HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1318
LU KE 2 3
answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man will
be seated in the place of power at God’s right
hand.*”
70 They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to
be the Son of God?”
And he replied, “You say that I am.”
71 “Why do we need other witnesses?” they
said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
Jesus’ Trial before Pilate
Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. 2 They began
to state their case: “This man has been leading
our people astray by telling them not to pay
their taxes to the Roman government and by
claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of
the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and to
the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with
this man!”
5 Then they became insistent. “But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all
over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked. 7 When
they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s
23
• Courage
LU KE 2 3 :1 3 -2 5
Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the
crowd demanded his death, so Pilate
sentenced Jesus to die. No doubt Pilate
did not want to risk losing his position,
which may already have been shaky, by
allowing a riot to occur in his province.
As a career politician, he knew the art of
compromise, and he saw Jesus more as
a political threat than as a human being
with rights and dignity.
When the stakes are high, it is difficult
to stand up for what is right, and it is
easy to see our opponents as problems
to be solved rather than as people to be
respected. Had Pilate been a man of real
courage, he would have released Jesus
no matter what the consequences. But
the crowd roared, and Pilate buckled.
When you have a difficult decision to
make, don’t underestimate the effects of
peer pressure. Realize beforehand that
the right decision could have unpleasant
consequences: social rejection, career
derailment, public ridicule. But when you
are tempted to lose your courage and
sway before the crowd, remember Pilate.
page 948
jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to
see Jesus, because he had heard about him and
had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after
question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of
religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began
mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put
a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.
12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)
13 Then Pilate called together the leading
priests and other religious leaders, along with
the people, 14 and he announced his verdict.
“You brought this man to me, accusing him
of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find
him innocent. 15 Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man
has done calls for the death penalty. 16 So I will
have him flogged, and then I will release him.”*
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd,
and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him,
and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in
prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)
20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted
to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why?
What crime has he committed? I have found no
reason to sentence him to death. So I will have
him flogged, and then I will release him.”
23 But the mob shouted louder and louder,
demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their
voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to
die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested,
he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over
to them to do as they wished.
The Crucifixion
26 As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon,
who was from Cyrene,* happened to be coming
in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him
and put the cross on him and made him carry it
behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. 28 But Jesus
turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves
and for your children. 29 For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are
the women who are childless, the wombs that
have not borne a child and the breasts that have
never nursed.’ 30 People will beg the mountains,
22:69 See Ps 110:1. 23:16 Some manuscripts add verse 17,
Now it was necessary for him to release one prisoner to them
during the Passover celebration. Compare Matt 27:15; Mark 15:6;
John 18:39. 23:26 Cyrene was a city in northern Africa.