Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 23

Regarding the phrase This fellow, the word fellow is not in the original text. It conveys a sense of contempt, which they undoubtedly felt, but this contempt is not expressed in the Greek, and it is not proper for it to be expressed in the translation. It could be translated as, "We found this man."

Concerning the charge, Perverting the nation, this means inciting them to sedition and tumults. This was a purely groundless accusation, but it was plausible before a Roman magistrate for the following reasons:

1. The Galileans, as Josephus testifies, were prone to seditions and tumults.
2. Jesus drew multitudes after him, and they thought it was easy to show that this was, in itself, promoting tumults and seditions.

Regarding the charge of Forbidding, and so on, they were very cautious and cunning about their charges.

They did not claim that he taught that people should not pay tribute—that would have been too flagrant a charge and easily refuted. Instead, it was an inference they drew, arguing it followed from his doctrine.

Since he professed to be a king, they inferred that if he were indeed a king, he must maintain that it was not right to acknowledge allegiance to any foreign prince.

And if they could establish this, they supposed that Pilate would have to condemn him as a matter of course.

The term Tribute means taxes.

Caesar refers to the Roman emperor, who at that time was also called Tiberius. The name Caesar was common to the Roman emperors, just as Pharaoh was to the Egyptian kings. All the kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh, or the Pharaoh; similarly, all the Roman emperors were called Caesar.

Forbidding to give tribute (Matthew 17:27; Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17).

He himself is Christ a king (John 18:36; John 19:12).

I find no fault. I see no evidence that he is guilty of what you charge him with. This was after Pilate had taken Jesus into the judgment-hall by himself and examined him privately, and had been satisfied in regard to the nature of his kingdom. See John 18:33-38. He was then satisfied that though he claimed to be a king, yet his kingdom was not of this world, and that his claims did not interfere with those of Caesar.

The more fierce. The more urgent and pressing. They saw that there was a prospect of losing their cause, and they attempted to press on Pilate the point that would be most likely now to affect him. Pilate had, in fact, acquitted him of the charge of being an enemy to Caesar, and they therefore urged the other point more vehemently.

Stirreth up the people. Excites them to tumult and sedition.

All Jewry. All Judea.

From Galilee to this place. To Jerusalem-that is, throughout the whole country. It is not merely in one place, but from one end of the land to the other.

Whether he were a Galilean. He asked this because, if he was, he properly belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, who reigned over Galilee.

Herod's jurisdiction. Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. This was the same Herod that put John the Baptist to death. Jesus had passed most of his life in the part of the country where he ruled, and it was therefore considered that he belonged to his jurisdiction—that is, that it belonged to Herod, not to Pilate, to try this cause.