Luke 23:1-12
Day 1: When Enemies Agree
Luke 23:12 – “And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.”
Reflection:
Hatred of Jesus has a strange way of bringing people together. Herod and Pilate had nothing in common except their mutual discomfort with the presence of Jesus. Instead of wrestling with who He was, they used Him to serve their agendas—and in doing so, they became friends.
This is the unsettling reality of the human heart: we are more comfortable rejecting Christ than submitting to Him. And often, even enemies can find common ground in pushing Him away.
Question to Ponder:
In what ways are you tempted to use Jesus for your comfort, reputation, or personal gain—rather than surrendering to His lordship?
Day 2: The Weakness We Can’t Understand
Isaiah 53:2-3 – “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him… he was despised and rejected by men.”
Reflection:
Jesus didn’t look like a king. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t speak up. To the world, His silence was weakness. But this was strength wrapped in humility. The Son of God wasn’t outmatched—He was willing.
Many still reject Jesus today because He doesn’t fit their idea of strength. A Savior who suffers? A God who bleeds? That doesn’t make sense to the world. But this is the glory of the gospel: real power often looks like weakness.
Challenge:
What parts of your life feel “weak” right now? Ask God to show His strength in them.
Day 3: The Danger of Neutrality
Luke 23:4 – “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no guilt in this man.’”
Reflection:
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent—but he didn’t stand up for Him. He tried to stay neutral, to push the responsibility away. But neutrality is never an option with Jesus. To do nothing is to participate in the rejection.
Every day, we make quiet decisions about whether we will follow Jesus or sidestep Him. Are we being faithful, or are we—like Pilate—washing our hands and hoping to stay uninvolved?
Prayer Prompt:
Lord, help me see the ways I try to avoid commitment. Give me the courage to stand with You, even when it costs me.
Day 4: Mocked by the World, Crowned by God
1 Corinthians 1:25 – “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
Reflection:
Herod wanted a performance. When Jesus stayed silent, he and his soldiers mocked Him. But what looked like humiliation was actually holiness. Christ’s silence wasn’t weakness—it was restraint. He was absorbing the scorn of men in order to bring mercy to sinners.
The cross still offends people today because it defies our expectations. We want power, not pain. We want victory, not vulnerability. But the very thing the world mocks is the path of redemption.
Reflection Question:
Are you ashamed of the weakness of the cross—or do you find your hope in it?
Day 5: The Unity of Redemption
Ephesians 2:13-14 – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace…”
Reflection:
Pilate, Herod, and the Council found a shallow unity in rejecting Jesus. But Christ came to form a different kind of unity—not one based on politics or power, but on grace. His death brings people together who would never otherwise belong.
In a divided world, the church is called to be a community built on something deeper: the redeeming love of a Savior who chose weakness to show true strength. This is the unity that matters—the one forged not by hate, but by the cross.
Action Step:
Reach out to someone in your church this week who is different from you—background, age, status—and encourage them in Christ.