Luke 23:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him.

NIV: Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.

NASB: No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.

CSB: Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death.

NLT: Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.

KJV: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.

NKJV: no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.

Pilate is conducting a proper seven-stage Roman examination to determine if Jesus is guilty of a crime. He acts as if the Jewish leaders who charged Jesus with breaking Roman law are reasonable and logical men. He seems to assume they will accept this reasonable and logical ruling.

The Jewish leaders have accused Jesus of stirring up the people, telling them not to pay taxes, and declaring Himself king. Pilate doesn't think Jesus is a threat, but the Jewish leaders insist. To gain some perspective, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, the ruler of Jesus' home territory Galilee. This resulted in a lengthy examination during which the chief priests and scribes passionately insisted Jesus was guilty. Jesus refused to speak. So, Antipas determined Jesus was innocent, as well (Luke 23:1–14).

Even earlier, the chief priests, elders, and scribes had held an illegal trial to try to pin down something with which to charge Jesus. They called numerous witnesses against Him, but none of their testimonies agreed (Mark 14:53–65). Here, they get their two witnesses: both Pilate and Herod Antipas declare Jesus to be innocent. Antipas's decision is especially poignant since the Pharisees either thought he wanted Jesus dead or lied about it (Luke 13:31).

Pilate knows they're agitated, so he offers a compromise: he will torture Jesus for a while and then release Him. Perhaps that will convince Jesus to stop making the Jewish leaders so excited (Luke 23:16). But the Jewish leaders—and the crowd they've agitated themselves (Matthew 27:20)—reject Pilate's offer. They want to see Jesus hang (Luke 23:18–21).

Luke 23:13–19 contains Pilate's next attempt to convince the Sanhedrin that Jesus has done nothing worthy of death. He even offers to scourge Jesus before releasing Him. The Sanhedrin won't listen. Instead of Jesus, they'd rather Pilate release the insurrectionist Barabbas. Matthew 27:15–21 and Mark 15:6–11 roughly follow the same timeline, but John 18:39—19:5 includes details about what Jesus endures at the hands of Pilate's guards.

Luke 23 records the remaining trials, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. He is examined by the Roman governor and the local appointed King, neither of whom are interested in passing a death sentence. Local religious leaders incite the crowd, pressuring the governor, Pilate, to authorize crucifixion. Jesus accepts the faith of another condemned man and dies. Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus body and buries it in a tomb cut from rock.

Luke 23 records Jesus' civil trials, crucifixion, and burial. The members of the Sanhedrin have put Jesus through three trials in their attempt to convince Pilate He's a threat (Luke 22:47–71). Their case is weak, but their political influence is powerful enough to force Pilate's hand. Jesus is executed. Three days after Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus, Jesus reappears on the road to Emmaus where He explains Messianic prophecies in Jewish Scriptures. After spending time with His followers, Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24) and the disciples build the church (Acts).

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.