Luke 23:1–25

Pilate Tries Christ

Matt. 27:2, 11–14; Mark 15:1–5; John 18:28–38

23Then ^athe whole multitude of them arose and led Him to ^bPilate. ²And they began to ^caccuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow ^dperverting ¹the nation, and ^eforbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying ^fthat He Himself is Christ, a King.”

^3gThen Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”

⁴So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, ^h“I find no fault in this Man.”

⁵But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from ⁱGalilee to this place.”

⁶When Pilate heard ²of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. ⁷And as soon as he knew that He belonged to ^jHerod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Herod Tries Christ

⁸Now when Herod saw Jesus, ^khe was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because ^lhe had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him ^mnothing. ¹⁰And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. ¹¹ⁿThen Herod, with his ³men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹²That very day ^oPilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

Pilate Tries Christ Again

Matt. 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15; John 18:39–19:16

^13pThen Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴said to them, ^q“You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, ^rhaving examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; ¹⁵no, neither did Herod, for ⁴I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. ^16sI will therefore chastise Him and release Him” ^17t(for ⁵it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

¹⁸And ^uthey all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”—¹⁹who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.

²⁰Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. ²¹But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

²²Then 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.”

²³But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men ⁶and of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴So ^vPilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. ^25wAnd he released ⁷to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.