Jesus Before Pilate
A trial, a crowd, and Barabbas
Jesus is mocked, beaten, and sentenced to death, told without graphic detail.
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- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. He had been arrested during the night.
- The council: The Jewish leaders' court in Jerusalem, called the Sanhedrin. It included the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
- Pilate: The Roman governor of Judea. Rome ruled the land, and Pilate had the power to free or to crucify.
- Herod Antipas: The ruler of Galilee, in the north. He was a son of the King Herod in the Christmas story.
- Barabbas: A man in prison for rebellion and murder.
- The crowd: People in Jerusalem that morning. Luke does not say how many.
Setting
- The high priest's house, then the council's meeting room, then Pilate's headquarters. Herod was also staying in Jerusalem.
When
- From the end of the night to the next morning, about 2,000 years ago. It was Passover time, the day Jesus died.
Before the Story
Jesus was arrested in the night. After supper, Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives. Then men came with Judas and took him to the high priest's house (22:39-54).
Peter said three times that he did not know Jesus. Then Jesus turned and looked at him, and Peter went out and wept (22:54-62).
Jesus and his followers were Jewish. So were most people in Jerusalem that day. Some temple leaders wanted Jesus dead. But they were afraid of the people, who "hung on His words" (19:48).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: Jesus had said all this would happen. He said he would be mocked and killed, and "on the third day He will rise again" (18:32-33).
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mocked in the dark | 22:63-65 | The guards blindfold Jesus, hit him, and make fun of him |
| 2. The council at daybreak | 22:66-71 | "Are you the Son of God?" "You say that I am" |
| 3. Before Pilate | 23:1-5 | The leaders accuse Jesus. Pilate finds no crime |
| 4. Sent to Herod | 23:6-12 | Herod questions and mocks Jesus. Herod and Pilate become friends |
| 5. "Not guilty" | 23:13-16 | Pilate says again that Jesus has done nothing wrong |
| 6. The crowd shouts | 23:18-22 | They ask for Barabbas instead. Pilate speaks a third time |
| 7. Barabbas goes free | 23:23-25 | Pilate gives in. The guilty man walks out, and Jesus is handed over |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 7Mocked in the Dark
Peter was gone. He had walked out into the night, crying. But Jesus was still a prisoner in the high priest's house.
The men guarding Jesus began to mock him. To mock someone is to make fun of them in a cruel way. They also beat him.
They tied a cloth over his eyes. Then they kept telling him to prophesy. A prophet speaks for God. The guards wanted him to guess who had hit him.
They said many other terrible things against him. Luke uses the word blasphemy for these insults. Blasphemy usually means insulting God.
Jesus was alone. None of his friends were with him. Luke does not tell us that Jesus said anything back.
Scene 2 of 7The Council at Daybreak
At daybreak, the council met. It was made of the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes. The chief priests led worship at the Temple. The scribes were teachers of Moses's law. This council was called the Sanhedrin.
They led Jesus in. They said, "If you are the Christ, tell us." "Christ" means the same as "Messiah." It means the king God promised to send.
Jesus answered, "If I tell you, you will not believe" (22:67). He said that if he asked them a question, they would not answer.
Then Jesus said, "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God" (22:69). "Son of Man" is a name Jesus used for himself.
The right hand is the seat of honor beside a king. This is a picture. It means Jesus would share God's power and rule.
They all asked, "Are You then the Son of God?" (22:70).
He replied, "You say that I am" (22:70). Jesus did not say no.
"Why do we need any more witnesses?" they said. "We heard it ourselves, from his own mouth."
Scene 3 of 7Before Pilate
Then the whole council got up. They led Jesus to Pilate.
Pilate was the Roman governor. Rome ruled the land. Only Rome could put someone to death on a cross. Pilate later told Jesus that he had "authority to release You and authority to crucify You" (John 19:10).
Luke tells us that one council member did not agree with the others. His name was Joseph, from the town of Arimathea. Joseph "had not consented to their decision or action" (23:51).
The leaders began to accuse Jesus. They said, "We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King" (23:2). Subverting means turning people against the government. Caesar was the Roman emperor.
The tax charge was not true. A few days earlier, Jesus had said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" (20:25).
Pilate asked Jesus, "Are You the King of the Jews?" (23:3).
Jesus replied, "You have said so" (23:3).
Pilate turned to the chief priests and the crowds. He said, "I find no basis for a charge against this man" (23:4). That was the first time Pilate said Jesus was not guilty.
But they kept insisting. They said Jesus stirred up the people all over Judea with his teaching. He had started in Galilee and come all the way to Jerusalem.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 4 of 7Sent to Herod
Pilate heard the word Galilee. He asked if Jesus was from there. Jesus was. Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas. So Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time.
Earlier in Luke, Herod had said he beheaded John the Baptist. Herod had been trying to see Jesus ever since (9:9).
Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus. He had wanted to see Jesus for a long time, because he had heard about him. He hoped to see Jesus do a miracle.
Herod asked Jesus question after question. Jesus gave no answer.
The chief priests and scribes stood there. They accused Jesus loudly and fiercely.
Then Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. One likely reason for the robe: they were laughing at the idea that he was a king.
That day, Herod and Pilate became friends. Before this, they had been enemies. The Bible doesn't say why they became friends.
Scene 5 of 7"Not Guilty"
Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people.
Pilate said they had brought Jesus to him as a man who stirred up rebellion. He had questioned Jesus in front of them. He had found him "not guilty of your charges against Him" (23:14). That was the second time Pilate said Jesus was not guilty.
"Herod didn't find him guilty either," Pilate said. "He sent him back to us." Pilate said Jesus had done nothing that deserved death.
So Pilate said he would punish Jesus and then let him go.
Scene 6 of 7The Crowd Shouts
They all shouted together, the leaders and the people. They wanted Jesus taken away. They wanted Barabbas set free instead.
Barabbas was in prison for a rebellion in the city and for murder. A rebellion is a violent fight against the rulers.
Earlier that morning, the leaders had accused Jesus of turning people against the government. Jesus had not done that. Barabbas had.
Pilate wanted to release Jesus. He spoke to them again.
But they kept shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" (23:21).
A third time, Pilate spoke to them. "What evil has this man done?" (23:22). He said he had found nothing in Jesus that deserved death. He would punish him and let him go.
Scene 7 of 7Barabbas Goes Free
But they kept demanding, with loud voices, that Jesus be crucified. "And their clamor prevailed" (23:23). A clamor is loud shouting. Prevailed means it won.
Pilate gave his decision. He did what they asked.
He let Barabbas go free.
And he "handed Jesus over to their will" (23:25).
Three times Pilate said Jesus had done nothing wrong. He had the power to set Jesus free. He did not use it.
The guilty man walked out of prison. The innocent man was led away to die.
None of this took Jesus by surprise. He had told the twelve disciples it was coming (18:31). He said he would be handed over, mocked, and killed. And he said, "on the third day He will rise again" (18:33).
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Prophesy! Who hit You?" (22:64) | The guards were mocking Jesus. They blindfolded him and dared him to guess who hit him, like a cruel game. |
| "The right hand of the power of God" (22:69) | This is a picture. The right hand is the place of honor. Jesus is saying he will share God's rule. |
| "You say that I am" (22:70) | Jesus did not deny it. He let their own question stand as the answer. |
| "Are You the King of the Jews?" (23:3) | To Rome, a man called a king could be a threat to Caesar. Pilate was asking if Jesus was a rebel. |
| "I find no basis for a charge against this man" (23:4) | Pilate found no crime. He said this three times in this story (23:4, 23:14, 23:22). |
| "Their clamor prevailed" (23:23) | The shouting won. Pilate did not change his mind about the facts. He gave in to the pressure. |
| "Handed Jesus over to their will" (23:25) | Pilate let them have what they wanted. But the sentence was his. Soldiers led Jesus away and carried it out (23:26, 23:36). |
Back Then
The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish council in Jerusalem. It is said to have had 71 members, and the high priest led it. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea from about AD 26 to 36. His headquarters were in Caesarea, on the coast. He often came up to Jerusalem, and at Passover he came to keep order. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Pilate could be cruel. Luke tells of Galileans "whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices" (13:1). That means Pilate had them killed while they were worshiping.
Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea for Rome. He was a son of Herod the Great, the king in the Christmas story. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Crucifixion was a Roman punishment. For free people, Rome used it only for the worst criminals. (Smith's Bible Dictionary)
Jerusalem was packed at Passover. Jewish pilgrims came from many lands to keep the feast at the Temple. (Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Literal Reader Alert
Is this story about "the Jews" as a people? No. Jesus was Jewish. So were Mary, Peter, and all the first disciples. Luke names who acted that day. Some temple leaders, the chief priests and scribes, wanted Jesus dead (22:2). The council brought him to Pilate. Leaders and a crowd that morning shouted for Barabbas (23:13, 23:18). Herod mocked Jesus. And Pilate, the Roman governor, gave the order. Only he had the power to crucify (John 19:10). Luke also shows other Jewish people that day. Joseph, a council member, did not agree (23:51). A great number of people followed Jesus to the cross, and women mourned for him (23:27). Many went home grieving (23:48). Earlier, some Pharisees had warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him (13:31).
For centuries, many Christians, including Martin Luther, used passion stories like this one to blame all Jewish people for Jesus's death. This led to hatred and terrible violence against Jewish people. It was wrong. In 1994 the ELCA spoke to the Jewish community. It said it rejects Luther's violent words against Jewish people. It said it feels deep sorrow for the harm those words caused. In 1998 the ELCA gave its churches guidelines. They say blame for Jesus's death should not be put on Judaism or the Jewish people. Read our note on this.
Then who is to blame? Christians confess that Jesus died because of everyone's sins, including our own. The old Lutheran hymn "Ah, Holy Jesus" says it this way: "I crucified thee." (See Good News.)
What about "His blood be on us and on our children"? Those words are in Matthew (Matthew 27:25). They are not in Luke. For centuries, some Christians misused that verse as a curse on Jewish people of every time and place. That was wrong. Jesus did not curse anyone that day. Luke tells us he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (23:34). Paul wrote that God's gifts and call to Israel are "irrevocable" (Romans 11:29). That means God does not take them back.
Why does Pilate seem to be on Jesus's side? Luke shows Pilate saying three times that Jesus is not guilty. That tells us Jesus was innocent. But Pilate still gave the order. He could have set Jesus free, and he chose not to.
Why is there no verse 17? Some later copies of Luke add a verse about Pilate releasing one prisoner at the feast. The oldest copies do not have it, so the BSB leaves it out. Mark tells about this custom (Mark 15:6).
Why was Jesus silent before Herod? The Bible doesn't say why. Many Christians hear an echo of Isaiah: "as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult. If you are being blamed or bullied for who you are, you do not have to handle it alone.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus | The Bible doesn't say | Luke tells what he did. He answered the council and Pilate briefly, and gave Herod no answer at all (22:67-70, 23:3, 23:9) |
| The council | Sure | They said they had heard enough from Jesus's own lips (22:71) |
| Herod | Pleased, then mocking | He hoped to see a miracle, but Jesus did not answer him (23:8-11) |
| Pilate | Unsure, then giving in | He wanted to release Jesus, but the shouting won (23:20, 23:23-24) |
| The leaders and the crowd | Insistent | They kept shouting for Jesus to be crucified (23:18, 23:21, 23:23) |
| Barabbas | The Bible doesn't say | Luke only says he was released (23:25) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which part of this story stays with you? Tap one.
Jesus alone and mocked
Jesus knows what it is like to be laughed at, hit, and left alone. You can bring that hurt to him. He is not ashamed of you.
Pilate knew and gave in
It's right to be angry about that. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. God still worked through that wrong to save the world.
Barabbas went free
That is the Good News in one picture. The guilty went free, and the innocent took his place. Christians believe Jesus did that for us too.
I've been blamed unfairly
Jesus was blamed for things he did not do. He sees you. Please tell a trusted adult what is happening.
It's really bad right now
You don't have to face this alone. Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time, day or night. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"Pilate was weak. Don't give in to the crowd like he did."
What's true: Pilate knew the truth and gave in to pressure. That was wrong. Standing up for someone who is being treated unfairly matters.
What the story is mainly about: This story is not mainly about being braver than Pilate. It shows every kind of power doing wrong at once: temple leaders, a king, a governor, soldiers, and a crowd. And it shows what God was doing through it. Jesus had said he would be handed over (18:32). He was not trapped. He went willingly, in our place.
Where Jesus is: Standing silent in a fine robe that was meant as a joke. Taking the place of a guilty man.
Good News
Barabbas was guilty. Jesus was innocent. Barabbas walked out free, and Jesus went to the cross.
Christians see the whole good news of Jesus in that trade. The letter called 1 Peter says Christ "suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Paul wrote, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
So we do not read this story to point at someone else. In 1630, the Lutheran pastor Johann Heermann wrote the hymn "Ah, Holy Jesus." In Robert Bridges's English version (1897), it asks, "Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?" And it answers, "'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee: I crucified thee." That is the Christian confession. Our sins are the reason he died.
But that confession is not where the story ends. Jesus did not come to condemn Barabbas, or the crowd, or us. From the cross, he prayed, "Father, forgive them" (23:34).
Like Barabbas, we go free because Jesus takes our place.
From the Wider Church
In 1965, the Roman Catholic Church's Second Vatican Council spoke to this. In the document Nostra Aetate, the Council taught that Christ's suffering cannot be blamed on all the Jewish people of that time. Nor can it be blamed on Jewish people today. It said Jewish people must not be presented as rejected or cursed by God. It also rejected hatred of Jewish people at any time and by anyone.
Big Idea
In Jesus, God takes the place of the guilty, so that people like Barabbas, and people like us, go free.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In 1519, Luther wrote a sermon on how to think about Jesus's suffering. It begins with the wrong way. "Some people meditate on Christ's passion by venting their anger on the Jews." Luther said this misses the point. The right way is to see that our own sins are the reason Jesus suffered (A Meditation on Christ's Passion, Luther's Works vol. 42). Sadly, Luther did not keep to this. Late in life, he wrote hateful things against Jewish people. The ELCA rejects those writings.
In The Freedom of a Christian (1520), Luther compared faith to a wedding. "Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation." Faith joins them. Then our sins, death, and damnation belong to Christ. His grace, life, and salvation belong to us. Many Christians call this the "happy exchange."
Luther did not write this about Barabbas. That connection is ours. But Barabbas shows the exchange plainly. His guilt went to Jesus, and Jesus's freedom went to him.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads this story on the Sunday of the Passion, also called Palm Sunday, in Year C. The story is part of the long reading, Luke 22:14 to 23:56. The shorter option, Luke 23:1-49, includes the trial before Pilate and Herod.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
I have found in Him no offense worthy of death.
How did that feel?