Luke 23

CHAPTER 23THEME: Jesus is brought before Pilate; Jesus is brought before Herod and Barabbas is released; Jesus foretells destruction of Jerusalem and prays for His enemies; Jesus is crucified; Jesus mocked by rulers and soldiers; Jesus mocked by one thiefthe other thief turns to Jesus and is accepted by Him; Jesus dismisses His spirit; Jesus is placed in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea

Luke 23:1

JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE PILATEPilate was the Roman governor of Palestine. He usually came to Jerusalem during the time of Passover to keep an eye on the crowds that came to celebrate the feast. Since a violation of the Mosaic Law would carry absolutely no weight with a Roman, they accused Him of treason which was utterly absurd.

Luke 23:3

Imagine this scene. Here is a carpenter in peasant garment standing before Pilate. The Jewish religious leaders have arrested Him. Pilate asks Him a question that I’m sure seemed preposterous, “Art thou the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest it.” Or, “It is as you say.” It was a clear statement of fact. And Pilate wanted to let Him go.

Luke 23:4

Pilate is saying that Jesus had committed no crime for which He could be charged.

Luke 23:5

Now the religious rulers accuse Jesus of leading a revolution. They say that He had rebelled against constituted authority.

Luke 23:6

JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE HEROD AND BARABBAS IS RELEASEDPilate wanted to get off the hook. Since Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction and Herod was also in Jerusalem, Pilate sent Jesus to him. I do not believe it was an accident that Herod was in Jerusalem.

Luke 23:8

Prior to this time Jesus had told the Pharisees to deliver a message to Herod which was, “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils [demons], and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected” (Luk_13:32). Herod’s curiosity was excited about Jesus and he wanted to see Him.

Luke 23:9

Our Lord did not have one word for Herod. He was an old fox. He had gone past the point of no return; he was on his way to a lost eternity. He was a member of the notorious Herod family, and our Lord made no effort to reach him.

Luke 23:10

Can’t you see the religious rulers jumping up and down and doing everything they could to see that Jesus was convicted? Herod could see that he was not going to get anywhere with Jesus; so with his men of war he decided to mock Him. The “gorgeous robe” they put upon Him was undoubtedly one of Herod’s cast-off robes which they used to mock Jesus’ claims of royalty. Since there was nothing else Herod could do, he decided to send Jesus back to Pilate. Here is the beginning of an ecumenical movement! Before this problem of Jesus arose, Herod and Pilate had been enemies. Now they come together because they are both opposed to Jesus.

Luke 23:13

Pilate felt that there was nothing with which they could accuse Jesus. Herod had done nothing but mock Him, put a robe on Him, and send Him back to Pilate. The charges were not worth considering.

Luke 23:16

Wait a minute! That is wrong. If Jesus is guilty of something, He should be punished. If He is innocent, He should be set free. To chastise Him and let Him go is compromise. I agree with Marlowe, the Englishman, that compromise is the most immoral word in the English language.

Luke 23:17

Pilate is trying to escape making a decision about Jesus, but he cannot. Careful analysis of Pilate’s part in the trial will reveal that he is on trial and Jesus is the Judge. Jesus is not trying to escape, but Pilate is. Pilate sought for an easy escape from these astute religious politicians. He hit upon giving them a choice between Barabbas and Jesus. To him the decision was obvious.

He detected that they wanted Jesus dead because of envy. Pilate did not reckon with the depth to which religion can sink when it goes wrong. Matthew tells us that the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude to ask for Barabbas. Pilate was startled when the crowd demanded Barabbas to be released. Imagine a judge asking a crowd for their decision as to what should be done with a man on trial! He decided that Jesus was innocent; yet he handed Jesus over to be crucified.

What Roman justice! Pilate finally had to make a decision, just as every man today has to make a decision relative to Jesus Christ. What have you decided about Him?

Luke 23:27

JESUS FORETELLS DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND PRAYS FOR HIS ENEMIESOn His way to the cross He spoke to women who were crying about Him. He said there was a day coming when it would be better not to bring children into the world, referring to the time of the Great Tribulation. Then He told the women not to weep for Him. He does not want our sympathy; He wants our faith. He did not have to die, and He did not die to gain our sympathy.

Luke 23:33

JESUS IS CRUCIFIEDTwo criminals were crucified with the Lord.

Luke 23:34

The Lord asked His Father to forgive the crowd for crucifying Him. If He had not done this, the crowd would have been guilty of committing the unpardonable sin of putting to death the Son of God.

Luke 23:35

JESUS MOCKED BY RULERS AND SOLDIERSIf Jesus had come down from the cross, He would not have been the Christ. He would not have fulfilled all of Isaiah 53 which speaks of His death. “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Isa_53:8). Because Jesus Christ stayed on the cross, we can be healed of sin, the awful plague of mankind.

Luke 23:36

When Jesus was crucified, they put a superscription over Him in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Greek was the language of intelligence, of education, of literature, and of science. Latin was the language of law and order, of the military and of government. Hebrew was the language of religion. When Christ returns to set up His Kingdom, He will be the political ruler, the educational ruler, and the spiritual ruler of this universe. How accurate the superscription was! By the way, to get the full superscription we have to put together all four Gospel records.

Luke 23:39

JESUS MOCKED BY ONE THIEFTHE OTHER THIEF TURNS TO JESUS AND IS ACCEPTED BY HIMBoth Matthew and Mark tell us that in the beginning both thieves ridiculed the Lord Jesus. But during the six hours that they were on the cross, especially the last three hours, one thief saw that something unusual was taking place. He recognized that this One dying on the cross was not dying for Himself but for another. Although he knew Barabbas should be on that cross, he also seemed to realize He was dying for him. He recognized that this was a transaction between God and the Man on the cross, and the Man on the cross was God. Then he turned to Him in faith.

Luke 23:42

That very day this thief who was not fit to live on earth, according to the Roman government, went to be with the Lord. This man was a bad thief, not a good one, but because of his faith in the Son of God he became a saved thief. This man had faith to believe that the Lord Jesus was coming into a kingdom, and it would come after His death! Obviously, this thief had come a long way theologically while hanging on that cross. Our Lord made the remarkable statement that this thief would be in paradise with Him that very day. These two thieves had been arrested for the same crime, tried for the same crime, condemned for the same crime, and were dying for the same crime. What was the difference between them? There wasn’t anyboth were thieves. The difference lies in the fact that one thief believed in Jesus Christ and one did not. Many years ago I was playing tennis with a friend of mine who was liberal in his theology. I asked him, “What would you tell the thief on the cross? Would you tell him to run on errands of mercy? Would you tell him to use his hands for deeds of kindness?” He looked at me rather startled. I said, “Well, come on, that’s what you tell your people to do.” “Yes,” he said, “but they can do those things.” “But what are you going to tell this poor thief? What could he do? His hands and feet are not coming down from that cross until they come down in death. And, by the way, what church would you ask him to join? What ceremony would you ask him to go through?” Friend, our Lord said to that thief, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise.” He went into the presence of God because of His faith in Christ.

Luke 23:44

JESUS DISMISSES HIS SPIRITChrist’s life was symbolized by the veil which actually shut out man from God in the Old Testament economy. When Christ died on the cross, the veil was torn in two so that the way to the Father was open!

Luke 23:46

Remember, once again, that this is Dr. Luke speaking from a doctor’s viewpoint. He had been in the presence of many people who had died. He knew how they died, and he knew how our Lord died. Our Lord’s death was different. It has been my unpleasant duty to be in the presence of folk who are dying.

There is what is commonly known as the “death rattle” when one draws his last breath. It is always with a struggle and with great effort. The two thieves on their crosses undoubtedly died that way, but the Lord Jesus did not. He voluntarily died. He dismissed His spirit. Did you notice what He said? “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” with a loud voice; it doesn’t sound like a man whose life is ebbing away.

John adds that His final word was a shout of victory"Tetelestai!" It is finished!

Luke 23:47

The centurion, I believe, became a saved man. He had charge of the crucifixion of Christ. At the foot of the cross he looked up and saw that something unusual was taking place, and he could glorify God. He saw that Christ was a righteous man. The other Gospel writers add to Luke’s account that the centurion said that He was the Son of God. I realize that the centurion’s confession of faith was not enough to join the average Bible church, but let us put him back where he stands. He is at the Crucifixion. He knew nothing about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He had never read any books on theology. This poor fellow was in the dark, but he couldn’t have said anything that revealed his faith more than this.

Luke 23:48

There was an ominous and fearful sort of atmosphere about the death of Christ. No Gospel writer describes the death of Christ in detail. It is as if the Spirit of God pulled down the veil because the Crucifixion was too horrible to gaze upon. There is nothing here to satisfy your curiosity. Mankind was shut out from what happened on the cross. Just as we had to stand on the fringe at the Garden of Gethsemane, certainly we have to stand on the fringe of what happened at the cross. We can only look up and trust the One who is dying there for us.

Luke 23:50

JESUS IS PLACED IN THE NEW TOMB OF JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEAThe final section of this chapter deals with the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which belong together. Paul wrote, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Co_15:3-4). These are the facts of the gospel. What is your relationship to these facts? Jesus died. He was buried.

He rose again from the dead. What does that mean to you? Do you believe He died for you? Do you believe that when He was buried your sins were absolutely buried too, so that the sin question was settled? Do you believe that He rose again, and you rose with Him? To believe this puts us in Christ.

God sees us in Christ. His righteousness becomes our righteousness; His standing becomes our standing, which is all that you and I have of which we can boast today. This man Joseph was obviously a very prominent man. He was a member of the Sanhedrin. He apparently exercised a lot of influence. He was, however, a man who stood alone when he took a stand for Christ.

Luke 23:51

Although Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, he did not agree with the action they took, which tells us that the Sanhedrin did not act unanimously when they put down the edict to have the Lord Jesus Christ crucified. He was what could be called a pious, religious man; then having come face-to-face with Christ, he had taken a stand for Him. Apparently there were many believers in the Lord who were not open about it like the disciples were. However at the time of the Crucifixion the disciples went underground, and those that had been underground came out in the open. Joseph and Nicodemus were two prominent men who finally openly declared their trust in the Savior. John’s gospel tells us that Nicodemus joined with Joseph in burying the Lord Jesus. They were the undertakers who had charge of His burial.

Luke 23:52

The faith of Joseph is out in the open now. As a man of means and influence he asks for the body of Jesus.

Luke 23:53

The question arises, “Where was the tomb in which Jesus was laid?” There are two places today that are said to be that tomb. One place has a Roman Catholic church built over it, and the other one is outside the city wall. I, personally, do not believe that either place is where Jesus was buried. There were several groups that so hated Christ and Christianity that they would have removed every vestige and reminder of Him. The forces of Rome under Titus, in A.D. 70, destroyed and actually plowed the city of Jerusalem. The tomb known as the Garden Tomb, which is shown to tourists, somehow escaped destruction.

I am sure it is not the tomb in which the body of Jesus was placed, although His tomb was undoubtedly somewhere in that area. God would not leave anything like the tomb intact, because certain people would make it a fetish rather than making the Lord Jesus the object of worship. When I was in Jerusalem at the Garden Tomb, one lady in our tour got down on her hands and knees and began to kiss the floor of the tomb; then she began to weep and howl! There is no value in that! Even if it were the tomb in which He was buried, the value is not in the tomb but in the One who is at God’s right hand today, the living Savior. Let us turn our attention to Him.

Luke 23:54

This little group of loyal women, who probably performed the menial tasks for our Lord and His disciples, were with Him to the very end. As to the actual day of His death, the Bible does not say that He died for our sins on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The Bible simply says that Jesus died for our sins. We should not waste time arguing about which day it was. I do think, however, that since it says the Sabbath drew on, it was Friday. The women saw how the body of Jesus was laid. In other words, it was not a finished burial. Later Nicodemus and Joseph wrapped the linen around the body in mummy fashion. John’s Gospel adds that they wound it in linen clothes with the spices (about one hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes), as “…the manner of the Jews is to bury” (Joh_19:40).

Luke 23:56

Because the Sabbath day was a day of rest, they did not come to the tomb. They prepared the spices to put on the Lord’s body, but they wasted their spices because by the time they came to do it, His body was no longer in the tomb. Mary of Bethany, you recall, had anointed His body while He was alive and was criticized for wasting the precious ointment. But hers was not wasted.