#1446 Luke 23 Part 3 Instead Of

 

13 And Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found in this man no guilt of what you are accusing Him. 15 No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16 Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 17 [Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

18 But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19 (He had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city and for murder.) 20 But again Pilate addressed them, wanting to release Jesus, 21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22 And he said to them a third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt worthy of death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices were prevailing. 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will. Luke 23: 13-25 LSB

Luke 23: 13-25 LSB

Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people - This is the sixth trial, the final to determine Jesus' guilt or innocence. This seems to show a trickle down effect from the chief priests who envy this Man that performs miracles and corrects their bad doctrine, to the rulers who are empty politicians, and finally to the people, some of whom cried out Hosanna, and had witnessed His healings. A fickle bunch.  

John MacArthur notes that "The entire series of trials was filled with irony. The one whom men judged is the judge of all men; the one whom men condemned will eternally condemn them. The perfectly righteous, sinless, and innocent one was condemned as a blasphemer and criminal. The one who always pleased holy God did not please sinful men. Men sought to kill the very one who gave them life. The Lord Jesus Christ was declared a blasphemer for claiming to be who He truly is, making His accusers blasphemers. All of the wicked participants in Christ’s trials who judged and condemned Him did nothing but what God had predetermined must happen. Their decisions did not determine His fate, but rather their own. They wasted the most monumental, unparalleled opportunity that anyone could ever have—a personal encounter with the Son of the living God, the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of sinners." (See context in Luke 1-24 MacArthur New Testament Commentary) - Precept Austin

V. 14 You brought this man to me as one who incites rebellion - Remember this, this is part of their charge, and it is important in their minds in order to sway the Roman rulers. 

V. 14b And behold, having examined Him before you, I have found in this man no guilt of what you are accusing Him - This is the civil court, the secular ruler, Pontius Pilate, the representative of Rome, and it is Rome that holds the power of the death sentence. He declares Jesus innocent.

…27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. 29When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.… Acts 13: 27-29

V. 15 No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us - Herod had John the Baptist killed, and was a disgusting man, but didn't come up to the blood lust of the Sanhedrin.

Constable has an interesting thought on Herod's "verdict" - Pilate also announced that Herod's verdict agreed with his own. Herod was a recognized authority on Jewish affairs that Pilate's hearers probably respected more than they did Pilate since Herod was Semitic. Both men agreed that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death. - Precept Austin

V. 16 Therefore I will punish and release Him - Pilate is so pragmatic, Jesus hasn't done anything wrong, yet he feels the need to accommodate the Karens, and so logically he thinks he will save Jesus life by selecting this lesser punishment. Whatever it is that has these people so upset, he knows He's not an insurrectionist, that they are hypocrites when it comes to those claims. Jesus has already been beaten and mocked, and so Pilate offers more of the same. This will teach Jesus a lesson, get Him to do the smart thing and move far away from these white washed tombs.

…4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. 5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53: 4-5

…40At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Every day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.… Acts 5: 40-42

V. 17 Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner - This was a good will tradition between Rome and the occupied area. 

V. 18 Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas - What did they try to indict Jesus on? Insurrection I think.

V. 19 He had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city and for murder - Okay, so now I'm confused, they want to charge Jesus for something that this man actually did, plus he was a murderer. It is interesting that in John's gospel Barabbas is also called a robber, and when Jesus hangs on the cross it is between two thieves, hence the thief on the cross. Some have wondered from all this, was that middle cross originally intended for Barabbas? It paints quite a picture when one ponders the reality of the gospel.

He was one who had been thrown into prison (phulake) for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder - Mark 15:7 says Barabbas "had committed murder in the insurrection." Some Jews (especially the Zealots) might have regarded him as a hero for seeking to overthrow the Romans oppressors. Notice that the insurrection had actually been in the city of Jerusalem. Imagine Pilate's thoughts as they now asked for Barabbas to be released into the streets of the very city he had committed an insurrection! It was another reason Pilate would much rather release Jesus than Barabbas!

He - This refers to Barabbas who is only described in the Bible. However the Holman Bible Dictionary has an interesting note "According to Origen, supported by a relatively small number of late manuscripts at Matthew 27:16 , Barabbas was named “Jesus Barabbas.” Though not well attested, the reading is possible. If it is correct, Pilate's question to the crowd in Matthew 27:17 would have added poignancy. - "So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”"

MacArthur points out another irony regarding the name Barabbas - His name means “son of a father”; in a strange irony, Pilate was offering them the choice between Barabbas, the son of a human father, and Jesus, the Son of the heavenly Father! (See context in Luke 1-24 MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Indeed, there is a sense in which every human being ever born makes a choice between "Barabbas" and Jesus. We either choose to remain in Adam, the first "insurrectionist" (excluding of course Satan), or by grace through faith to cast our lot with Christ! Dear reader have you stubbornly chosen to remain in Adam and face eternal punishment or to be swept by the wind of His Spirit and His Word into Christ and enjoy eternal life in Him?

Here we encounter another of the many ironies in the trial of our Lord - If Jesus had raised an insurrection against Caesar, the Jewish accusers would have rallied to His position, rather than rail at Pilate to crucify Him! - Precept Austin

…13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. 14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.… Acts 3: 13-15

V. 21 Crucify Him, Crucify Him - Astonishing, one would think that you would have to do something grossly wrong, like murder, rape, personally destroy a community, not heal, not preach, but they want the worst sort of penalty placed upon the most Just to have ever walked on the planet. I couldn't even do this to a murderer, this is slow and painful, not quick justice, but long and drawn out, acting upon every faculty, muscle and nerve. What is going through their minds? From where does this rage grow?

…14It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests. 16Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away.… John 19: 14-16

It is interesting that the death penalty of the Jews that would normally have been carried out for blasphemy was stoning. Of course, God had providentially arranged that they would not have the power to kill Jesus which led to the classic Roman penalty of crucifixion, in keeping with the OT prophecies. The other alternative was beheading but that quick death was reserved as a "privilege" only given to Roman citizens. - Precept Austin

V. 23 And their voices were prevailing - They got what they wanted. The mob is a powerful tool, but it all transpires as God had not only predicted but decreed.