Luke 23
23
Pilate questions Jesus
(Matthew 27.1,2,11-14; Mark 15.1-5; John 18.28-38)
1Everyone in the council got up and led Jesus off to Pilate. 2They started accusing him and said, “We caught this man trying to get our people to riot and to stop paying taxes to the Emperor. He also claims that he is the Messiah, our king.”
3Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Those are your words,” Jesus answered.
4Pilate told the chief priests and the crowd, “I don't find him guilty of anything.”
5But they all kept on saying, “He has been teaching and causing trouble all over Judea. He started in Galilee and has now come all the way here.”
Jesus is brought before Herod
6When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man from Galilee?” 7After Pilate learnt that Jesus came from the region ruled by Herod,#23.7 Herod: Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. he sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time.
8For a long time Herod had wanted to see Jesus and was very happy because he finally had this chance. He had heard many things about Jesus and hoped to see him perform a miracle.
9Herod asked him a lot of questions, but Jesus did not answer. 10Then the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses stood up and accused him of all kinds of bad things.
11Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12That same day Herod and Pilate became friends, even though they had been enemies before this.
The death sentence
(Matthew 27.15-26; Mark 15.6-15; John 18.39—19.16)
13Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people. 14He told them, “You brought Jesus to me and said he was a troublemaker. But I have questioned him here in front of you, and I have not found him guilty of anything that you say he has done. 15Herod didn't find him guilty either and sent him back. This man doesn't deserve to be put to death! 16-17I will just have him beaten with a whip and set free.”#23.16,17 set free: Some manuscripts add, “Pilate said this, because at every Passover he was supposed to set one prisoner free for the Jewish people.”
18But the whole crowd shouted, “Kill Jesus! Give us Barabbas!” 19Now Barabbas was in jail because he had started a riot in the city and had murdered someone.
20Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he spoke again to the crowds. 21But they kept shouting, “Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!”
22Pilate spoke to them a third time, “But what crime has he done? I have not found him guilty of anything for which he should be put to death. I will have him beaten with a whip and set free.”
23The people kept on shouting as loud as they could for Jesus to be put to death. 24Finally, Pilate gave in. 25He freed the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, because he was the one the crowd wanted to be set free. Then Pilate handed Jesus over for them to do what they wanted with him.
Jesus is nailed to a cross
(Matthew 27.31-44; Mark 15.21-32; John 19.17-27)
26As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man from Cyrene named Simon. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. 28Jesus turned to the women and said:
Women of Jerusalem, don't cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children. 29Some day people will say, “Women who never had children are really fortunate!” 30At that time everyone will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” They will say to the hills, “Hide us!”#Ho 10.8; Rev 6.16. 31If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry?#23.31 If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry?: This saying probably means, “If this can happen to an innocent person, what do you think will happen to one who is guilty?”
32Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. 33When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull”,#23.33 “The Skull”: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull. they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.
34-35Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing.”#23.34,35 Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing.”: These words are not in some manuscripts.#Ps 22.18.#Ps 22.7.
While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!”
36The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine.#Ps 69.21. 37They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”
38Above him was a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!”
40But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don't you fear God? Aren't you getting the same punishment as this man? 41We got what was coming to us, but he didn't do anything wrong.” 42Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!”
43Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.”#23.43 paradise: In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, this word is used for the Garden of Eden. In New Testament times it was sometimes used for the place where God's people are happy and at rest, as they wait for the final judgment.
The death of Jesus
(Matthew 27.45-56; Mark 15.33-41; John 19.28-30)
44Around midday the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple#23.45 curtain in the temple: There were two curtains in the temple. One was at the entrance, and the other separated the holy place from the most holy place that the Jewish people thought of as God's home on earth. The second curtain is probably the one which is meant. split down the middle.#Ex 26.31-33. 46Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died.#Ps 31.5.
47When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Jesus must really have been a good man!”
48A crowd had gathered to see the terrible sight. Then after they had seen it, they felt brokenhearted and went home. 49All Jesus' close friends and the women who had come with him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched.#Lk 8.2,3.
Jesus is buried
(Matthew 27.57-61; Mark 15.42-47; John 19.38-42)
50-51There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God's kingdom to come. He was also a member of the Jewish council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.
52Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 53He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used. 54It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.#23.54 the Sabbath was about to begin: The Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday.
55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and watched how Jesus' body was placed in the tomb. 56Then they went to prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath they rested, as the Law of Moses commands.#Ex 20.10; Dt 5.14.
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Luke 23: CEVUK
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012
Luke 23
23
1The whole council rose and took him to Pilate. 2There they started to accuse him. “We found this man deceiving our nation, telling people not to pay taxes to Caesar, and claiming he is Messiah, a king,” they said.
3“Are you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked him.
“So you say,” replied Jesus.
4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I don't find this man guilty of any crime.”
5But they insisted, saying, “He is inciting rebellion all over Judea with his teachings, from Galilee to right here in Jerusalem.”
6When he heard this, Pilate asked, “Is this man a Galilean?” 7When he discovered that Jesus came under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was also in Jerusalem at the time.
8Herod was very pleased to see Jesus since he had wanted to meet him for a long time. He had heard about Jesus and was hoping to see him perform a miracle. 9He asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus did not answer him at all. 10The chief priests and religious teachers stood there, angrily accusing him. 11Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked him. Then they placed a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12From that day on Herod and Pilate were friends—before that they had been enemies.
13Pilate called together the chief priests, rulers, and the people, 14and told them, “You brought this man before me, accusing him of inciting the people to rebellion. I've carefully examined him in your presence, and do not find him guilty of the charges you have brought against him. 15Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. He has done nothing that demands he should be put to death. 16So I will have him flogged and then release him.” 17#23:17. Verse 17 is not in most early manuscripts.
18But they all shouted together, “Kill this man, and release Barabbas to us.” 19(Barabbas had been put in prison for taking part in a rebellion in the city, and for murder.)
20Pilate wanted to release Jesus, so spoke to them again. 21But they kept on shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22Pilate asked them for the third time, “But why? What crime has he committed? I don't find any reason for executing him. So I will have him flogged and then release him.”
23But they continued insisting with loud shouts, demanding that he be crucified. Their shouting succeeded, 24and Pilate gave the sentence they demanded. 25He released the man imprisoned for rebellion and murder, but he sent Jesus to be put to death in accordance with their demands.#23:25. Literally, “handed Jesus over to their will.” It does not say that Pilate handed Jesus over to the Jews, since Jesus was executed by the Romans, but that Pilate acceded to their demands for Jesus' death.
26As the soldiers#23:26. Implied. led him away, they seized a man called Simon of Cyrene, who had come in from the countryside. They put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A large crowd followed him, along with women who were mourning and lamenting him. 28Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves and your children. 29For the time is coming when they'll say, ‘Happy are those who are childless, and those who never had babies, and those who never nursed them.’ 30They'll say to the mountains, ‘Fall down on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’#23:30. Quoting Hosea 10:8. 31For if they do this to wood that is green, what will happen when it's dried out?”#23:31. Meaning that things become worse later.
32They also took two others who were criminals to be executed with him. 33When they reached the place called the Skull they crucified him together with the criminals, one on his right, and the other on his left.
34Jesus said, “Father, please forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.” They divided up his clothes by throwing dice for them.#23:34. See Psalms 22:18.
35The people stood and watched and the leaders sneered at Jesus. “He saved others, let him save himself, if he is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One,”#23:35. SeePsalms 22:7. they said.
36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up to him and offering him wine vinegar, saying, 37“If you're the King of the Jews, then save yourself.”
38Above Jesus was a sign on which it was written, “This is the King of the Jews.”
39One of the criminals hanging there joined in the insults against Jesus. “Aren't you the Messiah?” he asked. “Then save yourself—and us too!”
40But the other criminal disagreed and argued with him, “Don't you fear God even when you're suffering the same punishment?” he asked. 41“For us the sentence is right since we're being punished for what we did, but this man didn't do anything wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, please remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
43Jesus replied, “I promise you today you will be with me in paradise.” 44By this time it was around noon and darkness fell over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 45The sun's light was shut out, and the Temple veil was torn in two.
46Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, I place myself in your hands.”#23:46. Quoting Psalms 31:5. Having said this he breathed his last.#23:46. “Myself”: Literally, “my spirit.” Breath and spirit are the same word.
47When the centurion saw what had happened he praised God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” 48When all the crowds that had come to watch saw what happened they went home beating their chests in grief. 49But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who'd followed him from Galilee, watched from a distance.
50There was a man called Joseph who was good and honest. He was a member of the council, 51but he hadn't agreed with its decisions and actions. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. 52Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 53Once he'd taken it down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth. He laid Jesus in an unused tomb cut into the rock. 54It was preparation day#23:54. Meaning Friday. and the Sabbath would soon begin. 55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee had followed Joseph and had seen the tomb where Jesus' body had been laid. 56They returned home and prepared spices and ointments.#23:56. To anoint Jesus' body. But on the Sabbath they rested, observing the commandment.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com