Justice Denied
Notes
Transcript
Title: Rejected King
Subject: Rejection
Theme: Rejected King
Thesis: Jesus, the true King, is falsely accused, declared innocent, and yet rejected by the political and religious powers of the world who unite against Him.
Principle Statement: The rejection of Jesus exposes the failure of human power and calls us to place our trust not in earthly authority but in the true King.
Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever witnessed some sort of injustice unfolding before your eyes and no one stopped it?
Most of us have, it cane be something as simple as one child taking a toy form another.
Even little moments like that leave us feeling unsettled.
The bigger the moment, the more unsettled it makes us feel.
We know that justice should matter.
This is where we find ourselves again as we look at the book of Luke.
The most innocent person who has ever lived is standing trial.
Being condemned, mocked, lied about.
Because the religious leaders do not want Him in their lives.
The religious leaders accuse Him.
The Roman governor examines Him.
The Herodian ruler mocks Him.
And in the end they all arrive at the same conclusion.
They reject Him.
What we see unfolding in this chapter is the tragic reality that when the true King enters the world, the world does not recognize Him.
The world rejects Him.
And that raises a question that reaches far beyond that ancient courtroom.
It is the same question every person must eventually answer.
What will we do with the King?
Because the real issue in Luke 23 is not simply what Pilate or Herod did with Jesus.
The real issue is what we will do with Him.
1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” 6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
The King Is Accused (23:1–2)
The King Is Accused (23:1–2)
Luke 23 brings us to a change of venue.
The Jewish leaders were intent to act swiftly.
For one, they feared the people.
More importantly, they were eager to be rid of Jesus so they could get on with the Passover and back to their ritualistic lives.
The whole company arose and take Jesus to Pilate.
Pontius Pilate served as the Roman governor of Judea from A.D. 26–36, making him the highest imperial authority in the region.
He was the fifth governor appointed by Emperor Tiberius, and both historians Josephus and Philo characterized him as a cruel, unjust leader.
He was known for being exceptionally ruthless when it came to to suppressing unrest.
Rome’s primary care above all else in its provinces was to maintain order.
The Romans allowed local people to continue with with own religion, so long as it did not produce unrest.
Hence the Jews begin allowed to continue to worship God.
This also mean though that they did not recognize those peoples individual religious disputes.
At the end of chapter 22 the religious leaders had declared Jesus to be guilty of blasphemy.
Blasphemy is insulting or showing contempt for God.
More specifically, it means “dissing” God by ignoring who he is or not giving him credit for what he does.
We can think of blasphemy in a few ways.
It involves disrespectful speech against God or the sacred, including cursing or insulting God, but it goes beyond just words.
Defiant or impious acts—such as showing contempt for God and sacred things—can also be considered blasphemous.
This is what they felt Jesus was doing in claiming to be the Son of God.
The core issue is respect.
God wants our worship and respect, and wants to be the only God in your life.
When someone blasphemes, they’re essentially refusing to give God the honor and credit he deserves.
It’s treating God as if he doesn’t matter or isn’t who he claims to be—and the Bible takes this very seriously.
Pilate was not interested though in theological debates about blasphemy.
He is interested in whether this man is a threat to Roman stability.
And the religious leaders understand that perfectly.
They knew they couldn’t go to Pilate saying this man blasphemes the God you don’t recognize.
Luke tells us:
“They began to accuse him.”
The verb Luke uses here, is a legal term.
They brought charges against him in court.
But notice what they do with the charges.
The religious leaders abandon their religious charge and reframe their accusations here into political terms.
Luke records three specific accusations.
First Charge: Misleading the Nation
First Charge: Misleading the Nation
They say:
“We found this man misleading our nation.”
The word translated “misleading” means to distort, to corrupt, to lead astray.
In other words, they are portraying Jesus as someone who is subverting the people.
Not merely teaching controversial ideas.
But destabilizing the nation.
A deep concern for Pilate.
They want Pilate to hear this and think:
“This man is stirring unrest.”
And if he continues, you could lose your governorship, or even more important, your life.
Second Charge: Forbidding Taxes
Second Charge: Forbidding Taxes
They continue:
“Forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar.”
This accusation is particularly striking because Luke has already shown us the exact opposite.
Just a few chapters earlier in Luke 20, the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question about taxes.
They asked Him:
“Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?”
And Jesus asked for a Denarii, asked whose image it had and in
Luke 20:25
“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus explicitly affirmed the legitimacy of paying taxes.
Yet here the leaders accuse Him of forbidding tribute to Caesar.
They are outright lying about what Jesus had said.
(Do you remember what their penalty for false accusations was I mentioned last week?)
They are trying to make Jesus appear like a political revolutionary.
Third Charge: Claiming Kingship
Third Charge: Claiming Kingship
The final accusation is the most serious.
They say that Jesus is
“saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”
The phrase Luke records in Greek is χριστὸν βασιλέα.
This is an unusual pairing of words.
Christos means “Messiah,” the anointed one promised in the Old Testament.
But basileus means “king.”
To the Jewish leaders, the word Messiah had theological significance.
To Pilate, the word king had political significance.
So they fuse the two ideas together in a way that sounds like treason.
In effect they are saying:
“This man claims royal authority.”
And if that were true in the way they are implying, that would indeed be a problem for Rome.
Rome tolerated many religions.
But Rome did not tolerate rival kings.
The Gospel Accounts Together
When we compare Luke’s account with the other Gospels, we see that this accusation becomes the central issue of the Roman trial.
In Matthew 27 and Mark 15, Pilate asks the same key question:
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
John’s Gospel expands the conversation even further.
In John 18, Pilate asks Jesus directly about His kingdom.
And Jesus explains:
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
All four Gospel writers emphasize that Jesus’ kingship is the central issue before the Roman authorities.
The leaders are trying to portray Jesus as a political insurgent.
But the deeper irony is this:
Jesus really is the King.
Just not the kind of king they imagine.
What This Reveals About the Human Heart
This moment exposes something about how rejection of Jesus often works.
People rarely reject Jesus exactly as He is.
Instead, they reshape Him first.
They redefine Him.
They distort Him.
They present Him in a way that is easier to dismiss.
The religious leaders know the truth about Jesus’ teaching.
They have heard Him.
They have watched Him.
But they reshape the truth to serve their own purposes.
Application for Our Own Hearts
It is easy for us to read this story and immediately see the injustice.
But Scripture always invites us to ask a deeper question.
Where might this same pattern exist in our own hearts?
Sometimes we reject Jesus in subtle ways.
Not by openly denying Him.
But by reshaping Him into something more comfortable.
We prefer a Jesus who encourages us but does not confront us.
A Jesus who inspires us but does not rule over us.
A Jesus who saves us but does not command us.
But the Jesus of Scripture cannot be reduced to that.
He is not merely a good teacher or a moral example.
He is the true King.
And the question that confronts every person is not merely:
“What do we think about Jesus?”
The real question is:
Will we submit to the King?
Transition to Point 2
The religious leaders have presented their accusations.
Now the Roman governor must decide what to do.
So Pilate asks the question that lies at the center of the entire trial.
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
The King Is Declared Innocent (23:3–4)
The King Is Declared Innocent (23:3–4)
Look at verse 3 with me again.
Pilate skips over the first two accusations and goes straight to asking Jesus “Are you the King of Jews?”
This is the heart of the matter.
Rome is not concerned about theological debates.
Rome is concerned about political authority.
If Jesus is claiming to be a king in the political sense, then He would be a rival to Caesar.
That would make Him a serious threat to Roman rule.
So Pilate asks the question plainly.
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answers with a short but powerful statement.
“You have said so.”
In Greek the phrase literally means:
“You say.”
This phrase appears several times in the Gospel accounts during Jesus’ trial.
It is neither a simple denial nor a straightforward affirmation.
Jesus is acknowledging that Pilate has touched on something true, but Pilate does not yet understand what that truth means.
Yes, Jesus is a king.
But His kingship is not the kind Pilate is imagining.
John’s Gospel helps us see this more clearly.
In John 18:36, Jesus tells Pilate:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.”
Jesus is not denying His kingship.
He is redefining it.
His kingdom is not built through political power, military force, or worldly authority.
His kingdom is established through truth, sacrifice, and obedience to the Father.
Pilate listens to Jesus and quickly comes to a conclusion.
He turns to the chief priests and the crowd and says:
“I find no guilt in this man.”
The Greek phrase Luke records literally means:
“I find no cause for accusation.”
Pilate is not simply saying this though, this is his formal judgment.
Pilate is announcing that the charges brought against Jesus do not hold up.
There is no legitimate case.
This moment is extremely important in Luke’s Gospel.
Luke repeatedly emphasizes the innocence of Jesus during the passion narrative.
Pilate will say similar things again later in the chapter.
Herod will also find no grounds for condemnation.
Even the Roman centurion at the cross will declare:
“Certainly this man was innocent.” (Luke 23:47)
Luke wants us to understand something clearly.
Jesus is not dying because He is guilty.
He is dying even though He is innocent.
The Other Gospel Accounts
The other Gospel writers emphasize this same truth.
In Matthew 27, Pilate’s wife even sends him a message during the trial.
She says:
“Have nothing to do with that righteous man.”
In John 18, Pilate again tells the Jewish leaders:
“I find no guilt in him.”
Across the Gospel accounts the message is consistent.
Although Pilate declares this, we will soon see, he does not have the courage to stand by that declaration.
Pilate knows the truth.
But knowing the truth and standing for the truth are not always the same thing.
This is one of the tragic themes of this trial.
Human authority recognizes innocence but lacks the courage to protect it.
Personal Reflection and Application
There is another lesson here for us as well.
Pilate represents a very common human response to Jesus.
Pilate recognizes something unique about Jesus.
He knows the charges are false.
He even declares Jesus innocent.
But recognizing the truth about Jesus is not the same as submitting to Him.
Pilate wants to remain neutral here.
He sees no reason to kill an innocent man, but also wants to placate the people he has been charged to rule over.
So he tries to avoid taking a clear stand.
Neutrality is often how rejection begins.
There is still a significant number of people today who admire Jesus.
They respect His teaching.
They acknowledge His goodness.
But they stop short of true allegiance.
Pilate shows us that simply recognizing Jesus’ innocence or uniqueness is not enough.
The real question is not merely:
“Do we think Jesus is a good man?”
The real question is:
Will we acknowledge Him as King?
Transition to Point 3
In a just world, the trial should end right here.
But the leaders refuse to accept this verdict.
Their accusations grow louder and they increase pressure on Pilate.
In doing so, they mention a word that Pilate thinks gives him his out.
Galilee.
The King Is Mocked (23:5–11)
The King Is Mocked (23:5–11)
5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
They grew even stronger and more persistent in their request for Pilate to kill Jesus, but
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.
That, he thinks is his way out of this situation.
I can pass him on to the jurisdiction that he is from and not have to deal with it.
Galilee falls under the authority of Herod Antipas.
Herod Antipas ruled as tetrarch over Galilee and Perea.
He is the same Herod who had earlier imprisoned and executed John the Baptist.
Herod has an interesting pedigree.
He was ethnically non-Jewish but politically and culturally positioned himself as a Jewish ruler for his predominantly Jewish subjects, while remaining fundamentally loyal to Rome.
Luke 23:7 tells us that Pilate sends Him to Herod.
We know that Herod and Pilate were not on friendly terms at this point.
Pilate needed to improve his relationship with Herod.
Their relationship was strained because Pilate had massacred of some of Herod’s subjects and was further damaged when Herod reported to the emperor the trouble Pilate caused the Jews when he tried to bring in shields bearing the image of the emperor to the temple.
There are two reasons Pilate sent Jesus to Herod.
One being the thought, I can send Jesus to Herod and let him take care of his own people.
Which in turn was a diplomatic gesture—an attempt to bring cooperation between them.
When Jesus arrives before Herod, Luke tells us something surprising.
Verse 8 says:
“When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad.”
He is excited.
Why?
Herod had heard about all of the miraculous things happening in his jurisdiction but had not seen one first hand.
Now he hopes Jesus will perform for him.
Like a circus entertainer.
He loved lavish parties, remember the one he threw for Herodias’ daughter who asked of John head on a platter.
Herod sees Jesus as another form of entertainment.
Herod wants Jesus to perform a miracle the way someone might watch a magician perform tricks.
Luke tells us that Herod begins questioning Jesus extensively.
Verse 9 says “at some length.”
What does Jesus do?
He sits in deliberate silence.
Jesus refuses to participate in shallow curiosity or mocking disbelief.
He knows Herod is not seeking truth.
He is seeking amusement.
So Jesus gives him nothing.
This moment also echoes the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7:
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
The suffering servant stands before human power and remains silent.
All the while the Chief Priests and scribes continued to vehemently accuse him.
The Mockery of the King
Herod eventually becomes frustrated.
Jesus will not entertain him so “Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.” (vs 11).
They regard Jesus as worthless, but place on him splendid clothing to make a spectacle of Him.
The true King of heaven is mocked by earthly soldiers.
The King who spoke the universe into existence is dressed up like a clown.
Interaction With the Other Gospels
Luke alone records this encounter with Herod.
Matthew, Mark, and John focus primarily on Jesus’ interactions with Pilate.
Luke includes this scene to emphasize something important.
The rejection of Jesus is not limited to one group.
In this chapter Jesus stands before:
The Jewish religious leaders
The Roman governor
The Herodian ruler
Every layer of authority rejects Him.
The entire structure of human power of that day stands against the true King.
This echoes the language of Psalm 2:2
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed,
What This Reveals About the Human Heart
Herod’s response to Jesus exposes a different form of rejection.
Herod was fascinated by Jesus.
But he does not bow to Him.
He wants the benefits of Jesus’ power without the authority of Jesus’ rule.
This kind of response still exists today.
People become interested in Jesus, read about Him, talk about Him, even admire His teaching.
But still do not ally themselves with Him.
Curiosity is not the same as faith.
Herod stands face-to-face with the Son of God.
And he walks away mocking Him.
Personal Reflection and Application
These verses invite us to examine our own response to Jesus.
Do we approach Him with genuine humility?
Or do we treat Him as something interesting but ultimately optional?
It is possible to know about Jesus.
To hear His teaching.
To be curious about His miracles.
And yet still never truly submit to Him as King.
The difference between curiosity and faith is submission.
The true King is not merely someone we observe.
He is someone we follow.
Transition to Point 4
After mocking Jesus, Herod sends Him back to Pilate.
And something unexpected happens.
The King Is Rejected (23:12)
The King Is Rejected (23:12)
12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
The irony here is that this reconciliation happens because of injustice.
It happens because of their shared involvement in rejecting Jesus.
The one person in this entire scene who is truly innocent becomes the occasion for political unity.
Two rulers who once opposed each other now find common ground.
And that common ground is their handling of Christ.
We read Psalm 2:2 just a moment ago.
Luke’s Gospel is showing us that this pattern is unfolding before our eyes.
The religious leaders oppose Jesus.
The Roman governor questions Him.
The Herodian ruler mocks Him.
And now those rulers form an alliance.
The rulers of the earth are uniting against the Lord’s Anointed.
When confronted with the true King, the world does not simply misunderstand Him.
The world rejects Him.
And sometimes that rejection becomes a point of unity among people who otherwise disagree about almost everything.
Throughout history we see this pattern repeated.
People who differ on politics, culture, and philosophy can still find agreement in one thing:
Rejecting the authority of Christ.
The world may argue about many issues.
But the rejection of Jesus often becomes a shared ground.
Conclusion
Conclusion
There is another irony hidden in this scene.
The rulers believe they are exercising power over Jesus.
But in reality, everything unfolding here is moving according to the sovereign plan of God.
The rejection of the King is not the end of the story.
It is the path that leads to the cross.
And through the cross, God will accomplish the salvation of sinners.
The King who is rejected by the world will soon be revealed as the King who saves the world.
These verses invite us to ask a serious question.
Where do I stand in relation to the King?
Herod and Pilate represent two different kinds of responses.
One responds with curiosity and mockery.
The other responds with hesitation and political calculation.
But both responses lead to the same outcome.
Neither man bows before the King.
The danger for us is not only open hostility toward Jesus.
The danger is also indifference.
And Scripture presses the same question upon every reader.
Will we stand with the rulers who rejected the King?
Or will we stand with the King who was rejected for us?
Theological Significance
This moment also reveals something essential about the cross.
Jesus is the innocent King.
Scripture consistently affirms the sinlessness of Christ.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us:
“He was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin.”
Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:22:
“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.”
The one standing before Pilate is the only truly righteous man who has ever lived.
And yet He will be condemned.
Why?
Because the cross is not merely the execution of a criminal.
It is the substitution of the innocent for the guilty.
Jesus will die not for His own sins.
He will die for ours.
That is the good news of the gospel.
The King who is rejected in Luke 23 is not merely a victim of injustice.
He is the Savior who willingly walks toward the cross.
He is the innocent one who dies for the guilty.
The King who stands condemned will soon take upon Himself the sins of the world.
As Isaiah foretold,
“He was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:5)
The rejection of Jesus becomes the means of our redemption.
The innocent King dies so that guilty sinners can be forgiven.
What will you do with the King when he comes before you?
