Jesus Taken to Pontius Pilate

This study in Luke 23 covers that part of Jesus’ last week on earth where the leading Jews took him to Pontius Pilate, asking him for the death sentence. This is a continuation of the previous study.

Luke 23:1-12

Luke 23: 1-5  Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate

The Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders, decided not to recognize Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, and Lord, so they condemn Him to death, and we see here the zeal with which they do so. They bring four charges against Jesus before Pontius Pilate, (three of which are new charges that they didn’t present to Jesus when they tried him in their court) the Roman governor of Judea:

•    He perverts the nation [of Israel] [verse 2].

•     He forbids pay taxes to Caesar [verse 2].

•     He says that He Himself is Christ, a King [verse 2].

•   He stirs up the people throughout all Judea [verse 5].

Under Roman rule, the Sanhedrin did not have the power to carry out an execution. By bringing these charges against Jesus before Pilate, the Sanhedrin is hoping that Pilate will sentence Jesus to death as a menace to Rome. Let us look at each of these charges briefly in turn.

The first charge is the most serious from the perspective of the Sanhedrin. (Luke 23:2) They condemn Jesus for turning aside the nation of Israel from the correct path of worship and belief. However, in and of itself, this charge is probably less serious from Pontius Pilate’s perspective. The Romans had accorded the Jews religious tolerance which permitted them to worship their God without obstruction. Pilate would not have been too concerned about the fact that Jesus was misleading the Jews, unless this somehow had political ramifications. I see the second, third, and fourth charges that the Sanhedrin raises as their attempt to give Pilate something in the way of political ramifications.

The second charge that the Sanhedrin brought against Jesus is that He is forbidding people to pay taxes to Caesar. We have discussed in previous studies how the matter of taxation was a sensitive issue among the Jews. The Romans had levied a variety of taxes against the Jews with the consequence that tax collectors in general were hated among the Jews.

However, as far as I can determine, Jesus neither hated tax collectors nor forbade people to pay their taxes. Jesus had not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance, and clearly at least some tax collectors were receptive to the message of the Gospel. One of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Matthew, was working as a tax collector when Jesus called him. Jesus dined several times with tax collectors and on one occasion a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus, and when He did so the Pharisees regularly complained and questioned His motives. (Mat  9:10-13)

Indeed Matthew 21:31-32 contains a wonderful comparison/contrast between the attitudes of the “righteous” Sanhedrin and the sinful lower classes. Speaking to the chief priests and the elders of the people, who have been questioning the source of Jesus’ authority, 

After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the chief priests, scribes, and elders had asked Jesus directly whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Rome. Luke 20:20-26:

The key phrase for understanding what Jesus is saying seems to be: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Some scholars have asserted that the interpretation of Jesus’ statement depends on whether you believe that anything belongs to Caesar. I understand and completely agree that in a very real and important sense, all things are created by and belong to the Lord. However, I believe that in this passage Jesus is saying that it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. If all things, including the denarius, belong to God and therefore should be rendered unto the Lord, why not simply say so?

Furthermore I believe that this interpretation is consistent with what we read elsewhere in the New Testament about obedience to the governing authorities God has put in place here on earth. Speaking about obedience to earthly authorities, whom God has appointed, Paul gives instructions about this in Romans 13:5-7:

In my opinion, the Sanhedrin is twisting what Jesus has said, framing Jesus to enlist Pilate’s help in putting Him to death.

The third charge that the Sanhedrin brings against Jesus – that He claimed to be Christ, a king - is at least consistent with what Jesus had said. We saw in last week’s study that Jesus admitted to being the Messiah, which also would make Him king of the Jews. We see yet another example of how the Sanhedrin completely understood the implications of Jesus’ claim to be Messiah, but simply refused to consider the possibility that He might be who He said He was. My assumption is that the Sanhedrin hoped that by claiming that Jesus had called Himself a king, He would appear more of a possible political threat to Pilate.

At this point Pilate questions Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?” To which Jesus replies “It is as you say.” Pilate is not convinced that the Sanhedrin are telling him the truth. At this point, Jesus probably does not appear to Pilate to be much of a king, much less a threat to Roman authority in Israel. Jesus is securely in custody. He is unarmed and without soldiers or supporters, beaten and perhaps bloodied, answering when spoken to, not asserting His right to rule or threatening Rome’s authority in any way. Pilate becomes dismissive and uncooperative, telling the Sanhedrin, “I find no fault in this Man.”

Luke 23:6-12  - Jesus Faces Herod

At this, Luke tells us, the Sanhedrin probably sensed their opportunity was slipping away and grew stronger in their accusations. They began to shout their final assertion, that Jesus was inciting the people to rebellion by His teaching, throughout the province Judea, starting from Galilee even up to Jerusalem. Once again, the Sanhedrin is trying to incite Pilate to see Jesus as a threat to Roman rule and order His execution.

At the mention of Galilee, Pilate again speaks to Jesus, asking Him if He was from Galilee. The term “the Galilee” was used to describe the area lying east and west of the Jordan River system, from the upper tributaries to below the Sea of Galilee. Galilee included Nazareth, the town Jesus’ parents were from, where He had spent most of His life before the start of His ministry. Galilee was also the region in which Jesus had spent most of His three year ministry.

The Galilee region was not under Pilate’s jurisdiction it was under the rule of Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and the Tetrarch of Galilee. I have read that Pilate did not need to consult with Herod on this matter and had the authority to pass judgment on Jesus if he desired. However, there had been some misunderstanding between Herod and Pilate in the past (Luke 13:1-2), and this move seems to have been an attempt Pilate to make amends. As we will see, Pilate’s action had its intended consequence, for we read in luke23:12 the two men became friends as a result.

Aware that Herod was at that time in Jerusalem, probably for the Passover celebration, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. I suspect that Pilate was also glad to do so, both because he had seen nothing in Jesus that suggested He was dangerous, and because he was undoubtedly glad to be rid of the Sanhedrin and their badgering. Certainly the last thing Pilate would have desired would be a riot to break out in Jerusalem at the exhortation of the Sanhedrin.

Luke’s Gospel is our sole account of the interview between Herod and Jesus. Herod, Luke tells us, had heard many things about Jesus and had desired to meet Him for some time (Luke 9:7-9), and to see some miracle done by Him. Earlier in Luke 13;31-33, as Jesus was making His way toward Jerusalem, we read about an interesting twist on the current situation:

Now Herod wants to hear what Jesus has to say and what He can do. I suspect that as before, with John the Baptist (Mark 6:20), whom Herod eventually beheaded, Herod wished to hear the word of God spoken by Jesus. However, I suspect that Herod would have been a hearer only and not a doer of the word. Jesus is certainly not an entertainer. That was not His purpose for coming to the earth. Luke tells us that although Herod asked Jesus many questions, Jesus answered nothing. Meanwhile the members of the Sanhedrin also continued their accusations of Jesus before Herod.

Finally Herod had had enough. He treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him, sending Jesus back to Pilate clothed in a gorgeous robe, fit no doubt for a king. Herod however most likely meant this gesture to be ironic, seeing nothing outstanding in Jesus. Finally, Luke tells us in verse 12, “That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.”

What should we take away from our passage tonight?

When I read this passage, I see three different reactions to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

·         First we have the Sanhedrin, who appear zealous for God and righteous but who reject Jesus as Messiah and work hard to have Him put to death. I believe we see in the actions and attitudes of the Sanhedrin the effects of the struggle to love God and fear man simultaneously. I believe that the Sanhedrin’s desire to be righteous and obedient to the Lord has been compromised by their love for the praises of men and prestige and power associated with their positions. And, like Saul of Tarsus, who at this point was most likely a member of the Sanhedrin, they believed that they understood God and were doing His will, when in fact they were persecuting the Lord’s anointed one.


·         Second, we have Pontius Pilate, who to me seems uninterested in Jesus altogether. Pilate does not inquire how Jesus is corrupting the morals of the Jewish people; he is uninterested in His claim to be the Messiah; nor, as we shall see, is he that interested in truth. In the end, Pilate seems to me to be a pragmatist, one who is motivated by his own safety and comfort. Pilate it seems to me fears man more than God. What Pilate wants at all costs is to avoid a scene, which he fears will have negative repercussions for him and his governorship.


·         And finally, we have Herod Antipas, who Scripture tells us heard John the Baptist gladly, and desired to meet Jesus to experience an interesting teaching or miracle. Herod seems to me to be that kind of person whom the Holy Spirit has stirred up, who is to some extent a seeker after God, but who is neither ready nor willing to make a commitment or act on what he is being told. Herod Antipas, it seems to me, has not reached that point where he understands what a wicked sinner he is and how great his need for a savior is.

 We serve a God who desires to be in in a close, intimate relationship with us. He is our creator, the God who loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, whom He loved, to die for us on the cross that our sins could be paid for and that we could be called adopted sons and daughters of God. The Lord draws us to Himself and to His Son, and corrects us lovingly, but does not force us to draw near to Him. And when we stray far from Him, like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, He watches to see if we are returning to Him, and runs to meet us when we do.

Our God desires that we love Him wholeheartedly, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. It does not please Him when we are not committed to Him. In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus writes these words to the church at Laodicea, which He describes as lukewarm:

God desires that we would decide who is God, and serve that entity wholeheartedly. "No servant,” Scripture plainly tells us, “can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  Luke 16:13

But for us, let us not be the case that we are in anyway lukewarm about our God. May we not be torn between the love of the Lord and the love of the world. May we not allow the “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,”1 John 2:16-17 which are not of the Father but of the world, to cloud us judgment and influence our actions. May we not encounter the Son of the Living God and turn away, disinterested. May the words of God do more than tickle our ears; may we be doers of the word and not hears only. And may we, like Joshua, be willing to say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."