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Luke, CHAPTER 23 USCCB
Luke, CHAPTER 23 USCCB
Luke
' Chapter 23 (
INTRODUCTION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24
*
1 Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before
Pilate.
2 They brought charges against him, saying, “We found this man
misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar
and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king.”b
3 Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in
reply, “You say so.”c
4 Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, “I Und this
man not guilty.”
5 But they were adamant and said, “He is inciting the people with his
teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to
here.”d
*
6 On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean;
8 Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him
for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to
see him perform some sign.f
12 Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had
been enemies formerly.
13 Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people
14 and said to them, “You brought this man to me and accused him of
inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in
your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you
have brought against him,j
15 nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has
been committed by him.
k
16 Therefore I shall have him nogged and then release him.”
*
[17]
18 But all together they shouted out, “Away with this man! Release
Barabbas to us.”
19 (Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken
place in the city and for murder.)
22 Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I
found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him
nogged and then release him.”
25 So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and
murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to
deal with as they wished.
m
26 As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a
Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the
cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus.
n
28 Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not
weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children,
29 for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are
the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never
nursed.’
30 At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to
the hills, ‘Cover us!’o
31 for if these things are done when the wood is green what will
happen when it is dry?”
32 Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be
executed.
The CruciCxion.
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they cruciUed him and
the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.q
34 [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they
do.”]* They divided his garments by casting lots.r
37 they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”
38 Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the
Jews.”
*
39 Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are
you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
40 The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of
God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
*
44 It was now about noonz and darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon
45 because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was
torn down the middle.a
46 Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend
my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.b
47 The centurion who witnessed what had happened gloriUed God and
said, “This man was innocent* beyond doubt.”
48 When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what
had happened, they returned home beating their breasts;c
50 Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who,
though he was a member of the council,
51 had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish
town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God.f
53 After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and
laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried.g
54 It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin.
55 The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind,
and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body
was laid in it,h
56 they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they
rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.i
* [23:1–5, 13–25] Twice Jesus is brought before Pilate in Luke’s account, and each
time Pilate explicitly declares Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing (Lk 23:4, 14, 22).
This stress on the innocence of Jesus before the Roman authorities is also
characteristic of John’s gospel (Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6). Luke presents the Jerusalem
Jewish leaders as the ones who force the hand of the Roman authorities (Lk
23:1–2, 5, 10, 13, 18, 21, 23–25).
* [23:6–12] The appearance of Jesus before Herod is found only in this gospel.
Herod has been an important Ugure in Luke (Lk 9:7–9; 13:31–33) and has been
presented as someone who has been curious about Jesus for a long time. His
curiosity goes unrewarded. It is faith in Jesus, not curiosity, that is rewarded (Lk
7:50; 8:48, 50; 17:19).
* [23:17] This verse, “He was obliged to release one prisoner for them at the
festival,” is not part of the original text of Luke. It is an explanatory gloss from Mk
15:6 (also Mt 27:15) and is not found in many early and important Greek
manuscripts. On its historical background, see notes on Mt 27:15–26.
* [23:26–32] An important Lucan theme throughout the gospel has been the need
for the Christian disciple to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Here this theme
comes to the fore with the story of Simon of Cyrene who takes up the cross and
follows Jesus (see Lk 9:23; 14:27) and with the large crowd who likewise follow
Jesus on the way of the cross. See also note on Mk 15:21.
* [23:34] [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”]:
this portion of Lk 23:34 does not occur in the oldest papyrus manuscript of Luke
and in other early Greek manuscripts and ancient versions of wide geographical
distribution.
* [23:39–43] This episode is recounted only in this gospel. The penitent sinner
receives salvation through the cruciUed Jesus. Jesus’ words to the penitent thief
reveal Luke’s understanding that the destiny of the Christian is “to be with Jesus.”
* [23:44] Noon…three in the afternoon: literally, the sixth and ninth hours. See note
on Mk 15:25.
* [23:47] This man was innocent: or, “This man was righteous.”
a. [23:1–5] Mt 27:1–2, 11–14; Mk 15:1–5; Jn 18:28–38.
g. [23:9] Mk 15:5.
s. [23:35–36] Ps 22:8–9.
t. [23:35] 4:23.
z. [23:44–45] Am 8:9.
' Chapter 23 (
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