What is the meaning of Luke 23:22? A third time he said to them • Pilate is on record three separate times declaring Jesus innocent (Luke 23:4, 14; here v. 22), underscoring God’s providential use of a Roman governor to confirm that no valid charge can be leveled against His Son. • John’s Gospel repeats the same verdict—“I find no basis for a charge against Him” (John 18:38, 19:4, 6)—highlighting the futility of the accusers’ case. • Scripture often establishes a matter by “two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15). Pilate’s third declaration inadvertently fulfills that standard, adding legal weight to Christ’s innocence before He bears sin on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). What evil has this man done? • The governor’s rhetorical question exposes the lack of evidence. No crime exists because the Savior is perfectly righteous (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15). • Even those hostile to Jesus could name no wrongdoing (Mark 14:55-56). The crowd’s anger is fueled by envy (Matthew 27:18), not truth. • Isaiah foretold that Messiah would suffer despite having “done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). Pilate unwittingly echoes prophetic testimony. I have found in Him no offense worthy of death • Roman justice recognizes what divine justice had already decreed: Jesus is “a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19). • Legally, Pilate should have released Him immediately (Acts 3:13-14). His hesitation reveals human compromise, yet God ordains it to advance redemption (Acts 4:27-28). • The statement aligns with Luke 23:15: “Indeed, He has done nothing deserving death.” Repetition drives home the spotless character of Christ, necessary for a substitutionary sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14). So after I punish Him, I will release Him • Hoping to satisfy the mob, Pilate proposes scourging—“Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged” (John 19:1). • Scourging itself was brutal, yet still short of capital punishment. Pilate imagines a compromise, but the crowd will reject it (Luke 23:23-24). • Isaiah 53:5 foretells that Messiah would be “pierced for our transgressions…by His stripes we are healed.” Even this lesser punishment contributes to the atoning work. • Pilate’s reluctance to execute an innocent man shows that Jesus’ death is not a legal accident but a divine appointment: “This Man was handed over by God’s set plan and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). summary Luke 23:22 presents Pilate’s third public declaration of Jesus’ innocence, framed by a probing question, an explicit verdict, and an offer of scourging as a conciliatory gesture. The verse reinforces the spotless righteousness of Christ, fulfills prophetic Scripture, exposes human injustice, and advances God’s sovereign plan of redemption. |
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