Luke Chapter 23

From The Open Bible Project

23:1 The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.

• (1) Christ, who is now ready to suffer for the rebellion which we raised in this world, is first of all pronounced guiltless, so that it might appear that he suffered not for his own sins (which were none) but for ours.

23:2 They began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king."

• (a) Corrupting the people, and leading them into errors.

23:3 Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered him, "So you say."

23:4 Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."

23:5 But they insisted, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place."

23:6 But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

• (2) Christ is a laughing stock to princes, but to their great pain.

23:7 When he found out that he was in Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

• (b) This was Herod Antipas the Tetrarch, in the time of whose period of rule (which was almost twenty-two years long) John the Baptist preached and was put to death, and Jesus Christ also died and rose again, and the apostles began to preach, and various things were done at Jerusalem almost seven years after Christ’s death. This Herod was sent into banishment to Lyons, about the second year of Gaius Caesar.

23:8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him.

23:9 He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers.

23:10 The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.

23:11 Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.

• (c) Accompanied with his nobles and soldiers who followed him from Galilee.

23:12 Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.

• (3) The hatred of godliness binds the wicked together.

23:13 Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,

• (4) Christ is acquitted the second time, even by him of whom he is condemned, so that it might appear in what way he who is just, redeemed us who were unjust.
• (d) Those whom the Jews called the sanhedrin.

23:14 and said to them, "You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and see, I have examined him before you, and found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

23:15 Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.

23:16 I will therefore chastise him and release him."

• (5) The wisdom of the flesh is to choose the lesser of two evils, but God curses such plans.

23:17 Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast.

23:18 But they all cried out together, saying, "Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!"--

23:19 one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.

23:20 Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus,

23:21 but they shouted, saying, "Crucify! Crucify him!"

23:22 He said to them the third time, "Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him."

• (6) Christ is acquitted the third time before he is condemned, so that it might appear that it was for our sins that were condemned in him.

23:23 But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.

23:24 Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done.

23:25 He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.

23:26 When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.

• (7) An example of the outrageousness and disorder of the soldiers.

23:27 A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.

• (8) The triumph of the wicked has a most horrible end.

23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

23:29 For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.'

23:30 Then they will begin to tell the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and tell the hills, 'Cover us.'[58]

23:31 For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?"

• (e) As if he said, "If they do this to me who is always fruitful and flourishing, and who lives forever by reason of my Godhead, what will they do to you who are unfruitful and void of all active righteousness?"
• A reference to Ezekiel 20:45-Ezekiel 21:7. Figuratively speaking, the green tree is the righteous, i.e. Jesus, and the dry tree is the wicked.

23:32 There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.

23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

• (9) Christ became accursed for us upon the cross, suffering the punishment which the ones who would belong to God deserved.

23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

• (10) Christ, in praying for his enemies, shows that he is both the Sacrifice and the Priest.

23:35 The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!"

• (f) Whom God loves more than all others.

23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

23:38 An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

• (11) Pilate is unknowingly made a preacher of the kingdom of Christ.

23:39 One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!"

• (g) Therefore we must either take Matthew’s account to be using the figure of speech synecdoche, or that both of them mocked Christ. But one of them who was eventually overcome with the great patience of God breaks forth in that confession worthy all memory.
• (12) Christ, in the midst of the humbling of himself upon the cross, indeed shows that he has both the power of life to save the believers and the power of death to avenge the rebellious.

23:40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Don't you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

23:41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

• (h) More than he ought.

23:42 He said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."

23:43 Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

• (i) God made the visible paradise in the eastern part of the world: but that which we behold with the eyes of our mind is the place of everlasting joy and salvation, through the goodness and mercy of God, a most pleasant rest for the souls of the godly, and a most quiet and joyful dwelling.

23:44 It was now [59] about the sixth hour [See Luke Footnotes 59], and darkness came over the whole land until [60] the ninth hour. [See Luke Footnotes 60]

• (13) Christ, even being at the point of death, shows himself to be God almighty even to the blind.

23:45 The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

• (14) Christ enters bravely and resolutely into the very darkness of death, and he does this so that he might overcome death even within its most secret places.

23:46 Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" Having said this, he breathed his last.

23:47 When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous man."

• (15) Christ, as often as it pleases him, causes his very enemies to give honourable witness that he is right.

23:48 All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.

23:49 All his acquaintances, and the women who followed with him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

• (16) Christ gathers together and defends his little flock in the midst of the tormentors.

23:50 Behold, a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man

• (17) Christ, through his well known burial, confirms both the truth of his death as well as his resurrection, by the plain and evident witness of Pilate.

23:51 (he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for the Kingdom of God:

23:52 this man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body.

23:53 He took it down, and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.

23:54 It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.

• (k) Literally, "dawning", and now beginning, for the light of the former day drew toward the going down of the sun, and that was the day of preparation for the feast, that is, the feast which was to be kept the following day.

23:55 The women, who had come with him out of Galilee, followed after, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid.

• (18) Christ, being set upon by the devil and all his instruments, and being even in death’s mouth, places weak women in his service, bearing in mind to immediately triumph over these terrible enemies, and that without any great endeavour.

23:56 They returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.