Luke 23:13 And Pilate, calling together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, (14) Said to them, You have brought this man to me as one who turns the people away, and behold, I have examined Him before you and found no fault in this man regarding the accusations you bring against Him. (15) No, neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us, and behold, nothing worthy of death has been done by Him. (16) I will therefore discipline Him and release Him. (17) Now he was obliged to release to them one prisoner at the feast. (18) But they cried out all together, saying, Take this man away and release to us Barabbas. (19) He was one who, for a certain insurrection that occurred in the city and for murder, had been thrown into the prison. (20) But Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; (21) But they continued to shout, saying, Crucify, crucify Him! (22) But he said to them a third time, Why, what evil has this man done? I have found no cause of death in Him; I will therefore discipline Him and release Him. (23) But they pressed him with loud voices, asking that He be crucified, and their voices prevailed. (24) And Pilate gave sentence that their request be carried out, (25) And he released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
[Part 2 of 2] The Jewish death penalty was by stoning (Lev. 20:2, 27). Crucifixion was a heathen practice (Ezra 6:11), adopted by the Romans for the execution of slaves and heinous criminals only. To crucify the Lord Jesus was not only a fulfillment of the Old Testament (Deut. 21:23); it was also a fulfillment of the Lord's own word concerning the mode of His death (John 3:14), which could not be fulfilled by stoning. Luke 23:24 and 25 say, "And Pilate gave sentence that their demand be carried out. And he released him who, because of insurrection and murder, had been thrown into prison, whom they were asking for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will." The sentence given by Pilate exposed to the uttermost the darkness and injustice of man's politics. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:5, 8 concerning the Man-Savior's suffering. The accusations of the Jewish religious leaders exposed their falsehood and deceitfulness in their religion, and the judgment of the Roman rulers exposed their darkness and corruption in their politics. At the same time, they both vindicated the Man-Savior in His highest standard of human perfection with His all-surpassing divine splendor. This was the strongest sign that He was fully qualified to be the Substitute for the sinners for whom He intended to die. The judgments by the Jewish leaders and the Roman rulers were the last step of the examination of the Man-Savior. The first part of this examination was accomplished in the temple, and the last part was accomplished before the Jewish Sanhedrin and before the Roman government. After all the steps of this examination, the Man-Savior was found to be without fault. Therefore, He was vindicated. He was proved to be the One qualified to die as the unique Substitute for sinners. (c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, p. 446. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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