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An unfair judgment: John the Baptist and Jesus (Mk 6:14-29; 15:1-15)
John the Baptist was judged and executed by Herod while Jesus was judged and executed by Pilate the Roman governor. If we examine the judgment procedures hosted by the two judges, we shall discover some similarities between the two cases.
1. Both defendants were innocent.
John was bound in prison “for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip's wife” (v17). John boldly and publicly denounced Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.” (v18)—and that was a fact. Now that Herodias became his wife, she wanted to kill John but needed the order of Herod.
As for Jesus, he had been the eyesore of the chief priests of Jerusalem. The chief priests also wanted to kill Jesus but needed the order of Pilate. “And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.” (15:1) As they led Jesus to the hall of judgment to be judged by Pilate, Pilate asked them, “What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor (這人若不是作惡的), we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” (John 18:29-31)
At the start of the litigation hearing, Pilate asked Jesus, “Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.(你說的是) And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.” (15:2-5) And Pilate “knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them…And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done?” (15:10-14) Evidently, Pilate lacked any good reason to put Jesus to death. Moreover, he didn't see Jesus having done any evil thing.
It’s interesting to note that Herod liked to hear from both John and Jesus. As for John, “when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” (6:20) And for Jesus, Pilate at one time handed Jesus to Herod, once he knew Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction and that Herod happened to be at Jerusalem at that time. “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad, for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.” (Luke 23:8) Only when Jesus kept silent during his questioning, Herod sent him back to Pilate.
2. Both judges feared God to some degree during the judgment.
“Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy”. (6:20) He actually feared God for taking revenge on him. This fear was proven by the fact that he mistook Jesus for John, saying: “It is John, whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead.” (6:16)
As for Pilate, he even wanted to release Jesus—“Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?” (15:9) Matt 27:19 tells us, “When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” In John 20, we are told that when Pilate heard the saying from the Jews that Jesus claimed himself the Son of God, “he was the more afraid…And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him.” (John 20:7-8,12) Both judges knew that the two defendants were just men. They had fear for mistreating them.
3. Both judges yielded to man’s choice at final judgment. Both offered the choice to the prosecutors.
In his birthday banquet, Herod was pleased by Herodius’ daughter as she danced. He swore to her, “Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.” (6:23) When he was asked for the head of John, “the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.” (6:26)
What about Pilate? At the Passover feast, “he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.” (15:6) “But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him…And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus…to be crucified.” (15:11-15)
So, both judges listened to the prosecuters rather than executed based on their own judgment. And the prosecutors who claimed the death penalty of John the Baptist and Jesus were both enticed by the third parties. Herodias’ daughter demanded the head of John by her mother’s command. Herodias abhorred John and desired his death. Yet she had no chance to kill him because Herod deemed John as a holy man and feared him. Now such an opportunity arose, she was willing to forsake half of Herod’s kingdom in exchange for John’s life! As for Jesus’ death, the Jewish people were agitated by the chief priests to demand Jesus’ crucifixion in exchange for the life of a murderer who had committed the crime of treason! How ignorant were both Herodias’ daughter and the Jewish people!
What do we see through about the gross errors of Herod and Pilate?
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They were both authorized to be judges. It was their responsibility to exercise fair judgment. Instead, they perverted justice and issued the death sentence for the innocent.
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Their conscience reminded them not to act unjustly against the two just men, but they yielded to human voice and suppressed their own conscience.
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They obviously pleased men instead of God. Herod wanted to save his face. He had made an oath before “his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee” (v21). If he refused the request of Herodias’ daughter, he was worried of being scorned as a liar. That’s why he was forced to submit to the unreasonable demand of Herodias’ daughter. On the other hand, Pilate feared losing his post. He even worried that he might commit the crime of treason against Caesar. John 19:12 said, “Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” On hearing of this, Pilate succumbed to their request and handed Jesus to the soldiers to be crucified.
According to Luke 23:12, when Herod passed Jesus’ case back to Pilate, “Pilate and Herod were made friends together, for before they were at enmity between themselves.” (Luke 23:12) They both laid hands on the innocent blood. According to Acts 4:27-28, Peter was interrogated by the high priests in the Jewish council and was then released. The disciples had a thanksgiving prayer for his release. In that prayer, the two judges Herod and Pilate were named and they were merely used as the device of God in His plan of salvation: “For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” After Jesus’ ascension, Herod continued to persecute the apostles. The apostle James indeed was executed by him: “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church (苦害教會中幾個人). And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him.” (Acts 12:1-4) God sent an angel to rescue Peter out of the prison miraculously. “And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and there abode. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, ‘It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.’ And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12:19-23) That was the fate of Herod.
God demands fairness and always defends for the innocent. In both cases of John and Jesus, He is the Judge in the Court of Final Appeal. He is going to listen to their appealing cases. All the prosecutors in both cases will become defendants. Herod and Pilate will be listed as defendants too, and their penalties will be much more severe for sure. Though prior to handing Jesus to the Roman soldiers, Pilate “washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, see ye to it,” (Matt 27:24) he could never escape the final judgment anyway.