March 6, 2024 Text: Luke 23:1-12
Dear Friends in Christ,
By now most of you know my biggest misconception in life. My seminary roommate. He showed up in a rusted car, wearing overalls, a torn shirt. Big guy with a beard. Farmer from rural Iowa. After meeting him my parents and I went to get some supplies. I am sure we were all wondering, “who is this guy?” Played golf with him last summer and we still laugh about that first day. Talked to him on the phone just last week. Turned out to be a loyal friend who I love dearly. Misconceptions can happen. What was your first impression of your spouse? Toni and I both misconceived things the first time we met. Her misconception was closer to the truth. My misconception was farther from the truth.
Tonight, we are going to see groups and individuals with their misconceptions. Are any of them close to the truth?
“MISCONCEPTIONS”
The first misconception is done by “the whole company.” They say that Jesus is “forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar.” But Jesus had said in Mark, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” (Mark 12:17) They also say he claims to be a King. This again was not misleading, because it was true. He was the Messiah. He was the King. But not an earthly King. The Jewish leaders did not want to understand Jesus.
Pilate didn’t understand for another reason. You get the impression he didn’t know much about him. He didn’t see him as a threat to Caesar. He needed a way out. I will send him to Herod who has jurisdiction over Galilee.
Herod is the most interesting in the text. He had wanted to see Jesus for a long time. Did he know about his father killing the babies three decades earlier to get rid of Jesus? Herod was excited about what Jesus could do. What a letdown. Herod was disappointed, then bored. He and the soldiers had some fun with Jesus and then he was sent back to Pilate.
The people who put God on Trial in our world today have a lot in common with the people in our text. They are against Jesus because they feel his teachings are a threat to their way of life. They know him, and they don’t like him. Some like Pilate just want Jesus to go away. Out of the marketplace, out of the school, out of the courtroom. Others are like Herod. Intrigued by Jesus. They’ve heard he is a friend of sinners. Maybe he can be ally in their choices. Perhaps they think of him as the original rebel, an inspiration for their cause. When they learn more, they lose interest or turn against him.
Where are we in this account? Do we ever misconceive who Jesus is? We treat him like a divine vending machine, expecting him to dispense blessings for us and then getting angry when we put our money in, and a blessing doesn’t drop. Maybe we want the good without the trouble. The forgiveness from him without the forgiving of others by us.
How does Jesus handle the misconceptions? He keeps quiet. Refuses to answer the false accusations. When he does speak, he is respectful, truthful, steady and faithful. Both Pilate and Herod confirm this. They can detect no crime. They became friends that day, but they also unknowingly teamed up to exonerate Jesus. Because Jesus was innocent.
Look at your God on Trial. If you are keeping count, these are now his second and third trials of that Friday morning. He hadn’t slept. At each stop he receives abuse and mockery. He knows this path will lead to the cross. But that is where he wants to go, because he knows who he is – your substitute, your sacrifice, your Savior.
This is the Jesus we want the world to see. He is not a magician who waves away our troubles. He is the Messiah who washes away our sins. He is more than an inspiration for those who fight for freedom from oppression. He frees us from death and hell. He has such a love for sinners that he can’t approve of them and leave us trapped, but he forgives and empowers us to fight against them.
Some of the world will continue in their misconception. But some like Herod, are intrigued by Jesus for one reason or another. My misconception of my roommate was overcome as I got to know him. This is how we help people. Invite them to church and Bible class. This is where they get to know him. Through preaching and teaching the real picture comes through. The Bible starts to make sense.
We know that Jesus. Our eyes have been opened to see that the man on trial is our God and Savior. It is God’s gift to us. It is God’s gift to the world. There is no misconception about that!
Amen.