 23:8-12 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends — before this they had been enemies.

Exodus 29:38-46 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning — a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. “So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Herod treated Jesus as a new found gadget, a trinket, something he could use for his pleasure. When he discovered that Jesus would do no miracles for him, when he realized the gadget would not perform as he wished, then he and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. They belittled Jesus by dressing him in an elegant robe fit for a king. They were definitely not afraid of this man from Galilee, for they thought of him as powerless and delusional. At their hands, we see Jesus going to the cross as a harmless and innocent lamb. His enemies not only abused him, they killed him. “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Acts 8:32) However, this Jesus whom they abused and killed so easily would one day return in power and glory. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!" (Revelation 6:15-16) He would then no longer be considered a gadget, a trinket, an amusingly delusional man, He would be the eternal Lamb of God with power and authority to judge all of mankind.

We were not redeemed by perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter, chapter 1) Therefore, we should not use Jesus as something we add to our lives, but as life itself. Sometimes, we treat Jesus as Herod treated Jesus, as a possession, a servant who can do things for us. We use him to get ourselves out of problems such as sickness or financial hardship. We desire him to function as the miracle working God in our lives all of the time. In our estimation, if He fails to perform as we desire, we become troubled and faithless; for a while, we even push him aside in our lives. As Christians we often fall into the trap of thinking Christ is in us to make our lives better, easier, rather than knowing He is in us so that we might live his life, be his ambassadors, shining for him in the darkness. As Herod found out, Jesus does not perform for our interest or amusement; He performs for God's interest, his will. Jesus said, I always do the will of the Father.

Sometimes in our darkest moments, we assess our lives as no better with Jesus than without him. This is not true. In him and because of him we are new creatures, alive unto God, born into God's family that we might know him and share him with others. As we mature in Christ, we realize more and more that He alone makes our lives worth living. Jesus, the Lamb, created a new life for each of us, and because of his work, we are his new creation regardless of how we feel or what we experience. He is the Lord, the Redeemer who transforms lives for his eternal purposes. Therefore, live for him. This is a daily transaction, a daily surrender to him. When we get up in the morning, we give him that day; He reciprocates with his presence. As the redeemed, we live by faith; we live for his glory, his eternal purposes; and we have joy unspeakable and full of glory!