What does true authority look like?

Luke 23:1-12

¹ Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. ² And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”

³ So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

⁴ Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

⁵ But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

⁶ On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. ⁷ When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

⁸ 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 a sign of some sort. ⁹ He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

How ironic it is to see; in the face of powerful but warped authority, Jesus (who has perfect and good authority) says only a few short words in response to His accusers. I can’t imagine being that self-controlled in the face of clearly wrong and falsely motivated efforts against me.

You could be forgiven for raising your voice in protest, or even rising up in resistance to the terrible treatment.

Yet not Jesus. Not our King and Lord. He is different in the face of these clear injustices. He knew their false power was soon to be judged through His Cross. And so, he endured their torments and falsehoods, not because He was powerless, but because He had all authority to lay His life down like this.

This tells me one crucial thing – power and authority in Jesus’ Kingdom is expressed so differently to the way of the world. And this is a very good thing. In fact, what may look like suffering in silence is the pathway to victory.

Jesus, give me wisdom to know when it is right to speak up against personal injustices and falsehoods, and when I can suffer long because I know any wrongful expressions of power against me have already been judged and found wanting in your finished work upon the Cross.

Amen.

Written by Ps. Rob Waugh