Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 23:13-16

"And Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said unto them, Ye brought unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, I having examined him before you, found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod: for he sent him back unto us; and behold, nothing worthy of death hath been done by him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him." — Luke 23:13-16 (ASV)

And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people; and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod; for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

Ah! that word "chastise" slips so glibly over the tongue, but you know what it meant, when the Roman lictors laid bare the back and used the fearsome scourge? "I will scourge him," said Pilate. Perhaps he thought that if he scourged him, his suffering would induce the Jews to spare his life.

And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, said to them, You have brought this man to me, as one that perverts the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse him. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

But what duplicity! If he is innocent, release him, but do not scourge him. If he is guilty, crucify him, but do not balk about releasing him. When men are wrong at heart, when they come to a resolution, it is self-contradictory. There is nothing more inconsistent than sin. It is an image whose head may be of gold, but the feet are always of clay. You cannot make sin hang together, and the verdict of one who is undecided and has two minds is always a very vicious one. "I will chastise him and release him."