Luke 23

File:Minuscule caroline.jpg

The original text was written in Koine Greek. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

• Papyrus 75 (AD 175–225)
• Codex Vaticanus (325–350)
• Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
• Codex Bezae ({{Circa|400}})
• Codex Washingtonianus ({{Circa|400}})
• Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
• Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450; extant verses 26–56).

This chapter is divided into 56 verses.

• {{bibleverse|Luke|23:34|KJV}}: Psalm {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|22:18|KJV}}{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1901|page=838}}
• {{bibleverse|Luke|23:36|KJV}}: Psalm {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|69:21|KJV}}{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1901|page=839}}
• {{bibleverse|Luke|23:46|KJV}}: Psalm {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|31:5|KJV}}a{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1901|page=838}}
• {{bibleverse|Luke|23:49|KJV}}: Psalm {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|38:11|KJV}}a;{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1901|page=838}} Psalm {{bibleverse-nb|Psalm|88:8|KJV}}{{sfn|Kirkpatrick|1901|page=839}}

• {{bibleref2|Luke|23:1-5,13-25|KJV}}: {{bibleref2|Matthew|27:1-2,11-26|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|Mark|15:1-15|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|John|18:28-19:16|KJV}}
• {{bibleref2|Luke|23:26,33-43|KJV}}: {{bibleref2|Matthew|27:32-44|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|Mark|15:20-32|KJV}};{{bibleref2|John|19:17-24|KJV}}
• {{bibleref2|Luke|23:44-49|KJV}}: {{bibleref2|Matthew|27:45-56|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|Mark|15:33-41|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|John|19:28-30|KJV}}
• {{bibleref2|Luke|23:50-56|KJV}}: {{bibleref2|Matthew|27:57-61|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|Mark|15:42-47|KJV}}; {{bibleref2|John|19:38-42|KJV}}

:And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:1|KJV}}: KJV, also in the New King James Version

"The whole multitude of them" ({{langx|el|ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος}}, hapan to plēthos) may also be translated as "the whole assembly",{{bibleverse|Luke|23:1|NABRE}}: New American Bible Revised Edition or "the whole Council".{{bibleverse|Luke|23:1|VOICE}}: The Voice Luke uses τὸ πλῆθος (rather than το ὄχλος, to ochlos) to signify a multitude in number.Farrar, F. W. (1891), [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/luke/23.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Luke 23, accessed 10 February 2022 They led Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the provincial governor (prefect) of Judaea.

Irish archbishop John McEvilly notes that Luke provides more specific details of the charges against Jesus than either Matthew or Mark, who refer to "many charges" brought against him.McEvilly, J., [https://www.ecatholic2000.com/macevilly2/untitled-35.shtml An Exposition Of The Gospels by The Most Rev. John Macevilly D.D.] on Matthew 27, accessed 4 November 2023 There are three specific charges:

:We found this man subverting our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a King.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:2|HCSB}}: Holman Christian Standard Bible

McEvilly refers to a fourth charge mentioned in Pilate's letter to Tiberius, "that He practised magic, in virtue of which, He performed some miraculous wonders". For F. W. Farrar, the first charge, translated in the King James Version as perverting the nation,{{bibleverse|Luke|23:2|KJV}}: KJV "had the advantage of being perfectly vague".

{{See also|Jesus, King of the Jews}}

File:Munkacsy - Christ in front of Pilate.jpg, 1881]]

: Then Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

: He answered, "You say so". (NRSV){{bibleverse||Luke|23:3|NRSV}}: New Revised Standard Version

Cross reference: Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; John 18:37

Textus Receptus/Majority Text:

: ὁ δὲ Πιλάτος ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτόν, λέγων, Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων;

: ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ ἔφη, Σὺ λέγεις.

Transliteration:

: Ho de Pilatos epērōtēsen auton, legōn, "Su ei ho basileus tōn Ioudaiōn?":

: Ho de apokritheis autō ephē, "Su legeis."

Biblia Sacra Vulgata:

: Pilatus autem interrogavit eum dicens tu es rex Iudaeorum

: at ille respondens ait tu dicis.

The style of response is the same as in Luke 22:70,{{cn|date=November 2023}} where Jesus answers the Sanhedrin's question, "Are you the Son of God?"

:But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”{{bibleverse||Luke|23:5|NKJV}}: NKJV

Traditionally, "throughout all Judea" has been rendered as "throughout all Jewry".{{bibleverse||Luke|23:5|KJV}}: King James Version Farrar suggests that these words imply a "Judean ministry" which the synoptic gospels do not narrate, as the only journey of Jesus in Judea which is recorded is that from Jericho to Jerusalem, and William Robertson Nicoll also suggests that there might have been "more work done by Jesus in the south than is recorded in the Synoptists", although he counsels against basing any picture of Jesus' ministry on the inadequate testimony of his accusers. On the other hand, Judea has "sometimes been the name of the whole land, including apparently parts beyond the Jordan", see Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, XII, 4.11,Riggs, S. J. (1894), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3135423 Studies in Palestinian Geography], Auburn Theological Seminary, accessed 11 February 2022 which term would therefore include the area of Perea east of the Jordan River. Matthew, Mark and John all refer to Jesus' stay in Perea, and Lucan scholars generally assume that the route Jesus followed from Galilee to Jerusalem passed through this region.Mercer Dictionary of the Bible by Watson E. Mills, Roger Aubrey Bullard 1998, {{ISBN|0-86554-373-9}}, p. 929 The reference to Jesus' ministry "beginning from Galilee" relates back to Luke 4:14, where Jesus begins to teach in the synagogues there.

{{also|Herod Antipas#Jesus' ministry and trial}}

According to a passage which is unique to Luke's Gospel, responsibility for the interrogation of Jesus is transferred from Pilate to Herod Antipas. The editors of the Jerusalem Bible suggest that Luke may have obtained this information from Manaen, who according to Acts 13:1, "had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch".Jerusalem Bible (1966), footnote b at Luke 23:8

Herod finds no fault with Jesus (verse 15) and returns him to Pilate's jurisdiction.

:[Pilate] said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him."{{bibleverse||Luke|23:14|NKJV}}: NKJV

Luke's version of the trial scene "emphasizes Pilate's reluctance to act against Jesus".Franklin, E., 59. Luke in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), [https://b-ok.org/dl/946961/8f5f43 The Oxford Bible Commentary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122193211/http://b-ok.org/dl/946961/8f5f43 |date=2017-11-22 }}, p. 956-7

:Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."{{bibleverse||Luke|23:22|NKJV}}: NKJV

This "third time" of declaring Jesus' innocence follows the previous declarations in verses 4 and 14–15.

: So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.{{bibleverse||Luke|23:24|NKJV}}: NKJV

This verse reads ο δε πιλατος επεκρινεν γενεσθαι το αιτημα αυτων in the Textus Receptus, matching the opening words of {{bibleverse||Mark|15:15|NKJV}}, ο δε πιλατος ("so Pilate ..."), but the sentence begins καὶ Πιλᾶτος ... ("and Pilate ...") in critical texts such as Westcott-Hort.Meyer, H. A. W., [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/meyer/luke/23.htm Meyer's NT Commentary] on Luke 23, accessed 23 August 2020 Pilate's "official decision" {{bibleverse|Luke|23:24|PHILLIPS}}: J. B. Phillips' translation was to comply with the request of the crowd. The word ἐπέκρινεν (epekrinen, "pronounced sentence") is specific to Luke,[https://biblehub.com/greek/epekrinen_1948.htm Englishman's Concordance: ἐπέκρινεν], accessed 23 August 2020 although it also appears in the apocryphal {{bibleverse|2|Maccabees|4:47|NABRE}}, where innocent men are condemned to death.{{bibleverse|2|Maccabees|4:47|NABRE}}: New American Bible, Revised Edition

:And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.{{bibleverse||Luke|23:27|KJV}}: KJV

Matthew's parallel passage, Matthew 27:34, notes that on his arrival at the place of his crucifixion, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall to drink.{{bibleverse|Matthew|27-33-34|ESV}}: English Standard Version (ESV) Luke does not include this, a reference to Proverbs 31:6–7, Give strong drink to him that is perishing ..., but his reference to women in attendance en route may include their role in fulfilling this observance. Lutheran writer Johann Bengel suggests that the "bewailing" denotes their gestures and the "lamenting" reflects their vocal tones.Bengel, J. A., [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/bengel/luke/23.htm Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament] on Luke 23, accessed 6 November 2023

:"For behold, the days are coming in which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts which never gave suck.'"{{bibleverse||Luke|23:29|KJ21}}: 21st Century King James Version

The prophet Hosea spoke in similar language, when recognising that the disobedience of the Israelites required God's punishment, but calling for some mitigation:

:Give them, O Lord —

:what will you give?

:Give them a miscarrying womb

:and dry breasts.{{bibleverse||Hosea|9:14|ESV}}: ESV

:"For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"{{bibleverse|Luke|23:31|ESV}}: ESV

The green wood represents those who are innocent (referring to Jesus' condemnation to death), while the dry wood represents "the truly guilty".Jerusalem Bible (1966), footnote h at Luke 23:31

File:SVouet.jpg; Church of Jesus, Genoa, Italy]]

File:Codex Bezae - Latin Luke 23-47-24-1 (The S.S. Teacher's Edition-The Holy Bible - Plate XXVI).jpg (Cambridge University Library MS. Nn.2.41; AD ~400)]]

One of the two thieves who die with Jesus reviles him, the other is saved by faith.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:1|GNV}}: Geneva Bible, summary of chapter 23

:Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:44|NKJV}}

Like {{bibleverse|Mark|15:33-34|NKJV}}, Luke records three hours of darkness, which signify "the awesomeness of what is taking place".

:And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:46|NKJV}}

Jesus' crying "with a loud voice" is not, as in {{bibleverse|Mark|15:34|NRSV}}, one of desolation (why have you forsaken me?), but of "secure confidence". Jesus quotes {{bibleverse|Psalm|31:5|NKJV}}, rather than {{bibleverse|Psalm|22:1|NKJV}} which appears in Mark's gospel.

:And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:48|NKJV}} NKJV

Nicoll understands the phrase "the things that had happened" ({{langx|el|τὰ γενόμενα}}, tà genómena) "comprehensively, including the crucifixion and all its accompaniments".Nicoll, W. R., [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/egt/luke/23.htm Expositor's Greek Testament] on Luke 23: The Passion Continued, accessed 13 February 2022 Albert Barnes refers to "the earthquake, the darkness, and the sufferings of Jesus" as the "things which were done".Barnes, A., [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/luke/23.htm Barnes' Notes on the Bible] on Luke 23, accessed 13 February 2022 The earthquake is only recorded in Matthew's Gospel, but the third century historian Sextus Julius Africanus also refers to an earthquake on or around the day of the crucifixion.Wikipedia Foundation, Crucifixion of Jesus, accessed 13 February 2022

:And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.{{bibleverse|Luke|23:49|KJV}} KJV

"The women" that followed Jesus from Galilee (also in Luke 23:55) were "Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them" according to Luke 24:10.{{sfn|Bauckham|2017|pp=49, 131}} Matthew 27:55 lists "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee", whereas Mark 15:40 names "Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the little and Joses, and Salome".{{sfn|Bauckham|2017|p=49}}

:And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.{{bibleref2|Luke|23:55|NKJV}} NKJV

According to Luke 24:10, "the women" (also in Luke 23:49) were "Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them".{{sfn|Bauckham|2017|pp=49, 131}} Matthew 27:61 lists "Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary", whereas Mark 15:47 names "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses".{{sfn|Bauckham|2017|p=49}}

• Burial of Jesus
• Crucifixion of Jesus
• Holy Week
• Jerusalem
• Ministry of Jesus
• Pontius Pilate
• Stephaton
• Related Bible parts: Psalm 22, Psalm 69, Jeremiah 15, Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 24, John 18, John 19

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book| last=Bauckham| first= Richard | authorlink= Richard Bauckham |title =Jesus and the Eyewitnesses | edition = 2nd | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing | year = 2017 | isbn = 9780802874313 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=J2lAvgAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last= Kirkpatrick| first= A. F. |authorlink=Alexander Kirkpatrick| title= The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes |series=The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges | volume = Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL | place = Cambridge |publisher= At the University Press | year = 1901| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=SLJzlHElr6cC | access-date= February 28, 2019}}

• {{bibleverse|Luke|23|KJV}} King James Bible - Wikisource
• [http://www.latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=1&b=3&c=23 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617131609/http://latinvulgate.com/lv/verse.aspx?t=1&b=3&c=23 |date=2019-06-17 }}
• [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=Luke+23 Online Bible at GospelHall.org] (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=23 Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway] (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)

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