Luke 22:65 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

NIV: And they said many other insulting things to him.

NASB: And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

CSB: And they were saying many other blasphemous things to him.

NLT: And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.

KJV: And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.

NKJV: And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Luke's account of the abuses Jesus suffers during the illegal trail at the home of the high priest Caiaphas is mercifully short. The guards mock and beat Jesus. They blindfold Him, strike Him, and demand that He prophecy who was the culprit (Luke 22:63–64). It's difficult to say which is more painful. Probably it was not the beatings. Perhaps it was the fact that Judas, one of Jesus' closest friends, betrayed Him to men that want to kill Him (Luke 22:47–48), or that Peter , who so often acted as if he were the self-appointed leader of the Twelve, denied that he knew Jesus and then ran into the night (Luke 22:54–62). The greatest torture may be that the religious and civil leaders of the Jews are presently rejecting their Messiah. Jesus has admitted to being "the Christ, the Son of God." He has warned them that they will see Him sitting at God's right hand. The high priest's response is to dramatically tear his robes as if in mourning and declare Jesus' words blasphemous (Matthew 26:63–65).

A high priest should know better. He should know the Jewish Scriptures so well that when he looks at Jesus, the words of the prophets leap off the page and shout, "This is Him! This is the One you have waited for" (John 5:39–40)! The high priest should lead the Sanhedrin and then the people into worship of their God incarnate. Let the Romans crucify Him for other reasons, but let the Jews worship their God!

Jesus knows this can't happen. He told the disciples He must be arrested so that the prophets would be fulfilled (Matthew 26:56). The prophecy of the Suffering Servant must come true (Isaiah 52:13—53:12). Not just that He will be pierced, carry our griefs, and refuse to defend Himself; the entire prophecy will come true.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

Luke 22:63–65 occurs at the end of Jesus' second trial. Only John seems to record the first trial, at Annas's home (John 18:13–23). The second is at the home of the high priest Caiaphas. Matthew 26:57–68 and Mark 14:53–65 give more detail about Caiaphas's trial. Luke mentions only Peter's denials that occur while the trial is ongoing (Luke 22:54–62) and the beatings at Caiaphas's, but he gives more detail about the official—and only legal—trial in the morning before the whole Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66–71).

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.