Luke 23
23
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
Mt 27:1–2, 11–14; Mk 15:1–5; Jn 18:28–38
1Then the whole assembly rose and led Him to Pilate. 2#Jn 19:12; Mk 15:3–5And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this Man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ a King.”
3#1Ti 6:13; Mt 27:11So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
He answered, “You truly say so.”
4#Jn 18:38; Mk 15:14Then Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, “I find no fault in this Man.”
5#Mk 1:14; Mt 4:23But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to here.”
Jesus Before Herod
6When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. 7#Lk 3:1; 13:31When he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8#Mt 14:1; Mk 6:14When Herod saw Jesus, he greatly rejoiced, for he had desired to see Him for a long time, because he had heard many things of Him, and he was hoping to see some miracle performed by Him. 9#Mt 27:14He questioned Him with many words, but He gave no answer. 10The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing Him. 11#Mk 9:12Then Herod with his soldiers despised Him, and mocked Him, and dressed Him in a fine robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12#Ac 4:27On the same day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, having previously been at enmity with each other.
Jesus Sentenced to Die
Mt 27:15–26; Mk 15:6–15; Jn 18:39–19:16
13Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, “You have brought this Man to me as one who incites the people. And truly, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him. 15No, neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing worthy of death has been done by Him. 16#Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.” 17For he was obligated to release one man to them at the feast.
18#Ac 3:14; 21:36But they all cried out at once saying, “Take this Man away and release Barabbas to us!” 19#Ac 3:14This man had been thrown in prison for an insurrection in the city and for murder.
20Therefore Pilate spoke to them again, desiring to release Jesus. 21But they cried out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
22#Lk 23:14; 23:16He said to them a third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found in Him no cause worthy of death. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.”
23But they insisted with loud voices, asking that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. 24#Ex 23:2So Pilate gave the sentence as they demanded. 25He released to them the man who was thrown in prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for. But he sentenced Jesus according to their will.
The Crucifixion
Mt 27:32–44; Mk 15:21–32; Jn 19:17–27
26As they led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry it behind Jesus. 27#Lk 8:52A large number of people followed Him, including women who mourned and lamented Him. 28Jesus turned to them, saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29#Mt 24:19; Hos 13:16Listen, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, who never bore and never nursed!’ 30#Isa 2:19; Hos 10:8Then
they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
31#Pr 11:31For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32#Mk 15:27; Mt 27:38; Jn 19:18Two different men, who were criminals, also were led with Him to be killed. 33#Mt 27:33–34; Mk 15:22–23When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34#Ps 22:18; Mt 5:44; Mk 15:24Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they divided His clothes by casting lots.
35#Ps 22:17; Isa 42:1The people stood by watching. But the rulers with them scoffed, saying, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God.”
36#Mt 27:48; Ps 69:21And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him and offering Him sour wine, 37saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38#Mt 27:37; Mk 15:26An inscription was written over Him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39#Mt 27:44; Mk 15:32One of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!”
40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are under the same sentence? 41And we indeed, justly. For we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this Man has done nothing amiss.”
42Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43#Rev 2:7; Isa 53:11; 2Co 5:8Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
The Death of Jesus
Mt 27:45–56; Mk 15:33–41; Jn 19:28–30
44#Am 8:9; Mt 27:45It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, 45#Ex 26:31–33; 2Ch 3:14while the sun was darkened. And the veil of the temple was torn in the middle. 46#Jn 19:30; Ps 31:5; Ac 7:59And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He gave up the spirit.
47#Mt 27:54; Mk 15:39When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, “Certainly, this was a righteous Man.” 48#Lk 18:13All the crowds who came together to that sight, witnessing what occurred, struck their chests and returned. 49#Lk 8:2; Ps 38:11; Mt 27:55–56But all those who knew Him and the women accompanying Him from Galilee stood at a distance, seeing these things.
The Burial of Jesus
Mt 27:57–61; Mk 15:42–47; Jn 19:38–42
50Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, who was a good and just man. 51#Lk 2:25; 2:38He had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53#Isa 53:9Then he took Him down, and wrapped Him in linen, and placed Him in a hewn tomb, where no one had ever been buried. 54#Mt 27:62; Jn 19:31It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.
55#Lk 23:49The women who came with Him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was placed. 56#Mk 16:1; Lk 24:1Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
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Luke 23: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Luke 23
23
Pilate
1-2Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.”
3Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?”
“Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied.
4Pilate told the high priests and the accompanying crowd, “I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.”
5But they were vehement. “He’s stirring up unrest among the people with his teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He’s a dangerous man, endangering the peace.”
6-7When Pilate heard that, he asked, “So, he’s a Galilean?” Realizing that he properly came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.
8-10Herod was delighted when Jesus showed up. He had wanted for a long time to see him, he’d heard so much about him. He hoped to see him do something spectacular. He peppered him with questions. Jesus didn’t answer—not one word. But the high priests and religion scholars were right there, saying their piece, strident and shrill in their accusations.
11-12Mightily offended, Herod turned on Jesus. His soldiers joined in, taunting and jeering. Then they dressed him up in an elaborate king costume and sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became thick as thieves. Always before they had kept their distance.
13-16Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers, and the others and said, “You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear that he’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”
18-20At that, the crowd went wild: “Kill him! Give us Barabbas!” (Barabbas had been thrown in prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go, and so spoke out again.
21But they kept shouting back, “Crucify! Crucify him!”
22He tried a third time. “But for what crime? I’ve found nothing in him deserving death. I’m going to warn him to watch his step and let him go.”
23-25But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down. Pilate caved in and gave them what they wanted. He released the man thrown in prison for rioting and murder, and gave them Jesus to do whatever they wanted.
Skull Hill
26-31As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. The time is coming when they’ll say, ‘Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!’ Then they’ll start calling to the mountains, ‘Fall down on us!’ calling to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’ If people do these things to a live, green tree, can you imagine what they’ll do with deadwood?”
32Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.
33When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34-35Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”
36-37The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”
38Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”
40-41But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
43He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”
44-46By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.
* * *
47When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: “This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!”
48-49All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.
50-54There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Taking him down, he wrapped him in a linen shroud and placed him in a tomb chiseled into the rock, a tomb never yet used. It was the day before Sabbath, the Sabbath just about to begin.
55-56The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.