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William Hendriksen · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 23
Hendriksen has an interesting comment - The accusers must have regarded their remark that Jesus was a man from Galilee as being a coup de maître (master stroke). Was not Galilee always the very hotbed of revolution? Think of Herod the Great's battle against the guerrillas (N.T.C. on Matthew, p. 159), and of the "Zealots" and the "patriots" who since that time were always making trouble for the Roman government. Well, that was the region to which Jesus belonged, and He Himself was one of the troublemakers! Little did they realize that exactly when they thought they had scored a point against Jesus and had probably persuaded Pilate to take the necessary action, they, at least for the time being, were being defeated. For Pilate, consistent with his purpose almost to the very end of the trial, saw in this link between Jesus and Galilee the very opportunity he was looking for to get rid of this annoying case. We can, as it were, hear him say, "Well, since this man is from Galilee, and since Roman law allows an accused person to be tried either in the province where his crime is said to have been committed [which in the present case could be anywhere from Galilee to Jerusalem] or in the province to which he belongs, and finally since the ruler of this Galilean is right now in Jerusalem, I remand his case to the ruler of Galilee, namely, Herod (Antipas), for adjudication." (Baker New Testament Commentary – Gospel of Luke:) (Bold added) Herod Antipas in Wikipedia - Herod Antipater (Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπατρος, Hērǭdēs Antipatros; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), known by the nickname Antipas, was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch"and "King Herod" in the New Testament although he never held the title of king.[3] He is widely known today for accounts in the New Testament of his role in events that led to the executions of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Herod the tetrarch of Galilee (Mt 14:1, Lk 3:19, 9:7, Acts 13:1, aka "Herod Antipas," "King Herod" - Mk 6:14 but not officially a king) - Picture of Herod, Map of Territory Ruled Map of Division of Herod the Great's Lands - Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas was step-brother of Philip the tetrarch, who was also a son of Herod the Great. He ruled from 4 B.C.–A.D. 39, sharing the rule of his father’s realm with his two brothers (purple regions in map). One brother, Archelaus (Mt 2:22 "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,") was banished in A.D. 6 and died in A.D. 18; the other brother, Herod Philip died in A.D. 34. Herod the tetrarch of Galilee is the Herod referred to in the Gospel accounts describing Jesus’ ministry. It was this Herod (Antipas) who imprisoned John the Baptist (Luke 3:20) and later had him executed (Luke 9:9). Related Resources: American Tract Society Antipas Easton's Bible Dictionary Antipas Herod Antipas Fausset Bible Dictionary Antipas Holman Bible Dictionary Antipas Hitchcock Bible Names Antipas Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Antipas Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Antipas Antipas (2) Antipas Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? Who was Herodias in the Bible? Who was Salome in the Bible? What can we learn from the life of John the Baptist? Luke 23:8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. KJV Luke 23:8 And 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. for he had wanted to see Him for a long time Lk 9:7-9; Mt 14:1; Mark 6:14 because he had been hearing about Him Lk 4:23; 2 Kings 5:3-6,11; Acts 8:19 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - to arrange the events chronologically and bring out details unique to each Gospel Below is James Tissot's sinister looking picture of Herod Antipas! Click on the picture and look at his eyes! What a depiction of evil! JESUS BEFORE HEROD The description of the second phase of the Roman trial with Jesus before Herod is found only in the Gospel of Luke. Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus - It is amazing (and tragic) what will give one passing, earthly joy. Glad (chairo) means to be in a state of happiness with a sense of well-being, which is an amazing definition considering the fact that Herod would soon see Jesus and reject Jesus, the only One Who can provide a human soul with an eternal sense of well-being! And notice Herod is "very" (lian) glad which means he did not just have a touch of temporal joy, but that he was exceedingly (beyond measure), extremely glad. He would rue this day when he was exceedingly glad, for one day would be his "pay day" and he would find himself exceeding sad for all eternity! (cf Eternal punishment) James Stalker - Herod's reception of Jesus was thoroughly characteristic. Had he had the conscience even of a bad man, he might have been abashed to see the Baptist’s Friend. Once he had been moved with terror at the mere rumor of Jesus; but that was all past; these emotions had been wiped out by newer ones and forgotten. He was “exceeding glad” to see Him....His delight, however, arose chiefly from the hope that he might see Jesus working a miracle. For two or three years his own dominions had been ringing with the fame of the Miracle-worker, but Herod had never seen Him. Now was his chance; and no doubt entered his mind that Jesus would gratify his curiosity, or could count it anything but an honour to get the opportunity of displaying His skill. Such was Herod’s estimate of Christ. He put Him on the level of a new dancer or singer; he looked on His miracles as a species of conjuring or magic; and he expected from Him the same entertainment as he might have obtained from any wandering professor of magical arts. (Jesus and Herod) Glad (5463)(chairo) means to be in a state of happiness with a sense of well-being. 1. rejoice, be glad Mt 2:10; 5:12; Mk 14:11; Lk 15:32; 22:5; J 3:29; 16:20, 22; Ac 5:41; Ro 16:19; 2 Cor 7:9, 16; Phil 1:18; 3:1; Col 1:24.—2. as a formula of greeting—a. as a form of address cai/re, cai,rete welcome, good day, hail (to you), I am glad to see you Mt 26:49; 27:29; Mk 15:18; Lk 1:28 ; J 19:3; 2 J 10f; good morning Mt 28:9 and possibly others.—b. elliptically at the beginning of a letter cai,rein greetings Ac 15:23; 23:26; Js 1:1. For - Term of explanation. What is Luke explaining? He had wanted (thelo) to see Him for a long time - Herod was desiring to see Jesus the "Miracle Worker," to satisfy his curiosity, not to speak to his heart. THOUGHT - Many want to see Jesus or even so-called "remnants" of Jesus like the (false) Shroud of Turin (see pictures), but they don't really desire a personal encounter that would change (circumcise) their heart. Knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus (and Him knowing us) are eternal worlds apart, as far as heaven is from hell! Don't be deceived by the false belief that because you know about Jesus and even respect Him as a miracle worker and prophet and great Man, for there are many people in Hell who have had this deceptive belief. No, we must not just know about Jesus, but we MUST RECEIVE Jesus as our Savior and Lord (John 1:11, 12, 13+, Ro 10:9,10+, Acts 16:31). Anything short of that is false teaching and false belief and is a sure ticket to Hell. And remember that while faith alone saves, the faith that truly saves is NOT alone! In other words, faith without works, without obedience (which is not a legalistic obedience but an obedience that emanates from a "new heart" [Ezek 36:26,27+, 2 Cor 5:17+] and is supernaturally enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit [Php 2:13NLT+]). (See comments on James 2:14-17)
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Hendriksen asks some interesting questions regarding Lk 23:20 - Why was Pilate so determined on releasing Jesus? Was it because even in the heart of this Gentile there was a remnant of a sense of justice, perhaps even justice and sympathy? Was it because he realized that Jesus was at least a far more noble person than were his accusers? Was it because he hated the Jews so thoroughly that it was almost impossible to yield to their wishes? Was it because he had become filled with superstitious fear because of Christ's claim to divinity? See John 19:7, 8. Or was his reluctance due to a combination of some or all of these factors? (Baker New Testament Commentary – Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke) Overstreet writes - Pilate did attempt to save Jesus from the cross, by declaring Him innocent, by offering to chastise or scourge Him, and by offering to release Him as was the custom (but Barabbas was released instead). Indeed, it has been accurately said that Pilate “sent Jesus to the cross, but not before he had exhausted every expedient for saving Him, except the simple and straightforward one of dismissing the case.” Pilate persisted in trying to convince the Jews to let him release Jesus “till they threatened to implicate in the charge of rebellion against Caesar the governor himself, if he persisted in unwonted mercy.”34 This must have had a special effect on Pilate since only a year before Christ’s crucifixion, which took place in A.D. 33, Pilate had been rebuked by the Emperor Tiberius concerning the shields he had set up in Herod’s palace which had offended the Jews. Pilate obviously was in no frame of mind at this early time to risk another confrontation with the emperor, if he thought it could be avoided. It can also be accurately said that when Pilate delivered Christ to be crucified he demonstrated “all the cowardice of the judge who thus declines to act as the protector of innocence,” and the natural principles of equity which should have been allowed to an alien (although not required by Roman law) were denied. This certainly constitutes in Pilate an act which is unethical and immoral, even if not technically illegal. What could Pilate have done instead of sending Christ to the cross? He could have displayed the fortitude to do what was morally and ethically right, and then relied on the emperor’s sense of justice if the matter had been brought before him. The proconsul of Achaia, Gallio by name, did this very thing when the Apostle Paul was brought before him (Acts 18:12–17); he refused to hear the case and literally drove the complainers from his presence. Pilate could have done this, but instead he chose to follow what he thought was the politically expedient route and sent Christ to the cross. (Roman Law and the Trial of Christ - R Larry Overstreet) Luke 23:21 but they kept on calling out, saying, "Crucify, crucify Him!" KJV Luke 23:21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Lk 23:23; Mt 27:22-25; Mark 15:13; John 19:15 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - to arrange the events chronologically and bring out details unique to each Gospel THE CROWD'S CHORUS OF "CRUCIFY!" Matthew 27:22 (cf Mark 15:12) records Pilate's question to the Jews "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” All three synoptic accounts record their repeated cries of "Crucify Him." (Mt 27:23, Mk 15:13). But they kept on calling out, saying, "Crucify, crucify (stauroo) Him - Calling out (They kept on yelling)(2019) is the verb epiphoneo in the imperfect tense (over and over, again and again) which is used only by Luke in the context of a crowd or mob shouting (Lk 23:21; Acts 12:22; 21:34; 22:24). Moffatt is probably not far off in his paraphrase "but they roared." The point is that these bloodthirsty Jews were crying out loudly (cf Acts 12:22), shouting (cf Acts 21:34, 24) to Pilate even before he announced "not guilty" for the third time. One can just imagine the Jews' voices or protest rising several decibels after they heard this third official announcement of Jesus' innocence. Crucify (stauroo) is in the form of a command , the present imperative. 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. Steven
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Hendriksen - The chief lesson to be learned with respect to the trial before Pilate is that one can never be neutral with respect to Jesus. One always sides either for him or against him. Pilate’s “neutrality” failed completely. He succumbed at last to intimidation, and handed Jesus over to be crucified. (Baker NT Commentary - John). As a point of application note carefully that "religion" never saved anyone. In fact one of the most deadly, dangerous deceptions for a human being is to be "religious!" One can sit in a church pew (of both liberal and conservative churches) for 50 years and die and end up experiencing eternal punishment! Religion did not save these Jewish hypocrites, but it sadly shrouded the eyes of their heart to there true need for a personal relationship with the Messiah. How many super religious people there will be who will suffer this tragic fate for Jesus made it clear declaring... “Enter through the narrow gate; for (term of explanation) the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many (NOT A FEW BUT MANY!) who enter through it. 14 “For (term of explanation) the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.....21-22 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many (NOT A FEW) will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ (AKA "RELIGION") 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never (ABSOLUTELY NOT EVER = STRONG NEGATIVE) knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE (present tense = THIS IS THE KEY = THEY NEVER HAD A POINT IN THEIR LIFE WHERE THE BECAME NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST AND THIS WAS EVIDENT BY THE GENERAL DIRECTION [BEHAVIOR] OF THEIR LIFE WHICH WAS TOWARD "HELL" NOT HEAVEN) LAWLESSNESS.’ (Mt 7:13-14+, Mt 7:21-23+) Luke 23:25 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. KJV Luke 23:25 And 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. And he released the man Lk 23:2,5; Mark 15:7; John 18:40 they were asking for 1 Samuel 12:13; Mark 15:6; Acts 3:14 but he delivered Jesus to their will. Mt 27:26; Mark 15:15 Luke 23 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries See Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus - Parallel Passages - to arrange the events chronologically and bring out details unique to each Gospel Note: The following table is an attempt to line up parallel passages from the 4 Gospel accounts on the same row and to identify the passages found only in one Gospel with yellow highlighting. In some cases it is difficult to state with certainty which passage in a particular Gospel comes next in time sequence. If you see a passage you do not think fits in the sequence please send an email with your explanation. Color Legend - Jesus' words. Pilate's words. Jew's words. Barabbas. Crucify. Scourge MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN BARABBAS RELEASED Mt 27:26 Then he released Barabbas for them; Mk 15:15+Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, Lk 23:24-25+ 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. JESUS SCOURGED Mt 27:26b but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified. Mk 15:15b+and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified LUKE DOES NOT DESCRIBE SCOURGING OF JESUS Jn 19:1 Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him JESUS MOCKED BY SOLDIERS Mt 27:27-31 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. Mk 15:16-19+ The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort. 17 They dressed Him up in purple, and after twisting a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; 18 and they began to acclaim Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him. LUKE DOES NOT DESCRIBE SOLDIER'S MOCKING JESUS Jn 19:2-3 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; 3 and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. John 19:4-15 Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5 Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” 6 So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, “Crucify, crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” 8 Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” 12 As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” JESUS DELIVERED OVER TO BE CRUCIFIED Matthew 27:31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify. Him. Mark 15:20 And they led Him out to crucify.Him. Lk 23:25b+ but he delivered Jesus to their will. John 19:16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. GOSPEL OF MATTHEW Note the "reed" (kalamos) in Mt 27:29, 30 (cf Mk 15:19) used to first to mock Jesus as a "scepter" then used like a "rod" to repeatedly "beat (imperfect tense - over and over) Him on the head". Note that kalamos is not just a flimsy "reed" (like in Mt 11:7) for this Greek word was also used of a fishing rod and a rod or shaft for an arrow. These uses give us some idea of the force of the blows from the strong Roman soldiers -- while they were not a blow from a club, they were also not blows from a flimsy reed. If they were like a fishing pole in size and tensile strength, they would have been of sufficient thickness to cause significant pain, bruising and welt formation on our Lord's holy head! (cf Isaiah 53:4-5) You can begin to imagine His holy face with the sweat intermingled with blood, bruises and red welts! And He did it for YOU and for ME! (cf Isaiah 53:6, 12). Let that thought sink in the next time you are tempted to sin! It might cause you to pause and pass on that sin! Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a Friend. Amen. Oh, how He loves you and me (pause, play, pray, praise Him)! (cf 1 Jn 4:19) Also remember that while they were beating Jesus on the head, there was a crown of thorns, the points of which were undoubtedly being driven deep into the relatively thin skin covering His calvarium forcing the points of the thorns to pierce down to the nerve (think pain!) and vessel rich periosteum (pix, pix2) covering the bones of His skull! Dr William Edwards describes the Medical Aspects of Scourging - As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim’s back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues.7 Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh.2,7,25 Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock.12 The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross. (Read the entire article) GOSPEL OF JOHN Note that many of the details in Jn 19:1-15 are NOT found in the other Gospels. As noted Luke has no description of the scourging or mocking of Jesus by the soldiers. As alluded to elsewhere in the notes, the scourging of Jesus was considered to be the preparation of a criminal who was to be crucified. There as some writers (D A Carson) who think that Jesus may have experienced two times of scourging, the first a milder form in an attempt to appease the Jews and a severe form in preparation for the Cross. TIMING OF EVENTS - THIRD HOUR, SIXTH HOUR, NINTH HOUR - John 19:14 indicates that the events surrounding Jesus' trials before Pilate occurred about (i.e., it is not an exact, specific time but an approximation) the "sixth hour" which has created some confusion because Mk 15:25+ says "It was the third hour when they crucified Him." How could Jesus have appeared before Pilate at the "sixth hour" and be crucified at the "third hour?" Given the fact that the Bible never contradicts itself (critics use this passage to say that Scripture contradicts itself), the most logical explanation is that the these times reflect Jewish and Roman methods of calculating time. Mark (Mk 15:33+) and Luke (Lk 23:44+) both record that darkness was on the land from the sixth to the ninth hour, Jesus yielding up His Spirit at the ninth hour, which would have been 3 PM, the time when lambs were being sacrificed for the Passover (cf Jn 1:29+, 1 Cor 5:7) The apparent time discrepancy between John's sixth hour and Mark's third hour is explained below (not every scholar agrees with this explanation): Gotquestions - Answering the question of how long Jesus was on the cross is complicated by the fact that two systems of marking time are used in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke use the Jewish system of marking time. John uses the Roman system. Using the Jewish system, Mark says, “They crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him” (Mk 15:24-25ESV). According to this, Christ’s crucifixion began at 9:00 A.M. Also using the Jewish system of marking time, Matthew says that “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour” (Mt 27:45ESV). That is, the darkness lasted from 12:00 noon to 3:00 P.M. This was Jesus’ final three hours on the cross. At the end of that time, “when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit” (Mt 27:50). After that a Roman soldier made sure of His death (John 19:34), and Jesus’ body was taken down. Jesus had been on the cross from approximately 9:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M., a total of six hours. John adds the detail that Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate was taking place, according to Roman time, “about the sixth hour” (Jn 19:14ESV). Since the Romans started counting their hours at midnight, the “sixth hour” would start at 6:00 A.M. So, using the Roman system (Ed: John): about the sixth hour = about 6:00 A.M. Jesus is sentenced by Pilate. Then, using the Jewish system: the third hour = 9:00 A.M. The crucifixion began. (Mk 15:25) the sixth hour = 12:00 P.M. (noon). Darkness began. (Mk 15:33, Lk 23:44) the ninth hour = 3:00 P.M. Jesus died. (Ed: Darkness ends. Mk 15:33. Jesus yields up His Spirit, Mt 27:45, 46-49, 50, Lk 23:44, 45, 46, cf Mk 15:34, 35-39). Putting it all together, Jesus’ trial ended about 6:00 A.M. His crucifixion began about three hours later, and He died about six hours after that. (Gotquestions) Comment: I would add that Mark 15:33+ "When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour." Using the Jewish method of reckoning of time which began at sunrise which occurs at about 6:00 AM, the sixth hour is noon John Grassmick - Using the Jewish method of counting hours from sunrise (and sunset) Mark alone recorded that Jesus' crucifixion took place at the third hour, that is, 9 a.m. This seems to conflict with the time reference "the sixth hour" in John 19:14. But John probably used the Roman (modern) method of counting hours from midnight (and noon); thus he put Jesus' trial before Pilate at "about the sixth hour," that is, approximately 6 a.m. The interval between 6 and 9 a.m. was filled with the soldiers' mockery (cf. Mk 15:16-20), Pilate's verdict on the two robbers (cf. Mk 15:27), and preparations for the crucifixions. (Bible Knowledge Commentary) John