Herod Antipas

Luke 23:6-12 (NASB)

6 Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, since he also was in Jerusalem at this time.

8 Now Herod was overjoyed 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. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He offered him no answer at all. 10 Now the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently charging Him. 11 And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 And so Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for previously, they had been enemies toward each other.

Last week we read about John the Baptist, and as Herod Antipas played a prominent role in John’s life, I wanted to look closer at him, for I found him interesting. It baffled me why he would be so fascinated by John the Baptist. So before we get into today’s text, let’s look at his background, for I think when we know more about him, it will become clear why he was so interested in John the Baptist.

Herod Antipas’ father was the infamous Herod the Great, and we first hear mention of him in Matthew 2:1-4 (ESV) which says, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”

Something you should know about Herod the Great is that he was also called the King of the Jews. It was the Romans who gave Herod the title ‘king of the Jews’ because of the Jewish population he ruled. Thus, when these wise men came to see him, and they announced the birth of the King of the Jews, that certainly “troubled” him, as the text says. But we know it did far more than trouble him. I think it infuriated him. His solution to this “trouble” was to order the death of all baby boys under the age of two.

His horrific response to this news is why it has always confused me as to why this Herod is the one who rebuilt the Second Temple. If this has puzzled you too, I think you’ll see, just as I did, why he undertook this task once you learn more about him. The Encyclopedia Britannica says this about him: “Herod, known as Herod the Great, (born 73 BC—died March/April, 4 BC, Jericho, Judaea), Roman-appointed king of Judaea (37–4 BC). A practicing Jew, he was of Arab origin. He was critical to imperial control of Judaea, despite his earlier support of Mark Antony, and the Roman emperor increased his territory. Judaea prospered under his early reign, during which he increased trade and built fortresses, aqueducts, and theatres, but he could not give full rein to his desire to build and thrive because he feared the Pharisees, Judaism’s controlling faction, who viewed him as a foreigner. He lost favour through increasing cruelty, manifest in the murder of his wife, her sons, and other relatives. His grip on his kingdom weakened as he became increasingly mentally unstable and physically debilitated. He killed his eldest son, and he slew the infants of Bethlehem (see Jesus). He died shortly after a bungled suicide attempt” (https://www.britannica.com/summary/Herod-king-of-Judaea).

I wanted to include a secular sources’ biography of Herod, for I want to show how historically accurate the Bible is to those who question it as a historical document. The Bible is not a work of fiction; it is true. From piecing together Herod the Great’s background, especially learning that he was Jewish, we can guess why he wanted to rebuild the Temple. I am sure that he wanted it to be bigger and more elaborate than before so he could leave his mark on the area, knowing it would be referred to as Herod’s temple. Since he was called the king of the Jews, arrogantly, he wanted his temple to be worthy of his name. His murderous actions prove that he was not following God, so I do not think, even though he considered himself Jewish, that he wanted to honor God in any way by rebuilding the temple. It was all about glorifying himself.

So now, having understood all of that, we can look at his son, Herod Antipas, with a deeper understanding of who he was and where he was coming from. Herod Antipas’ official title was tetrarch. That word simply means that he was ruler of one fourth of his father’s kingdom. His brothers held the other three areas.

Last week we read about John the Baptist and this is why Herod Antipas’ name came up, for he was responsible for his death. For although he did not call for his death, he gave permission for his death by allowing his wife’s request. The next time we hear of Herod Antipas is in Mark 6.

After John was killed and Jesus’ fame grew, it seems that Herod continued to think about John the Baptist. Mark 6:14-16 says, “And King Herod heard about [Jesus], for His name had become well known; and people were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.’ But others were saying, ‘He is Elijah.’ And others were saying, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard about it, he kept saying, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has risen!’”

Obviously, Herod was deeply impacted by John the Baptist. He enjoyed listening to him, he didn’t really want to kill him, and once killed, he was still thinking about him. That is because somewhere deep in Herod, he knew that John was different from everyone else. Maybe he knew that John the Baptist spoke the truth.

Another time we hear mention of Herod Antipas is in relation to Jesus in Luke 13:31-32. The context is that Jesus is speaking with the crowds and, “At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, ‘Go away and leave this place, because Herod wants to kill You.’ And He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, “Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I reach My goal.”

I don’t know if Herod actually wanted to kill Jesus, but that is what the Pharisees told Jesus. I think it’s so interesting that Jesus referred to Herod Antipas as a “fox.” That word means that he is crafty or sneaky. Since Jesus knew what was really true or not, maybe He called him a fox because he realized Herod was being crafty and using the Pharisees. I’m guessing here, but the use of that word makes me think so.

That brings us to our text for today, for the next time we hear mention of Herod Antipas is in Luke 23:6-12. Verses 6-7 says, “Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, since he also was in Jerusalem at this time.”

In Ellicott’s commentary, he points out that when Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, “it is obvious that Pilate catches at the word in the hope of shifting on another the responsibility of condemning One whom he believed to be innocent and had learnt to respect, while yet he had not the courage to acquit Him.”

Because Jesus was from Herod Antipas’s region and Pilate was the Roman procurator of Judaea, after Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, who, according to different commentaries I read, was celebrating Passover in the capital. Ellicott also says, “It was, of course, no strange thing that the Tetrarch of Galilee, professing Judaism, should come up to keep the Passover in the Holy City. And it is clear that he kept a kind of court there, had his so-called Herodian Rabbis with him.”

Ellicott’s point about the Herodians is why I think that Herod was using the Pharisees. For there were many factions within the Jews in Jerusalem. One of these groups was called the Herodians, for they were strong supporters of Herod Antipas. After Jesus had healed a man’s withered hand, Mark 3:6 tells us, “The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might put Him to death.” Also, in Mark 12:13, we hear mention of them again. It says, “Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement.” This is the incident when they ask Jesus if they should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus, of course, easily avoids their attempted entrapment.  

With all of this background in mind, it is clear why verse 8 tells us, “Herod was overjoyed 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.”

We shouldn’t be surprised that Herod was overjoyed and had wanted to see Him. Jesus was well known to him. What is surprising to me is that Herod hadn’t attempted to talk with Him before now. Perhaps he was afraid of Jesus, the same way he was afraid of John the Baptist: afraid, but interested. As Mark 6:20 tells us, “for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he had been protecting him. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; and yet he used to enjoy listening to him.”

Now that Jesus’ fame was growing all the time, Herod was thrilled to meet Him, and he was hoping to see miracles, but Jesus would not show him any. In fact, as verse 9 says, “he questioned Him at some length; but He offered him no answer at all.” Jesus certainly did not respect Herod at all, for He would not even speak to him. Jesus’ silence is also fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7, which says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

That made Herod very mad, or course, and so he quickly sent Jesus back to Pilate. But it is worth noting that Herod, though he mocked Jesus, he did not render a verdict against Him. That lines up with his previous hesitancy to have John the Baptist killed. I don’t think he wanted John’s death on his hands, and maybe he didn’t want Jesus’ death on his hands, either. Maybe because his father murdered so many people, and it drove him insane, maybe Herod Antipas was smart enough to know he didn’t want to go down that same path? Maybe he saw that despite what the Pharisees told him, Jesus was not guilty of any crime. We can’t know, we can only guess at his motives, but the text does tell us that whoever he thought Jesus to be, Herod did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Verses 10-12 say, “Now the chief priests and the scribes stood there, vehemently charging Him. And Herod, together with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, dressing Him in a brightly shining robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. And so Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for previously, they had been enemies toward each other.”

We know Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but he knew that would be an unpopular decision, so he tried to pass the responsibility off to Herod. Then Herod passed Him back to Pilate. Somehow that exchange formed a friendship between them. It seems their mutual disregard for Jesus demonstrated to each other they were on the same side.

That is certainly true in society today. People from all walks of life will unite to oppose the Lord and, in turn, work against Christians. Pilate and Herod did the same thing.

That mention of Pilate and Herod’s friendship ends the Biblical account of Herod Antipas. The Herod who we see persecuting the Christians in Acts is a different Herod- it is his nephew, Herod Agrippa.

Now that we’ve heard Herod Antipas’ story, is there anything we may learn from his life? I believe there are a few lessons. Last week, we saw how his irresponsible offer to his stepdaughter led to John the Baptist’s death. Herod’s spontaneous outburst of generosity was reckless and shortsighted. As my daughter pointed out after she heard the story- the girl could have asked for half the kingdom! My daughter thought the girl foolish for not taking better advantage of the opportunity. But instead, the girl was manipulated into asking for John’s death. One lesson to be learned is one of prudence. Herod was celebrating his birthday, was most likely drunk, and he acted foolishly. We should be careful when we are caught up in emotions, to not make decisions that we will later regret.

Another lesson to learn from Herod Antipas’ folly is that a person may be interested or fascinated by the things of God, but yet not know God. Herod enjoyed hearing John the Baptist talk, and he was drawn to Jesus because he wanted to see miracles. Yet, like his father, Herod never understood what they were actually saying. The opportunity to find the Messiah was right in front of him and yet he never realized it. I can’t help but think this is like so many people today. The opportunity to know the Lord is right in front of them, yet they never actually realize who Jesus is and come to faith in Him.

I see this in people who define themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious.’ These people are drawn to the things of God, but they never realize that they need to repent and put their faith in Jesus in order to know the Father. They enjoy meditating and thinking about healing and other spiritual things, but they have never repented from their sins nor put their faith in Jesus to save them.

Other people will be drawn to reading the Bible, but they also keep reading other books from other religions and so they want to combine all the different religions into a syncretistic faith, amalgamating many religions into one. Again, those people usually want to know the truth, they are drawn to Christianity, and yet they are still blind to the truth that there is only one God and He is revealed to us in the person of Jesus.

Yet other people will attend a Christian church and even know some Bible verses, and will still not come to saving faith in Jesus. When I was in Bible college, I attended a Wednesday night church service and we were instructed during it to turn to those sitting next to us and pray for each other. I turned to the woman next to me and asked her how I could pray for her, then afterwards we were talking and she remarked that all religions lead us to God. This woman had been attending this church for many years, and yet she did not grasp a basic tenant of Christianity which is that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him as John 14:6 states.

Herod Antipas was drawn to things of God, but he never came to faith in Jesus. Instead, he ended up being an agent of evil against the things of God. And like John the Baptist, Jesus was sentenced to death and Herod did nothing to prevent it. Once again, Herod would be indirectly responsible for the death of an innocent man.

Herod’s role in these deaths seems so much worse to me knowing that Herod was Jewish. That means that he knew God’s law and the Old Testament. But instead of obeying God’s law and recognizing the Messiah, he, along with the Pharisees whom he partnered with, acted directly in opposition to God.

Herod Antipas is an example of a man who was given so much authority and opportunity and he wasted it all. He was told the truth about his immoral marriage and he and could have repented, but he did not. He had the power to act justly and with wisdom and refuse the death of John the Baptist, but he did not.  He was face to face with Jesus and he could have repented and turned and followed Him, but he did not.  His life’s story is the antithesis of how we should live.

Like Herod, each of us has been given the opportunity to either listen to what the Lord is saying to us or to disregard Him. We hear from the Lord each time we read His word or hear a message from Scripture.  We believers also have the Holy Spirit inside of us, speaking to our hearts and minds, leading us to truth. What will our response be when He speaks to us?

Let us pray that we would not imitate Herod in any way. Let us pray that would imitate Jesus Christ in all things: so we might have the mind of Christ to see people as Jesus could. When He called Herod a fox, He was seeing Herod for who he really was. May the Holy Spirit give us discernment and wisdom to see through people’s deception.

May we also be like Jesus, and know when we should speak out or when it is better to remain silent. In the presence of Herod, Jesus did not bother to engage with him nor argue with him. He kept silent. Sometimes it's wise to stay quiet instead of arguing or defending ourselves when changing someone's mind is impossible.

In all things, let us do the opposite of Herod. When the Holy Spirit reveals sin in our lives to us, let us repent. When we have the opportunity to act justly and with wisdom, let us not waste what the Lord has given us, but use those blessings to glorify God. First, though, if we haven’t yet, let us come to Jesus through faith in Him, repent of our sins, and follow Him.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great love for us. We humbly ask that You would give us, by Your Holy Spirit, the same mind of Jesus. Please give us wisdom to see people as You do. Please give us discernment to know when to speak and when to stay silent. Please help us to use what You have blessed us with to Your glory and purposes. Thank You for giving us salvation through Jesus. We love You and praise You forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.