John Calvin Commentary Luke 23:4

"And Pilate said unto the chief priests and the multitudes, I find no fault in this man." — Luke 23:4 (ASV)

And Pilate said to the chief priests and scribes. As Christ had come to bear the punishment of our sins, it was proper that he should first be condemned by the mouth of his judge, so that it might afterwards be evident that he was condemned for the sake of others, and not for his own.

But as Pilate, from a dread of inciting a tumult, did not venture to acquit him absolutely, he willingly took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself, of submitting him to the jurisdiction of Herod. This Herod was the one who bore the surname Antipas, to whom the tetrarchy of Galilee had been left, when Archelaus was a prisoner at Vienna, and when Judea had been annexed to the province of Syria.

Now although we will shortly afterwards find Luke relating that this mark of respect pacified Herod, who had formerly been enraged against Pilate, still his design was not so much to obtain Herod’s favor as to rid himself of a disagreeable affair under an honorable excuse, and thus to avoid the necessity of condemning Christ.