In derselben Stunde kamen einige Pharisäer herzu und sagten zu ihm: Geh hinaus und zieh von hier weg, denn Herodes will dich töten: Die Pharisäer heucheln; sie sorgen sich nicht um Ihn, sondern sie wollen Ihn loswerden. Um das zu verbergen, argumentieren sie mit Herodes. Wie niederträchtig ist es, Böses zu tun, indem man andere vorschiebt! Oder waren sie sogar Handlanger des Herodes?

Nichts kann den Herrn von seinem Weg nach Jerusalem abhalten, wo Er sterben wird (vgl. Lk 12,50). Weder Herodes noch Pilatus, weder die Hohenpriester noch die Pharisäer, nichts und niemand. Und wenn sie Ihm etwas antun, so werden dadurch nur die Pläne Gottes erfüllt.

Scripture is very careful to press the respect and obedience which are due to authority, but it is not a Christian's work to occupy himself with settling questions of the earth. He has nothing to do with the ways and means whereby kings or other governors have reached their place of authority. There may have been wars, and revolutions, and all sorts of questionable means for them to arrive at such exaltation. What he has to do is to obey, as a matter of fact, those who are in authority. "Let every soul be subject unto higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." (Rom. 13: 1.) Scripture does not demand obedience to the powers that ought to be, but to "the powers that be." No doubt this may expose to danger where a revolutionary leader usurps authority for a season; but God will care for results, and the duty of the Christian remains simple and sure. He obeys the powers that be. Notwithstanding, all obedience in man has its limits. There are cases where the Christian is bound, I do not say to be disobedient, still less to set up his own authority (which is never his duty), but "to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5: 29.) Where earthly authority demands sin against God, for instance where a Government interferes with and forbids the stewardship of the believer in proclaiming the name of Christ, it is evident that it is a question of a lower authority setting aside the highest. Consequently the principle of obedience to which the Christian is bound forbids his being swayed by what is of man to abandon what he knows to be the will of God (W. Kelly).