John Gill Commentary Luke 23

And the whole multitude of them
Of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders; the whole of the sanhedrim, excepting Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, having in their court condemned Christ to death:

arose ;
from the council chamber, where they sat in judgment upon him:

and led him unto Pilate ,
the Roman governor, and into the praetorium, or judgment hall, where causes were tried by him; hither they brought Jesus, having bound him as a prisoner and a malefactor, that their sentence might be confirmed by civil authority, and that he might be put to the death of the cross, which was a Roman punishment.

And they began to accuse him
After they found that Pilate would not receive him as a malefactor upon their word, and delivery of him to him as such; but insisted on knowing what they had to charge him with, and what accusation they had to bring against him:

saying, we have found this fellow perverting the nation ;
the nation of the Jews. Three of Beza's copies read, "our nation"; and so do the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; and it is to be understood, either of his perverting the nation from the true doctrine of Moses and the prophets; by spreading among them new notions, and false principles of religion; by which he was a troubler of God's Israel, as Ahab charged Elijah, (1 Kings 18:17) where the Septuagint use the same word as here; and so is a charge of heresy, or innovation in religion against Christ: and thus Jesus stands charged in their writings ^F15 ; on those words in (Psalms 91:10) . "Neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling", they have this note;

forbidding to give tribute to Caesar ;
than which, nothing was more false; see (Matthew 22:21) (17:24-27) nor does what is after alleged, support this charge:

saying, that he himself is Christ, a King ;
or Christ the King, or the King Christ; that is, he whom the Jews so frequently in their writings call (xyvmh Klm) , "the King Messiah", for so he might be, and was, without any hurt to Caesar's dignity, or revenue; for though he was a king, yet not an earthly one; and though he had a kingdom, yet not of this world: indeed they would insinuate by this, that he set himself up as an earthly king, in opposition to Caesar, to draw off the people from him, and their allegiance and duty to him; and so the Jews say of Jesus of Nazareth, that he was put to death, and had no mercy shown him, because he was (twklml bwrq) , "near to the kingdom" ^F16 .

The whole of this charge was untrue; he was so far from perverting the nation with false doctrine and worship, that he taught the true doctrine, and right way of worship, and refuted the false glosses of the Pharisees, and opposed the vain traditions of the elders, by which both were corrupted; and so far was he from any seditious principles and practices, or doing any injury to Tiberius Caesar, the then reigning emperor, that he taught the people to give Caesar the things that were Caesar's, and he himself paid the tribute money; and when the people would have took him by force, and have made him a king, he avoided it by getting out of the way, (John 6:15) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 103. 1. & Beracot, fol, 17. 2.
• F16: T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 43. 1.

And Pilate asked him, saying
Observing that it was said, he had given himself out to be a king; for as for what regarded religion, he took no notice of it; he put this question to him,

are you the King of the Jews ?
that their prophecies speak of, and they have expected;

and he answered him and said, you say it ;
that is, you say well; it is as you say, I am the King of the Jews; (See Gill on Matthew 27:11) though he did not leave this without explaining what sort of a king he was, and what kind of a kingdom he had; see (John 18:36John 18:37) which made Pilate perfectly easy, and desirous to release him, as appears by what follows.

Then said Pilate to the Chief priests, and to the people ,
&c.] Both to the sanhedrim, and to the mob that were gathered together about the governor's palace on this occasion; and who were standing without the judgment hall, into which they would not enter, lest they should be defiled, and be unfit to eat the passover: wherefore Pilate came out to them; and this was the second time of his coming out to them, when he said the following words, (John 18:28John 18:38) .

I find no fault in this man ;
no cause, or reason, why any punishment should be inflicted on him, and especially he be put to death; no crime that can be fastened on him, or accusation proved against him, or any thing that amounts to a charge of sedition: the man is an harmless and innocent man, that has done nothing against Caesar, or the government, and good of the nation; and therefore is not worthy of death, or of stripes, but should be discharged. This was Pilate's sense.

And they were the more fierce
Or urgent to have him put to death; so the Hebrew word (qzx) is rendered in (Exodus 12:33) which answers to that here used. "They cried out", as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read; they were more clamorous and noisy; they cried out louder, and exerted themselves with great fury and violence, and added strength to their clamour, and increased their charges:

saying, he stirs up the people ;
to sedition and rebellion:

teaching throughout all Jewry ;
or "Judea"; not in one, or a few places only, but every where:

beginning from Galilee ;
where indeed our Lord did begin his ministry, and where he chiefly taught; see (Matthew 4:12Matthew 4:17Matthew 4:23) and which they rather chose to mention, because that the Galilaeans were reckoned a seditious people, and had been drawn into rebellion, and had suffered for it; see (Acts 5:37) (Luke 13:1) to this place ;
the city of Jerusalem, the metropolis of the nation;

suggesting, that he taught seditious principles not only in Galilee, but all the way from thence throughout Judea, and even in their chief city, and had drawn many disciples after him every where; so that it was a notorious case, as well as of great consequence, and much danger, and ought not to be trifled with.