translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: LUK

label: NET study note

text: Pilate was the Roman prefect (procurator) in charge of collecting taxes and keeping the peace. His immediate superior was the Roman governor (proconsul) of Syria, although the exact nature of this administrative relationship is unknown. Pilate’s relations with the Jews had been rocky (v. 12 ). Here he is especially sensitive to them.


text: They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26 ); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.


text: “ Are you the king of the Jews? ” Pilate was interested only in the third charge, because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.


text: The reply “ You say so ” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 22:70 .


text: He incites the people. The Jewish leadership claimed that Jesus was a political threat and had to be stopped. By reiterating this charge of stirring up rebellion, they pressured Pilate to act, or be accused of overlooking political threats to Rome.


text: Learning that Jesus was from Galilee and therefore part of Herod’s jurisdiction , Pilate decided to rid himself of the problem by sending him to Herod.


text: Herod was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. See the note on Herod in 3:1 .


text: Herod would probably have come to Jerusalem for the feast, although his father was only half Jewish (Josephus, Ant. 14.15.2 [14.403]). Josephus does mention Herod’s presence in Jerusalem during a feast ( Ant. 18.5.3 [18.122]). map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Herod, hoping to see him perform some miraculous sign , seems to have treated Jesus as a curiosity (cf. 9:7-9 ).


text: Luke portrays the Jewish leadership as driving events toward the cross by vehemently accusing Jesus.


text: This mockery involved putting elegant royal clothes on Jesus, either white or purple (the colors of royalty). This was no doubt a mockery of Jesus’ claim to be a king.


text: Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. It may be that Pilate’s change of heart was related to the death of his superior, Sejanus, who had a reputation for being anti-Jewish. To please his superior, Pilate may have ruled the Jews with insensitivity. Concerning Sejanus, see Philo, Embassy 24 (160-61) and Flaccus 1 (1).


text: With the statement “ he has done nothing ,” Pilate makes another claim that Jesus is innocent of any crime worthy of death.


text: Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection , this man really did.


text: This is a parenthetical note by the author.


text: The account pictures a battle of wills – the people versus Pilate. Pilate is consistently portrayed in Luke’s account as wanting to release Jesus because he believed him to be innocent.


text: The refrain of innocence comes once again. Pilate tried to bring some sense of justice, believing Jesus had committed no crime deserving death .


text: Finally Pilate gave in. He decided crucifying one Galilean teacher was better than facing a riot. Justice lost out in the process, because he did not follow his own verdict.


text: He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.


text: Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio , mentioned in Matt 27:26 ; Mark 15:15 ; John 19:1 ), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help. Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.


text: The background of these women is disputed. Are they “official” mourners of Jesus’ death, appointed by custom to mourn death? If so, the mourning here would be more pro forma . However, the text seems to treat the mourning as sincere, so their tears and lamenting would have been genuine.


text: The title Daughters of Jerusalem portrays these women mourning as representatives of the nation. map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves. Judgment now comes on the nation (see Luke 19:41-44 ) for this judgment of Jesus. Ironically, they mourn the wrong person – they should be mourning for themselves.


text: The figure of crying out to the mountains ‘ Fall on us! ’ (appealing to creation itself to hide them from God’s wrath), means that a time will come when people will feel they are better off dead ( Hos 10:8 ).


text: An allusion to Hos 10:8 (cf. Rev 6:16 ).


text: The figure of the green wood and the dry has been variously understood. Most likely the picture compares the judgment on Jesus as the green (living) wood to the worse judgment that will surely come for the dry (dead) wood of the nation.


text: 33 Ï ) looks like an attempt to prevent this identification. The first reading, more difficult to explain from the other, is likely original. Jesus is numbered among the criminals (see Isa 53:12 and Luke 22:37 ).


text: The place that is called ‘ The Skull ’ (known as Golgotha in Aramaic, cf. John 19:17 ) is north and just outside of Jerusalem. The hill on which it is located protruded much like a skull, giving the place its name. The Latin word for Greek κρανίον ( kranion ) is calvaria , from which the English word “Calvary” derives (cf. Luke 23:33 in the KJV).


text: See the note on crucify in 23:21 .


text: An allusion to Ps 22:18 , which identifies Jesus as the suffering innocent one.


text: The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross.


text: Sour wine was cheap wine, called in Latin posca , and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion, who had some on hand, now used it to taunt Jesus further.


text: Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.


text: א B C* L 070 1241 pc it). The “if” clause reading creates a parallel with the earlier taunts (vv. 35, 37 ), and thus is most likely a motivated reading. The question in Greek expects a positive reply and is also phrased with irony.


text: This man has done nothing wrong is yet another declaration that Jesus was innocent of any crime.


text: Jesus, remember me is a statement of faith from the cross, as Jesus saves another even while he himself is dying. This man’s faith had shown itself when he rebuked the other thief. He hoped to be with Jesus sometime in the future in the kingdom.


text: Jesus gives more than the criminal asked for, because the blessing will come today , not in the future. He will be among the righteous. See the note on today in 2:11 .


text: In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. Here it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35 . In 2 Cor 12:4 it probably refers to the “third heaven” ( 2 Cor 12:2 ) as the place where God dwells.


text: A quotation from Ps 31:5 . It is a psalm of trust. The righteous, innocent sufferer trusts in God. Luke does not have the cry of pain from Ps 22:1 (cf. Matt 27:46 ; Mark 15:34 ), but notes Jesus’ trust instead.


text: See the note on the word centurion in 7:2 .


text: Some apparently regretted what had taken place. Beating their breasts was a sign of lamentation.


text: A B W Θ 33 Ï ), and is thus the preferred reading. The parenthetical note at the beginning of v. 51 indicates that Joseph of Arimathea had not consented to the action of the Sanhedrin in condemning Jesus to death. Since Mark 14:64 indicates that all the council members condemned Jesus as deserving death, it is likely that Joseph was not present at the trial.


text: Though some dispute that Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of Jesus, this remark that he was looking forward to the kingdom of God , the affirmation of his character at the end of v. 50 , and his actions regarding Jesus’ burial all suggest otherwise.


text: Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial. This was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43 ).


text: The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath when everything had to be prepared for it, as no work could be done on the Sabbath.


text: According to the commandment. These women are portrayed as pious, faithful to the law in observing the Sabbath.