Condemning The Innocent
Luke 23:1-25
January 3, 2021
This morning we come to the civil trial of Jesus.
As know, at this point, He has already been through 3 illegal and bogus trials before the Sanhedrin.
• Before Annas (John 18:19-24)
• Before Caiaphas at his house (Matthew 26:59-68)
• Before Sanhedrin (Luke 22:63-71)
All of them were corrupt and illegal, and they all had different motives behind them.
• Annas wanted to flex his muscle and show Jesus who was really in charge.
• Caiaphas just wanted Jesus condemned and to get their story straight.
• The Sanhedrin just wanted to put on a show for the general public.
Well now all that has been accomplished and there is one more phase to their plot and that is to take Jesus to Pilate.
There is a reason for this as well.
John 18:31 “So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,”
The Jews wanted Pilate to kill Jesus.
INCIDENTALLY, this is another areas where the sovereignty of God shows up.
It sounds like the Jews had no power whatsoever to enact a sentence of death on someone, but that isn’t exactly true.
• After all, was His hometown not about to throw Him off a cliff?
• Where they not about to stone the woman caught in adultery?
• Will they not violently stone Stephen in a few months?
Even Paul would later testify about his evil deeds:
Acts 26:10 “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.”
Point is, the Jews put plenty of people to death.
The real issue is that they don’t want to do it during the Passover,
But MORE THAN THAT is the sovereignty of God
Who already ordained the method of Christ’s death.
Before crucifixion had ever even been invented, David wrote:
Psalms 22:16 “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.”
Jesus had already said:
John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
The plan was always for a crucifixion.
And for that Pilate would be needed.
So you see God still in charge through the entire process.
But none the less this morning we come to this civil trial,
And I will tell you that there are SO MANY ANGLES
That we can approach this from.
You can approach it from Matthew’s gospel
• Where the awful reality becomes visible that the people actually say, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
• Matthew of course focusing on the far reaching consequence of rejecting Christ.
You can read it from Mark’s gospel
• Where you can see the great influence of the crowd.
• Mark’s gospel really shows how the mob intervened to kill Jesus.
• It wasn’t just Pilate, it wasn’t just the leaders, it was everyone who rejected Christ.
John’s gospel
• Gives us more of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate than any other account.
• John really shows us the burden on Pilate and the dilemma he faced standing before the Son of God.
But, as you know, we are in Luke’s gospel and we want to stay true,
Not only to his narrative but to his purposes.
There are many things the other gospel accounts include here that Luke does not.
• Matthew mentions how Judas felt remorse and returned the money, Luke
does not.
• Matthew mentions how Pilate’s wife warned him to stay away from Jesus,
Luke does not.
• Matthew mentions how Pilate washed his hands, Luke does not.
• John mentions several conversations between Jesus and Pilate that Luke
omits.
Conversely, only Luke tells us that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.
Now certainly we want to see the entire picture,
But we also want to make sure and
Grasp Luke’s point in including this story.
Well, fortunately, Luke’s point is really easy to spot.
In fact, Luke just circles it and circles it like a buzzard in the sky.
It jumps off the page at us when we read the narrative.
What is Luke’s main point?
JESUS WAS INNOCENT
He actually states if 4 times in the text.
Luke even has a genius way of demonstrating that,
In that he uses two notorious and hardened pagan leaders to declare it.
• Two men who could have cared less,
• And who had nothing to gain by saying it,
• Both proclaim that Jesus did not deserve to die.
That is Luke’s point.
It ties right back to what he has been saying since the upper room
That Jesus has been “NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS”.
Well let’s work our way through the text,
And then we can also make some application for our lives as well.
So let’s talk about the innocence of Jesus
#1 PILATE DECLARED IT
Luke 23:1-4
• Well, here we are, the Jewish trials are over
• Now they have come to Pilate so that they can get Jesus crucified.
Even though we are following Luke’s gospel,
I do want you to see the whole picture.
Before Luke’s narrative takes place what first happened is recorded by John.
John 18:28-32 “Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. Therefore Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you.” So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death,” to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was about to die.”
• They bring Jesus to Pilate,
• The Jews won’t enter the Praetorium because they don’t want to be unclean and miss the Passover.
• Pilate comes out and asks what the charges are.
• They are a little caught off guard and basically say, “Just trust us, if we brought Him here then you can be for certain He is guilty.”
• Pilate doesn’t want to be manipulated so he turns them down.
It would be at this point that Luke’s narrative would pick up.
(2) “And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
All of those accusations are false.
• Jesus never mislead anyone, He only spoke truth.
• Jesus actually taught the opposite regarding paying taxes; He encouraged it.
• Jesus never declared Himself as a King that threatened Rome.
Furthermore we would note that NONE OF THOSE CHARGES
Where the reason they just condemned Him before the Sanhedrin;
Which was blasphemy.
But none the less, they make some accusations against Jesus
That would have been serious accusations to Pilate.
So, outside the Praetorium
Pilate sought to address the issue quickly and get it over with
By immediately turning to Jesus and asking if the charges were true.
(3) “So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”
Matthew’s gospel gives a little more insight into this PRELIMINARY OUTDOOR DEPOSITION.
Matthew 27:11-14 “Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.”
• Jesus did acknowledge being a King,
• But He would not comment on the other things and Pilate was amazed.
There would be no quick outdoor trial,
Pilate would have to investigate further.
Now at this point,
• Pilate would have taken Jesus into the Praetorium to interrogate while the Jews waited outside.
• This would allow Pilate to ask and Jesus to answer more freely.
John 18:33-38a “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”
• So Jesus corrects Pilate regarding His purpose as King and for the first time confronts Pilate regarding the truth.
• But Pilate wants nothing to do with a conversation regarding truth.
• Instead, Pilate reaches a decision.
Pilate goes back outside to the chief priests:
(4) “Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”
AND THERE IS THE OFFICIAL VERDICT.
• I have heard your accusations.
• I have questioned Him extensively.
• Here is my verdict, “Not Guilty”
And this was Pilate, who I assure you, had no concern whatsoever
About incarcerating or crucifying insurrectionists.
If Jesus had been guilty, or even had He been adequately suspected, Pilate would have had absolutely no qualms killing Him.
The fact that Pilate rendered a verdict of “Not Guilty”
Is remarkable proof that He was in fact innocent.
But the Jews were not about to take that answer from him.
Pilate Declared It
#2 HEROD CONFIRMED IT
Luke 23:5-19
So after coming back out and declaring Jesus innocent
THE JEWS GO NUTS.
(5) “But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting form Galilee even as far as this place.”
• They immediately begin to shout their appeal
• They talk about the widespread influence of Jesus.
• They accuse Him of insurrection, not only in Judea but also in Galilee.
Now at this point, Pilate realizes that
There is someone else who can help in the investigation.
It just so happens that Herod was in town.
(6-7) “When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time.”
“Herod” here is Herod Antipas.
He is the son of Herod the Great who was the one who was alive at the birth of Jesus who killed all the Hebrew boys in Bethlehem.
• Herod Antipas is the Herod you read about the rest of the time in the gospels.
• He is the one who had the affair with his brother Philip’s wife,
• He was rebuked by John the Baptist and beheaded John as a result.
Herod intersects with Jesus two other times in Luke’s gospel.
Luke 9:7-9 “Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.”
Luke 13:31-33 “Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”
Herod had long since been interested in Jesus
But had never been able to get an audience.
But today that opportunity arose.
(7-11) “And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. 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. And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.”
What is obvious about the narrative is that
It is clear that Jesus under-whelmed Herod.
• Perhaps he was expecting Jesus to confront him like John had done…
• Perhaps he was expecting a mighty military leader or noble king…
• At the very least he was hoping to see something miraculous…
But Jesus had no interest in putting on a show before Herod.
WHAT DOES OCCUR HOWEVER IS THAT
The Jews try like crazy to get Herod to deliver a guilty verdict.
“the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.”
But Herod won’t do it.
Instead he settles simply for mocking Jesus as a paper king.
• He treats Him with contempt.
• He mocks Him.
• He dresses Him up.
• He has his fun and he sends him back to Pilate.
An interesting sub-point that Luke includes is that (12) “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”
The point is that it echoes that these men were in agreement.
It had never happened before, but today they found common ground.
Oddly enough they unified on the fact that Jesus was innocent.
So, after sending Jesus to Herod,
Pilate convenes the Jews together once again.
(13) “Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people,”
And interesting note is at this point,
• Before Pilate gets a chance to tell them that Herod agrees that Jesus is
innocent,
• Matthew records that Pilate gets an urgent message.
Matthew 27:19 “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”
No doubt Pilate is ready to put this whole Jesus trial behind him.
So this time Pilate FORCEFULLY & DEFINITIVELY renders his verdict.
(14-16) “and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. “Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”
You can hear Pilate’s tone and seriousness there.
• I told you, He’s not guilty.
• You argued so I sent Him to Herod.
• Herod agrees, He’s not guilty
• I’m not going to put Him to death.
But, if it will make you happy,
“I will punish Him” before I “release Him.”
Pilate sounds done with it doesn’t he?
• Jesus is innocent, it is obvious, let it go.
• Case closed.
And we even know that AT THIS POINT,
Pilate has another plan about how to release Jesus.
John 18:39-40 “But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?” So they cried out again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a robber.”
And that is what Luke reveals.
(17-19) “[Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]
But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.)”
It seemed like a good plan.
• Jesus was innocent.
• But for good measure I’ll go ahead and punish Him.
• And to sort of double down, I’ll make Him the prisoner I release at the feast.
But the crowd (as Mark reveals) won’t have it.
They’ve been stirred up by the chief priests.
They want Jesus killed.
AND IT HAS GOTTEN SO OUT OF HAND
That they actually ask for “Barabbas” to be released;
Who incidentally was exactly the sort of man Jesus was being accused of.
They wanted Jesus killed for inciting people,
But they want a known insurrectionist like Barabbas released.
It is all very hypocritical.
But you see now Luke’s point.
• Two tyrant rulers and both declare Jesus “not guilty”.
• Jesus is innocent.
Pilate Declared It, Herod Confirmed It
#3 THE CROWD REJECTED IT
Luke 23:20-25
• Twice now Pilate has declared Jesus innocent
• Herod has confirmed it.
• Pilate had the plan of releasing Jesus as their token prisoner
• They didn’t want to hear it.
So Pilate actually begins to plead on behalf of Jesus.
(20-23) “Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”
Now we’ve got trouble.
• Pilate knows Jesus is innocent.
• Pilate’s wife has already warned him not to mess with Jesus.
• We have a mob forming, and Pilate is losing control.
Pilate has one more plan to try and get Jesus released.
If he can flog Jesus severely enough,
Maybe it will appease this blood-thirsty crowd.
And that is what he does.
John 19:1-7 “Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and put a purple robe on Him; and they began to come up to Him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him slaps in the face. 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.” Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!” 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.” 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.”
Well the flogging didn’t work.
Jesus bloodied and mocked Jesus but the crowd wants death,
(23) But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.”
LUKE DOESN’T MENTION IT
(but I want you to see the entire story)
AT THIS POINT PILATE GETS REALLY SCARED
John’s gospel tells us that Pilate would then take Jesus back inside again.
John 19:7-12 “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.” Therefore when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid; and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 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?” 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.” 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.”
Pilate is caught.
• He knows Jesus is innocent.
• He knows the crowd wants Him dead.
What is Pilate’s option?
• Condemn an innocent man to save face
• Confess this innocent man and be judged.
Make no mistake, Pilate cannot save Jesus from death.
That is the plan of God.
But at this moment Christ is asking Pilate
To in effect suffer with Him.
So Pilate goes back out again to the people
• He again tries to release Jesus,
• This time the crowd threatens Pilate. “If you release this Man, you are no
friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes
Caesar
And Pilate caved.
(24-25) “And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 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.”
John’s gospel reads:
John 19:13-16 “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. 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!” 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.” So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.”
Matthew records:
Matthew 27:24-26 “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”
As we said, we could easily talk here about the trial of Pilate.
Pilate, (like the Sanhedrin), was on trial before God and Pilate blew it.
He knew Jesus was innocent
But chose to crucify Him anyway to save His own skin.
And we certainly would remind everyone that when Jesus calls us,
THE CALL IS CLEAR.
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
• The call to follow Jesus is a call unto death.
• Death to self certainly.
• Death to body, possibly.
• It is a call to go against the grain of this world and confess the One the world
hates.
You may think Pilate’s circumstances are unique,
But this is the struggle every sinner faces when faced with Christ.
YOU MUST DEAL WITH HIM.
You must confess Him even when the world is howling against Him.
PILATE DID NOT.
Pilate KNEW Jesus was innocent and CHOSE to crucify Him anyway.
And People still do that today.
Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
• There are people today who are enlightened to the truth about Jesus.
• There are people today who know He is the sinless Son of God.
• There are people today who know He is the Savior.
But because there is shame and ridicule and persecution
They join the mob and “they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”
THAT IS WHAT PILATE DID.
That is what the crowd did as well.
• This crowd that just 4 days ago declared Jesus to be the Messiah.
• They were in the parade, they cried “Hosanna”
• This crowd that two days ago sat and listened to Him teach in the temple.
And here they are, despite the evidence choosing to crucify Christ.
Peter would later address them.
After Peter healed a man and the crowd was amazed, Peter said:
Acts 3:12-15 “But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”
You “disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you”
It was a heinous crime.
• Christ was innocent
• Christ was not guilty
• Christ was Holy
• Christ was Righteous
But you rejected Him anyway.
Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”
It is no small sin to know the truth about Christ and reject Him.
But this morning I hope you see that
LUKE WAS DRIVING HOME TO YOU ONE MAIN POINT.
Jesus Christ was innocent.
• He did not suffer because He sinned.
• He was not crucified because He offended God.
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
If He was a sinner then He could only pay for His own sins, not ours.
But He was innocent.
He was sinless.
He was suffering because He was identifying with us.
He had been “NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS”
Isaiah 53:3-8 “He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?”
• When He was condemned it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• When He was mocked it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• When He was crucified, it wasn’t for His sin, it was for ours.
• He was paying the penalty that you and I deserve.
We certainly seek to honor and glorify Him for that.
And this morning, I simply want to extend again
The invitation to any in this place
Who now stand face to face with Christ
And have not confessed Him.
Is there any doubt in your mind that Jesus is sinless?
Is there any doubt that He is innocent?
Is there any doubt that He is the Savior?
There should not be.
Even tyrant kings knew it.
The question then remains why you have not confessed Him?
The question then remains why you have not believed in Him?
See the Bible is clear on this.
• When you believe something in your heart,
• Then you confess it with your mouth.
Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Paul would even go on to say that
• The reason people don’t confess is because they don’t believe.
• And the reason they don’t believe is because they haven’t heard.
But you have heard.
You do know.
And this morning, you stand in the shoes of Pilate
Who was face to face with Jesus and knew what Jesus wanted,
And had to decide what to do with Him.
What about you?
What will you do with Jesus?
Will you confess Him and take up His reproach and shame or will you deny Him and hand Him over too?
Well, Luke has been clear.
• Is Jesus God? Yes, Jesus clearly declared it.
• Is Jesus the King? Yes, He told Pilate that too.
• Is Jesus sinless? Yes, everyone knows it.
What will you do with Him?
