Luke 23:1-261And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. 2And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. 3And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. 4Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. 5And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. 6When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean. 7And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. 8And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. 9Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. 10And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. 11And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 12And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. 13And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: 15No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. 16I will therefore chastise him, and release him. 17(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) 18And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19(Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 20Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. 21But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. 22And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. 23And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. 24And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. 25And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. 26And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. (Luke 23:1‑26)
It was in the year 33 A.D. that the Lord Jesus was taken by the Jewish leaders. At that time the Rans were the most powerful of all nations, with one of the Caesars, the emperor; and they ruled the countries around them by a governor in each: the governor in Judea, of which Jerusalem was the chief city, was a man named Pilate, and he made the final decisions in all important matters.
So it was to Pilate at the “judgment hall”, or what we would call a court house, that Jesus was brought and stood before him bound, to be tried. The priests told Pilate that they had found Him speaking against the Roman rule and forbidding the people to pay Caesar tribute, which was all false. They said He claimed to be their king, but Jesus had come from God as the One to be King, if they had received Him.
He did not make answer to the untrue words against Him, but when Pilate asked, “Art Thou the king of the Jews?” He answered, “Thou saidst”, meaning that was true.
Soon Pilate learned from the priests that Jesus had come from Galilee, and he said he should be tried by Herod, the ruler of that country. Herod was then in Jerusalem and Pilate sent Jesus to him. The priests went also, speaking the same charges against Jesus.
Herod knew the great miracles Jesus had done and was curious about Him, and asked many things, but found no wrong He had done. So he and his soldiers made light about Him being “a king”, and put a fancy robe on Him in ridicule, and sent Him back to Pilate.
At last Pilate told the priests that neither he nor Herod had found any fault in Jesus of what they accused Him, and that He had done “nothing worthy of death,” as they had charged.
They were so loud in their cries against Jesus that Pilate let them have their way, and sentenced Him to be crucified, as they demanded, and the most shameful of any death. The soldiers were then given charge to lead Jesus away to the place of punishment.
The Lord Jesus had been tried by the highest courts of the time, but all unjustly: the Jewish leaders had the just laws given by God to Moses, but they had acted entirely falsely, and the Roman judge, Pilate, had sentenced to death a person he knew to be innocent.
Jesus did not in any way ask for mercy or defend Himself, knowing it was God the Father’s way that He should suffer on the cross to bear the punishment of sins which men deserved. And the men showed how wicked the heart can be to hate or be careless of the only perfect Man, so they could keep on with their sins.
Because of this, God has given Christ to be the Great Judge of all who refuse Him on earth, how different from the wicked trial that day (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31); Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15)).
ML 03/10/1946