According to our scripture reading, after Jesus was seized and taken to the Roman governor Pilate, Pilate tried to move the problem on to Herod. That much we learn from the New Testament. The ancient historian Josephus, however, gives us more detail about Herod. We can also flesh out the encounter between Herod and Jesus by applying our imagination to the facts we do know.

            So, if you will let me be Herod’s voice for a few moments, I’d like us to consider what he can contribute to our understanding of Holy Week.

Herod speaks

            I am Herod Antipas. I understand that you are followers of Jesus Christ, that man Pilate crucified a few years back. I also understand that some of you are saying that I could have saved him.

            Yes, I probably could have, if he’d been willing to play along with me a bit. In fact, I gave him every opportunity to save himself. Not my fault he didn’t take it.

            Pilate sent Jesus to me after he discovered Jesus was from Galilee, which was under my jurisdiction. To tell you the truth, I was rather flattered when Pilate sent this prisoner to me, because even though Jesus was a Galilean, his so-called crime was committed in Jerusalem, which is Pilate’s turf. Technically then, Jesus was Pilate’s responsibility. But sending Jesus to me showed that Pilate recognized my authority.

            Before all this happened, I didn’t much care for Pilate. I thought him an arrogant bugger, but after this business with Jesus, Pilate and I became friends.

            Anyway, I’d been wanting to meet this Jesus for some time. I had heard the stories about how my father, Herod the Great, had a generation of Jewish boy babies slaughtered because of rumors that a Jewish “king” named Jesus had been born. I’ll tell you, I imagined this Jesus must be some character to scare my father, because my father was as cunning and ruthless a man as I’ve ever known. Of course, by the time Jesus was born, my father was also crazy, but that only made him more dangerou

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