Re: Verse reading–Luke 22:66-71, 23:1-25 (day two)
Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. (vs. 8) Our of context this reading seems like a promising opportunity for Herod to have a genuine encounter with the Christ. I must confess that often when I read this or see depictions of Christ’s Passion, I always hope and pray someone will wake up and understand what they are doing. But, it had to happen this way. Herod was curious about this “conjurer of cheap tricks”. He was interested to see if Jesus would perform for him, and if so Herod might be persuaded release him. Does Jesus remain a curiosity for us? Do we treat him with any more reverence than Herod? Of course we have the words the feign reverence, and yet we still approach Jesus with an expectation that he will “help us out” when we are in a jam. Jesus saw Herod’s motivation, and would not play his game. He still sees our hearts and will not be treated as a puppet to perform.
