Luke 23:2, commentary and pictures

Luke 23:2 belongs to Jesus' Roman trial, where He stands bound as a prisoner before Pilate's judgment seat after the Sanhedrin has condemned Him and brought Him to the governor to have the sentence confirmed and carried out. It records three accusations against Him, that He stirred up the nation, that He forbade giving tribute to Caesar, and that He claimed to be Christ a King. The charges frame Him as a political criminal against Rome, a disturber of the peace and leader of rebellion whose alleged treason against the Roman government is made the crime for which He is executed. The political charges are false, for He had always been obedient to the reigning power, had taught to render to Caesar what is Caesar's, had paid tribute Himself, and had taught His disciples to do so. The priests press sedition and hide their real religious ground of blasphemy because Pilate would dismiss a religious dispute, using the political charge to alarm him and secure condemnation by the Romans. Yet as Roman magistrate Pilate is convinced there is no substantiated evidence of guilt, does not believe the witnesses, and finds no fault in Him.

Trial Before Pilate

Luke 23:2 belongs to Jesus' Roman trial before He was taken to Calvary, where He stands bound as a prisoner before Pilate's judgment seat after the Sanhedrin has condemned Him and brought Him to the governor to have the sentence confirmed, legally condemned, and carried out. The whole Jewish multitude brings Him there, with a gathering crowd and spectators surrounding Him on every side while the judge looks on Him with suspicion and severity, and the Jewish officials who seek His execution will not enter the judgment hall for fear of ceremonial defilement before Passover. Their testimony against Him contradicts itself and is valueless, without substantiated evidence of guilt. The verse records three accusations: that He perverted or stirred up the nation and the people, that He forbade giving tribute to Caesar, and that He said He Himself is Christ, a King of the Jews.

The accusations frame Him as a political criminal against Rome and Caesar — a disturber of the peace, a leader of rebellion and sedition who turned the nation and the people against Rome — and present treason against the Roman government as the alleged crime for which He was executed. The charge that He had set Himself up against Caesar and claimed to be a king portrays Him as seeking a rival kingdom and subverting Roman authority. The charges are pressed by the whole Jewish multitude with the priests and rulers, including Annas and Caiaphas and the Pharisees. They are brought while the members of the Sanhedrin council are being called together, as Jesus is questioned to provoke Him to make some statement they could use to His disadvantage, continuing their earlier efforts to turn Roman authority against Him by portraying Him as seeking a rival kingdom and subverting Roman authority although His works were acts of mercy and His teachings were pure.

The trial is the setting in which the crowd that had hailed Him as king turns against Him to condemn Him. That fickleness does not surprise the disciples because He had prepared them for the rejection and humiliation He would face.

False Charges to Condemn

The political charges were false, for He had always been obedient to the reigning power and had plainly approved paying what was due. When trapped over tribute He had answered by teaching to render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, He had paid tribute Himself, and He had taught His disciples to do so, so the claim that He forbade tribute to Caesar was a pretext and not a true account of His teaching, conduct, works of mercy, and pure teachings. His works were acts of mercy and His teachings were pure, contradicting the effort to portray Him as seeking a rival kingdom and subverting Roman authority.

The accusers knew the charges were false yet pressed them from hypocrisy and deep plotting and cunning artifice to get rid of Him, willing to perjure themselves and speak falsehoods. They acted from envy under Satan's inspiration with murderous determination to destroy life rather than save it. They even added that the world was gone after Him and that all men would believe in Him if He were permitted to live.

The priests hid their real religious ground of blasphemy, including that He made Himself equal with God, because Pilate would dismiss it as religious bigotry and priestly jealousy or as a religious dispute. Instead they charged sedition to alarm Pilate and excite his fear, since charges of religious offense would not secure his condemnation. The political charge of disturbing the peace and leading rebellion was meant to secure condemnation by the Roman authorities, while the companion charge of blasphemy was meant to secure condemnation among the Jews, and by one or the other they meant to effect His condemnation. That strategy was pursued by Annas and Caiaphas while the members of the Sanhedrin council were being called together, as they questioned Jesus to provoke some statement they could use to His disadvantage.

To gain their end the accusers took a deceptive position, trying to make it appear that the Jews admitted Caesar's supremacy and professing to be his most devoted subjects, while they were in fact the greatest opponents of Roman power who hated his rule and supremacy, having no conscience and no pure principles. The charge was so wholly at variance with His appearance that it contradicted His conduct.

The charges were without substantiated evidence of guilt, and Pilate as Roman magistrate was convinced of this. He did not believe their words and was not persuaded by the witnesses, but found no fault in Him and pronounced Him innocent. Yet the rulers presented the charges to make Him appear politically seditious and used the charge of perverting the people to demand His death. They forced the Roman governor to carry out their will against Him, even threatening Him with the vengeance of Roman law if he released Him.

Treason against the Roman government was the alleged crime for which He was executed. Persons put to death for this offense were taken down by common Roman soldiers and consigned to a burial ground reserved exclusively for that class of criminals who had suffered the extreme penalty of the law. His standing before Roman authority when Jewish priests and rulers opposed Him shows that faith in God can remain steadfast when opposed by powerful human authorities.