Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 23

2,

And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him to Pilate. And they began to accuse him saying, We found this -

Put in what word you like - villains - scoundrel - our translators could not find a better word than that inexpressive-expressive word "fellow." We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a King. They shift the charge, you see, now; before, it was blasphemy, now it is sedition.

Fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, You say it.

Another of the evangelists tells us that he first asked Pilate what he meant by the question, explaining that he only claimed the kingdom in a spiritual sense.

And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him to Pilate.

Our Lord had been taken to the tribunal of Annas and Caiaphas, and so the whole multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate. The first two tribunals were ecclesiastical and religious.

There they charged him with crimes against the law. Now they take him to Pilate, and bring accusations against him, concerning Caesar and the Roman Government. The whole multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate.

And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

A cunning charge. It was the duty of the ruler of the province to protect the province from any rebellion against Caesar; so they included the specific accusation, He perverts the nation, forbids to give tribute to Caesar.

And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews?

It must have seemed a strange question to himself, as he saw the poor emaciated form of Jesus of Nazareth standing before him. "Art thou the King of the Jews?"

And he angered him and said, "You say."

"It is even so."