Read or listen The Gospel of Luke, chapter 23 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

The Gospels, especially Mark's, have been described as "suffering histories with a long introduction". The suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus are the most central thing of the Christian faith, that's why the evangelists also tell these events in detail and precision.

The four evangelists tell the events in a consistent manner, although each has some unique features in their narrative. Luke tells many events more briefly than Mark, who wrote first, but on the other hand he also tells about something that Mark does not tell about.

In front of Pilate - Luke 23:1-5

Pontius Pilate served as governor of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 26 to 36 AD. He lived in Caesarea, on the Mediterranean coast, but during major festivals he went to Jerusalem to administer justice and lead troops in case of unrest.

The Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo and the Jewish historian Josephus give a very negative picture of Pilate; he was a cruel ruler (compare also Luke 13:1: "...who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices"). The Jews hated Pilate, as they did all representatives of Roman power, but now they had to forget their hatred in order to have Jesus condemned.

Although the situation was as unfavorable as possible for Jesus, Pilate did not directly condemn Jesus to death, but began to doubt. It was strange that the Jews themselves brought their own leader of the rebellion to be judged.

The Sanhedrin brought three charges against Jesus:
1. He had caused a general disturbance.
2. He had forbidden the people to pay taxes (compare Luke 20:25).
3. He claimed to be a king.

Jesus answered Pilate that he was indeed a king, but not in the sense that the governor meant (see John 18:33-37). Pilate declared Jesus innocent to the chief priests and the crowd (verse 4). But it raised a storm of objections, which Pilate tried to overcome by referring the matter to Herod Antipas.

Before Herod Antipas – Luke 23:6-12

Only Luke also mentions Herod Antipas interrogating Jesus. Herod was in Jerusalem for diplomatic reasons – he wanted to show off his piety – but in reality he was not a Jew, but an Idumean/Edomite.

Jesus remained silent before Herod. Herod had already heard, among others, from John the Baptist, the testimony about Jesus, and miracles would not turn his head (compare Luke 9:9). In revenge for Jesus' silence, Herod made Jesus a mock king. At the same time, however, he declared Jesus innocent: Jesus was not seeking worldly power.

Herod had spied on Pilate to send some unpleasant information to Rome. Because of this, Pilate bore a grudge against Herod, but Luke tells us that Jesus united these two enemies (verse 12).

Gabbatha - Luke 23:13-25

Jesus was returned to Pilate for judgment at Gabbatha, Lithostroton (John 19:13: "So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic: Gabbatha").

Although Pilate stated that even Herod found no reason for the death sentence, he intended to flog Jesus as a warning and to calm the people (verse 16). But this was a mistake, for it showed the people that Pilate was willing to bow to pressure and not carry out justice.

Verse 17 is omitted from the ESV Bible because it is not in the earliest manuscripts. For example, the International Standard Bible has verse 17: "Now he was obligated to release someone (prisoner) for them at the festival."

Pilate finally condemned Jesus to the cross, although he once again found him innocent (verse 22). The crucifixion was seen by the Jews as a sign that Jesus was rejected and condemned by God (Deut 21:23, Gal 3:13, Isa 53:4).

Instead of Jesus, the crowd demanded the release of a real rebel and enemy of Rome, Barabbas. This showed how artificial the accusation against Jesus really was. Barabbas symbolizes every Christian: I was released because Jesus suffered on my behalf.

There has been much speculation about where Jesus’ supporters were when Jesus was judged. The Galileans were staying outside the city walls, so it is possible that they were not in the crowd. And even if they had been, would they have dared to defend Jesus in that situation?

Golgotha / Calvary - Luke 23:26-38

In Roman style, the sentence was carried out immediately. The crucified person carried the crossbar tied to his hands. The wood weighed 20-50 kg, depending on its thickness.

The execution took place outside the city walls. On the way to the place of execution, Jesus showed that he did not want pity but conversion. But when conversion did not come, after 40 years, horrors befell Jerusalem. Josephus reports that as many as 500 Jews were crucified on one day when the Romans besieged and conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD. There were so many crucified that the trees around Jerusalem ran out. This is why childless and unmarried people would be blessed, even though they were usually pitied.

The place of execution was called Golgotha / Calvary - The Skull (verse 33). References to crucifixion have been found in the Old Testament (2 Sam 21:5-9, Numbers 25:1-4, Esther 7:10), but the Romans had learned this most cruel, painful, and shameful method of execution from the Punics, who had learned it from the Indians.

According to traditions dating to the fourth century, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (also known as the Church of the Resurrection) contains both the site where Jesus was crucified and the location of Jesus's tomb, where he was buried and resurrected. Emperor Hadrian built an artificial mountain and a temple to Venus and Cupid on the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands after the rebellion of 132-135 AD to prevent Christians from gathering there. This shows that the site was valuable to Christians. Hadrian considered Christians to be a sect of Judaism, so he wanted to prevent their worship as well.

In 325, after Emperor Constantine the Great converted to Christianity, the mountain was destroyed and a church was built on its site. The current Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by the Crusaders. Researchers consider it a more likely site of Golgotha ​​and the tomb of Jesus than the so-called Gordon's Golgotha ​​and Garden Tomb, "discovered" by the English General Gordon in 1883.

Jesus was crucified in the middle, in the place of the chief criminal. Jesus' prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (verse 34) also referred to the soldiers who carried out the crucifixion. It was the first of three statements that Luke records Jesus saying on the cross (the other two are in verses 43 and 46), making a total of seven statements. At the same time, the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12 was fulfilled:

"...he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."

Above Jesus’ head (verse 38) was the sign that had been carried before him, and on it was written the reason for his execution: “This is the King of the Jews,” that is, the leader of the rebellion. This "crime" was written in three languages ​​(John 19:20): Aramaic/Hebrew, which was the spoken language of the Jews; Latin, which was the official language of the Romans; and Greek, which was the common language of the eastern Mediterranean. The message of Jesus' death is for everyone!

Faith and unbelief – Luke 23:39-49

Against the three words of doubt at Golgotha ​​(verses 35, 37, and 39), Luke sets forth three testimonies that Jesus is the Messiah (verses 44, 47, and 48).

Matthew describes how Jesus was told to come down from the cross (Matt. 27:40, compare Luke 23:37). That call was Satan’s last attempt to get Jesus to give up doing the Father’s will and choose the part of the earthly Messiah.

One of the two criminals, who were apparently rebels, is saved on the cross. He is a model and example of true conversion: confession of sin, then turning to Jesus, followed by forgiveness. He could not do any good works with his hands and feet nailed, and they were not needed. Also note the "today" perspective (verse 43), conversion should not be postponed.

Jesus' words about paradise (verse 43) have given rise to pointless theories about life after death (compare also Luke 16:19-31, the rich man and Lazarus). We don't know what is after death, but we do know that our connection to Jesus is not broken even in death.

The darkness that began at noon and lasted for three hours could not have been a normal solar eclipse, since Passover is celebrated at the time of the full moon. It was a divine sign, according to Amos 8:9:

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight."

It was complemented by the tearing of the curtain in the temple. The curtain was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), so it was an act of God. We have access to God through Jesus.

According to Mark 15:25, Jesus was crucified at the third hour (=9 o’clock). At the ninth hour (=3 o’clock) Jesus died. At the same hour the evening sacrifice was offered in the temple and the prayer was read in connection with it, which Jesus himself quotes on the cross (Ps 31:6, verse 46). Jesus did not die at the hands of the people, but at the hands of the Father.

Some of the viewers felt a sting in their conscience. Perhaps some of them also heard Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and became Christians (Acts 2:41). In this context, Luke does not say anything about how the crucifixion affected Jesus' disciples (verse 49). Golgotha ​​ruined their hopes (Luke 24:21: "we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel").

The burial of Jesus - Luke 23:50-56

Usually, the executed were buried in mass graves. If this had happened to Jesus, two important pieces of evidence for the resurrection would have been missing: the empty tomb and the shroud. Therefore, Joseph of Arimathea's act was not only a service to the dead Jesus, but also to the Christian faith.

Arimathea, in the Old Testament Ramathaim (1 Sam 1:1) or Ramah (Josh 18:25) was the hometown of the prophet Samuel. It was located 30 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem. Joseph was a wealthy man, as he had a tomb cut in the rock - not a cave - near the wall of Jerusalem.

Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, but he "had not consented to their decision and action" (verse 50). Perhaps he had been absent from those meetings.

According to the law, those executed were to be buried before sunset (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). ​​Jesus had died at the ninth hour (about 3 p.m.) and the Sabbath began at the twelfth hour (about 6 p.m.), so the burial had to be done in a hurry. Only the necessary things were done to the body: it was wrapped in a clean shroud (Matt 27:59). However, the application of the ointments was not done properly (John 19:39), so it was intended to continue after the Sabbath (verse 56).

The shroud became significant evidence of the resurrection (John 20:5-9). The so-called Shroud of Turin has been considered the authentic shroud of Jesus. First, the weaving style of the cloth dates back to that time, second, the cloth contains pollen from Palestine, and third, it specifically wraps a crucified man. The drawing of the image on the cloth also occurred in a way that scientists cannot explain. Studies of the shroud continue.

Good Friday was over. The disciples did not know that the whole history of the world had taken a new turn. There is a good reason why this day is called Good Friday: it was the day when God's goodness and love for people came out in the brightest way. It was not until the resurrection that it was revealed to the disciples.