The Innocent King on Trial — Luke 23:1–12

¹The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.

²They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

³Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “So you say.”

⁴Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

⁵But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”

⁶But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

⁷When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

⁸Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him.

⁹He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers.

¹⁰The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.

¹¹Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.

¹²Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.

¹³Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

¹⁴and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and behold, having examined him before you, I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

¹⁵Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.

¹⁶I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

¹⁷Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast.

¹⁸But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”—

¹⁹one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.

²⁰Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus,

²¹but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

²²He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

²³But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.

²⁴Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done.

²⁵He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.

²⁶When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry it after Jesus.

²⁷A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.

²⁸But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

²⁹For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’

³⁰Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’

³¹For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”

³²There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.

³³When they came to the place that is called “The Skull”, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

³⁴Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

³⁵The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”

³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

³⁸An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

³⁹One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”

⁴⁰But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

⁴²He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

⁴³Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.

⁴⁵The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

⁴⁶Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.

⁴⁷When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.”

⁴⁸All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their chests.

⁴⁹All his acquaintances and the women who followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.

⁵⁰Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man

⁵¹(he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for God’s Kingdom.

⁵²This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body.

⁵³He took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.

⁵⁴It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.

⁵⁵The women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.

⁵⁶They returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.