Title: Jesus and Politics
Reading: Luke 23:1-25 & 24:1-12
The account of Jesus’ trial brings political power and Jesus into direct conflict. The telling of the account reveals the initial reluctance of Pilate and Herod to convict. Pressure from the religious leaders and the crowd eventually prevail and Jesus is convicted, executed, and buried. It is a sobering account of the world’s rejection of the values Jesus stood for and their threat to those with an interest in the status quo. Jesus’ story, however, does not end in death. Rather it takes a predicted - and yet surprising - turn when Jesus rises from the dead. This is the life-through-death-to-life path we are invited to follow.