John Calvin Commentary Luke 23:12

"And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day: for before they were at enmity between themselves." — Luke 23:12 (ASV)

Pilate and Herod became friends. From Christ being the occasion of reconciling two wicked men, let us learn how much the children of God, and religion itself, are disdained by the world. It is probable that, driven by their ambition, a dispute arose between them concerning their jurisdiction. But whatever the origin of their quarrel, neither would have yielded the smallest part of his own rights in worldly matters to the other. Yet, because Christ was treated as worthless, Pilate easily hands Him over to Herod, and Herod, in his turn, sends Him back to Pilate.²⁵⁵

So, in our own day, we see that when judges dispute with each other about robbers and other wrongdoers, God's children are contemptuously thrown aside as if they were the merest refuse.²⁵⁶

Hatred of religion often produces mutual harmony among wicked men, so that those who previously had nothing in common unite to extinguish the name of God. And yet, when wicked men on both sides deliver God's children to death, they do not purchase mutual friendship with something they consider valuable. Instead, they readily surrender what seems worthless to them, just as one might throw a crust of bread to a dog.

But among us, it is fitting that Christ should produce a different kind of peace by ending quarrels. Having first been reconciled to God, we ought to help each other, through a devout and holy agreement, to pursue righteousness and to strive to fulfill the duties of brotherly affection and mutual kindness.

²⁵⁵ “Ne se souciant pas fort de le retenir;” — “without giving themselves much concdn about keeping him in their possession.”;” — “without giving themselves much concdn about keeping him in their possession.”

²⁵⁶ “Ainsi aujourd’huy, comme ainsi soit que s’il est question de quelques brigans ou autres malfaiteurs, les juges avisent de pres à maintenir leur jurisdiction, et en debatent fort et ferme les uns contre les autres, les enfans de Dieu sont par eux jettez là avec desdain, en sorte qu’il semble qu’ils en jouent à triquoter entr’eux.” — “Thus in the present day, when a dispute happens to arise about some robbers or other malefacors, the judges are exceedingly attentive to maintain their jurisdiction, and debate about it keenly and warmly between themselves, while the children of God are thrown aside by them with disdain, so that they appear to amuse themselves with it by playing tricks on each other.”.” — “Thus in the present day, when a dispute happens to arise about some robbers or other malefacors, the judges are exceedingly attentive to maintain their jurisdiction, and debate about it keenly and warmly between themselves, while the children of God are thrown aside by them with disdain, so that they appear to amuse themselves with it by playing tricks on each other.”