NOTES for Luk 23:1-34
1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. |
2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. |
3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. |
4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. |
5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. |
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. |
7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. |
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. |
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. |
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. |
11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. |
12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. |
13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, |
14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: |
15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. |
16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. |
17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) |
18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: |
19 (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) |
20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. |
21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. |
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. |
23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. |
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. |
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. |
26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. |
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. |
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. |
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. |
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. |
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? |
32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. |
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. |
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. |
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Still, did the authorities, religious and secular, understand even a little who they were dealing with when it came to Jesus? Sometimes one cannot help thinking that if they did not know exactly, then at least they had some vague sense of something. If He was a prophet, He was an unusual, strange prophet; if a teacher, then some completely "nontraditional" one. Herod wants miracles from Him, but he has no intention of making a decision about His further fate and does not want to take on the responsibility that the procurator is trying to shift onto him. So he sends the prisoner back. Pilate has no need of an extra headache at all. Deep down he understands that whatever decision he makes, everything will turn out badly and to his disadvantage. And fear, some half-conscious fear, is felt in his heart all the time. It would be better, of course, to release Him under some plausible pretext. The feast is conveniently at hand; this would be the moment to free Him and slow the case down... Ah, the people do not want that? Well, all the better: let us meet the people halfway; after all, He declared Himself their King... That is how earthly power thrashed about before the face of the One who brought the Kingdom into the world. He gets in the way; it would be good to get rid of Him, but best of all would be if He somehow disappeared on His own, as if He had never existed. Then everything would again become, if not good, at least normal, as before. As for execution, execution is not difficult, of course; He is not the first and not the last. But somewhere almost on the edge of consciousness there glimmers an understanding that execution is not a way out, that something will happen, that the matter will not simply end like this, however much one guards the tomb. And still, there seems to be no way out. Execute, do not pardon. The comma has been placed.
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Readings for 27 February 2025
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