Jesus Before Herod Luk 23:6-12 ---- Challenges in Achieving Justice

Bill Gates: "Life is not fair; get used to it."

George Orwell: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Friedrich Nietzsche: "The world is beautiful, but has a disease called man."

Thomas Sowell: "Life in general has never been fair, but it is perhaps truest in the marketplace, where almost every rule designed to make things 'fairer' makes them worse."

The unfairness and injustice can be clearly seen in how Jesus was judged and sentenced to death.

It can be seen in the conflicts of interests of various parties involved; each one wants the best for himself. In the world of politics, of conflicts, and wars among nations, races, and religions. Here are some positive quotes:

Haruki Murakami: "The world isn’t fair, but that’s not the reason to give up on it."  "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

Martin Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Albert Einstein: "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it."

J.R.R. Tolkien: "The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

May we have the wisdom and the grace to help resolve the conflicts in our own circles of influence. 

Lessons:

• Finding justice can be difficult:
  • Even with a fair judge like Pilate recognizing Jesus' innocence, political pressure and mob rule can make it hard to achieve a just outcome.
• 1. **Delegation and Passing Responsibility**:
  • - **Lesson**: You don't have to solve all the problems that come to you. It's sometimes wiser to pass the issue to someone who is better equipped to handle it, whether due to better relationships, authority, or specific expertise.
  • - **Example**: Pilate passed the 'hot-potato' issue of Jesus to Herod, who had jurisdiction over Galilee, thus trying to delegate a difficult decision.
• 2. **Preparedness and Opportunity**:
  • - **Lesson**: Opportunity comes to those who are prepared. Being open and ready to learn and understand deeper truths is crucial.
  • - **Example**: Herod wasted his opportunity to know the truth and learn from Jesus because he sought entertainment rather than genuine understanding. Jesus did not respond to Herod because Herod's mind was closed and not receptive to the truth.
• 3. **Source of Conflicts**:
  • - **Lesson**: Conflicts often arise from differing interests and power struggles.
  • - **Example**: Herod, as a Jewish leader, and Pilate, as the Roman governor, were in conflict due to their differing roles and power dynamics.
• 4. **Shared Interests Form Alliances**:
  • - **Lesson**: Shared interests, even negative ones, can bring people together and form alliances.
  • - **Example**: Pilate and Herod, previously enemies, became friends over their mutual involvement in deciding Jesus' fate. Their cooperation was driven by a common interest in resolving what to do with Jesus, aligning their actions to avoid trouble with their superiors in Rome.
• 5. **Challenges in Achieving Justice**:
  • - **Lesson**: Finding justice can be difficult, especially when external pressures interfere with fair judgment.
  • - **Example**: Even with Pilate recognizing Jesus' innocence, the political pressure from the crowd and the need to maintain order led to an unjust outcome.

These lessons emphasize the importance of strategic delegation, being open to truth, understanding the roots of conflicts, recognizing how shared interests can create alliances, and acknowledging the complexities of achieving justice.