us to know
it. He had theories to ventilate, puzzles to propound, remarks to
make. A man who has no religion may yet have a great deal to say about
religion; and there are people who like far better to hear themselves
talking than to listen to any speaker, however wise. No mouth is more
voluble than that of a characterless man of feeling.

III.

Herod at last exhausted himself, and then he waited for Christ to
speak. But Jesus uttered not a word. The silence lasted till the
pause grew awkward and painful, and till Herod grew red and angry; but
Jesus would not break it with a single syllable.

For one thing, the entire proceedings were irrelevant. Jesus had been
sent to Herod to be tried; but this had never been touched upon. Had
Jesus, indeed, desired to deliver Himself at all hazards, this was a
rare opportunity; because, if He had yielded to Herod's wishes and
wrought a miracle for his gratification, no doubt He would have been
acquitted and sent back loaded with gifts. But we cannot believe that
such an expedient was even a temptation to Him. Never had He wrought a
miracle for His own behoof, and it is inconceivable that He should have
stooped to offer any justification of the estimate of Himself which
this man had formed. Jesus was Herod's subject; but it was impossible
for Him to look upon him with respect. How could He help feeling
disdain for one who thought of Himself so basely and treated this great
crisis so frivolously? To one who knew Herod's history, how loathsome
must it have been to hear religious talk from his lips! There was no
manliness or earnestness in the man. Religion was a mere diversion to
him.

To such Christ will always be silent. Herod is the representative of
those for whom there is no seriousness in life, but who live only for
pleasure. There are many such. Not only has religion, in any high and
serious sense, no attraction for them, but they dislike everything like
deep thought or earnest work in any sphere. As soon as they are
released from the claims of business, they rush off to be excited and
amused; and the one thing they dread is solitude, in which they might
have to face themselves. In certain classes of society, where work is
not necessary to obtain a livelihood, this spirit is the predominant
one: life is all a scene of gaiety; one amusement follows another; and
the utmost care is taken to avoid any intervals where reflection might
come in.

Religion its