Day 317: The Day Herod and Pilate Made Peace (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.”

— Luke 23:12, ESV

Through the Bible: Luke 23, John 18–19

There’s a fascinating little detail in Luke’s account of Jesus’ trial that is easy to overlook. After Pilate sends Jesus to Herod, and Herod sends Him back, Luke tells us that the two rulers became friends that very day.

Apparently, they hadn’t been getting along.

Luke doesn’t tell us what caused the bad blood between them. But history gives us a couple of intriguing possibilities. And when we consider what brought them together, there’s a remarkable irony in their reconciliation.

Two Rulers, One Uneasy Relationship

Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect of Judea, appointed by Emperor Tiberius around AD 26. His job was to collect taxes, administer Roman justice, and above all, maintain order. He ordinarily governed from Caesarea Maritima, but during major Jewish festivals he would come to Jerusalem, where large crowds could easily become unruly.

Herod Antipas, meanwhile, was the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. He was a son of Herod the Great, the king who had tried to kill the infant Jesus. Antipas was the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded.

Although Herod was Jewish by religion and belonged to a dynasty of Idumean ancestry, he ruled at Rome’s pleasure. He and Pilate were both responsible to the Roman imperial system, but they occupied very different positions within it.

And apparently, they couldn’t stand each other.

Why?

One possibility comes from Luke 13:1, where we read about some Galileans “whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.” We don’t know the circumstances of this incident. Apparently, some Galilean pilgrims had come to Jerusalem to worship, and Pilate’s soldiers killed them, perhaps while they were offering sacrifices in the Temple. As early as the fourth century, the theologian Ephrem the Syrian suggested that this incident may have contributed to the hostility between Pilate and Herod, a theory discussed by biblical scholar Alfred Plummer in his commentary on Luke.

Think about the political implications. Galilee was Herod’s territory. These were Herod’s subjects, killed by Pilate’s troops. It’s not hard to imagine that Herod would have resented Pilate’s actions.

Another possibility comes from outside the Bible. The first-century Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, in his Embassy to Gaius (§§299–305), describes an incident in which Pilate placed gilded shields honoring Emperor Tiberius in Herod’s palace in Jerusalem. Although the shields contained no images, their inscriptions offended Jewish religious sensibilities. Members of the Herodian family joined other Jewish leaders in protesting Pilate’s decision. When Pilate refused to remove the shields, they went over his head and appealed to Tiberius. The emperor sided against Pilate and ordered the shields removed to Caesarea.

This would have been publicly embarrassing to Pilate, and could explain the enmity to which Luke alludes.

Neither incident can be definitively identified as the cause of the hostility between Pilate and Herod. It may have been something else entirely. But both give us some idea of the political tensions simmering beneath the surface when Jesus was brought before Pilate.

An Unexpected Diplomatic Breakthrough

When Pilate learned that Jesus was a Galilean, he saw an opportunity.

According to Luke 23:6–7, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who also happened to be in Jerusalem for Passover.

Perhaps Pilate was simply trying to get rid of a troublesome case. But sending Jesus to Herod was also a diplomatic courtesy. By referring a Galilean prisoner to Galilee’s ruler, Pilate was acknowledging Herod’s jurisdiction and status.

Herod was delighted to see Jesus, although not for any noble reason. He had heard about Jesus’ miracles and hoped to see Him perform one.

But Jesus refused to answer Herod’s questions. Eventually, Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus, dressed Him in splendid clothing, and sent Him back to Pilate.

And that’s when Luke records the surprising result:

Herod and Pilate became friends that very day.

What changed? Perhaps Herod appreciated the recognition of his authority. Perhaps Pilate appreciated Herod’s willingness to return the case without creating another political dispute.

Whatever happened, two men who had been enemies were suddenly friends.

And it happened because of Jesus.

He Himself Is Our Peace

There’s a profound irony in this little footnote to the crucifixion story.

Years later, the apostle Paul would write:

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”

— Ephesians 2:14

On the very day Jesus was condemned, a Jewish ruler and a Gentile governor became friends.

In one sense, it was a remarkable preview of what Christ’s death would accomplish. But there was an important difference.

Herod and Pilate didn’t become friends because they had been reconciled to God. They became friends through their shared involvement in the condemnation of Jesus.

Their reconciliation was political. Christ’s reconciliation would be spiritual.

Herod and Pilate made peace at Jesus’ expense. Jesus made peace at His own expense.

There’s another fascinating connection in Acts 4:27–28. When the early believers prayed about the opposition they faced, they specifically named Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, as those who had gathered together in opposition to Jesus. And this opposition brought the early church, composed of Jews and Gentiles, together in unity.

Satan made the two one in opposition to God. Jesus made the two one in reconciliation with God.

Herod and Pilate found common ground in their rejection of Jesus. But through that very rejection, Jesus was accomplishing something far greater than either man could have imagined.

He was reconciling sinners to God. And through that reconciliation, He was creating one new humanity out of people who had previously been divided by hostility.

Two enemies became friends on the day Jesus died. And because Jesus died, enemies of God can become His children.

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