The Unity of a Common Enemy

Luke 23:12 – “And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.”

Two men. . .Rulers. . .Enemies. . .Now friends because of one common enemy.  Herod and Pilate were two men that, prior to this dark night, had been mutually incompatible.  Pilate was a Roman.  Herod was not.  Pilate was natural-born subject of the Roman Empire.  Herod was a paid pawn of the Empire.  Herod was the authority over the Galilean state and a practitioner of Judaism.  Pilate had trampled that authority by mingling the the blood of Galileans with the sacrifices (Lk. 13:1), which was also a mockery to the Jew’s religion.  Thus, there was nothing by which these two opposing forces should become friends.

Yet, as it has been said, “The hatred of godliness binds the wicked together.”  Luke reveals that the common enemy of these two fiends is the very force that bound them together as friends.

How true it is.  Even in our world today, there are those who have nothing in common. . .except that they have the same enemy.  This commonality binds those together who have eluded one another in prior days.  A common enemy will yolk those together who, at one time, thought each other to be liars and deceivers.  A common enemy provides the rallying point for those who equally despise that which is holy and right.  Thus, we see the bonding of a royal friendship with Herod and Pilate.  Together, these two unlikely friends took part in the most egregious act of treachery ever known to man.  They fully demonstrated the truth of Paul’s words in First Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”  The wrong friends always lead to the wrong actions (cf. II Sam. 13:1-5, Amnon & Jonadab).

Sadly, the One they mutually despised, could have become the greatest friend they had ever known.  They heard Jesus speak, but they did not believe the truth of what He spoke.  Pilate knew the innocence of Christ (Lk. 23:4), but his loyalty to his worldly friends sealed his dislike for the innocent One who stood before him.  Herod viewed Jesus as an entertainer (Lk. 23:8) and, when Christ failed his expectations, he too forged a hatred for the One who is Love.

We must ask ourselves. . .Is the commonness that I have with my friends based upon a mutual dislike?  Or, is our commonness based upon that which David based his friendships.  He wrote, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts” (Psa. 119:63).  David found his friends based upon what they loved, and not what they mutually hated.

Who are your friends?

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