But Jesus in our gospel reading calls the Pharisees' bluff! He will not let the threat of Herod intimidate him. “You go tell that fox for me that I'm on my way to Jerusalem.” Jesus WILL confront Herod, AND the Pharisees – the possibility AND the power – and he WILL put himself at risk to do so. Jesus goes to Jerusalem, and while he is there, he allows the powerful people to kill him on a cross. Jesus dies, to show the contrast between earthly power, and heavenly power. Earthly power looks for SHAMEFUL acts of force to glory in. Heavenly power looks for HEROIC acts of REPUDIATING force to glory in. Jesus is glorified by God the Father for his great sacrifice, and three days after his death, the Father raises Jesus from the dead with a glorious new body. And through his sacrifice, Jesus enables his disciples to have citizenship in heaven, to share in his heavenly glory, and to live under the protection of his heavenly power.
Jesus is not intimidated by our society, either. He strengthens us to confront the earthly powers BEHIND the political correctness, the secularism, the religious plurality. Jesus reminds us of his glorious sacrifice, and that he has made us citizens of heaven. Jesus aligns us with heaven's power, to protect us with that power. Jesus comes to us, at great cost to himself, to transform our intimidation into glory.
Gracious God, we thank you for sending your Son to be killed in Jerusalem at the hands of the powerful. Keep us from using the threat of force ourselves, and guide us in effectively confronting the earthly powers that are opposed to your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we pray, amen.