Discovery BoxLuke 22:66
Context22:66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law. 1 Then 2 they led Jesus 3 away to their council 4
Matthew 27:1-2
Context27:1 When 5 it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him. 27:2 They 6 tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate 7 the governor. 8
Matthew 27:11-14
Context27:11 Then 9 Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, 10 “Are you the king 11 of the Jews?” Jesus 12 said, “You say so.” 13 27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not respond. 27:13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they are bringing against you?” 27:14 But he did not answer even one accusation, so that the governor was quite amazed.
Mark 15:1-5
Context15:1 Early in the morning, after forming a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the experts in the law 14 and the whole Sanhedrin tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 15 15:2 So 16 Pilate asked him, “Are you the king 17 of the Jews?” He replied, 18 “You say so.” 19 15:3 Then 20 the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. 15:4 So Pilate asked him again, 21 “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” 15:5 But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
John 18:28-38
Context18:28 Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s residence. 22 (Now it was very early morning.) 23 They 24 did not go into the governor’s residence 25 so they would not be ceremonially defiled, but could eat the Passover meal. 18:29 So Pilate came outside to them and said, “What accusation 26 do you bring against this man?” 27 18:30 They replied, 28 “If this man 29 were not a criminal, 30 we would not have handed him over to you.” 31
18:31 Pilate told them, 32 “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him 33 according to your own law!” 34 The Jewish leaders 35 replied, 36 “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” 37 18:32 (This happened 38 to fulfill the word Jesus had spoken when he indicated 39 what kind of death he was going to die. 40 )
18:33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s residence, 41 summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 42 18:34 Jesus replied, 43 “Are you saying this on your own initiative, 44 or have others told you about me?” 18:35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? 45 Your own people 46 and your chief priests handed you over 47 to me. What have you done?”
18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being 48 handed over 49 to the Jewish authorities. 50 But as it is, 51 my kingdom is not from here.” 18:37 Then Pilate said, 52 “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to 53 my voice.” 18:38 Pilate asked, 54 “What is truth?” 55
When he had said this he went back outside to the Jewish leaders 56 and announced, 57 “I find no basis for an accusation 58 against him.
[22:66] 1 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
[22:66] 2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[22:66] 3 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:66] 4 sn Their council is probably a reference to the Jewish Sanhedrin, the council of seventy leaders.
[27:1] 5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[27:2] 6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[27:2] 7 tc Most
[27:2] 8 sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it from being used to execute Roman sympathizers.
[27:11] 9 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[27:11] 10 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[27:11] 11 sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.
[27:11] 12 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[27:11] 13 sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership in 26:64.
[15:1] 14 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
[15:1] 15 sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it being used to execute Roman sympathizers.
[15:2] 16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action in the narrative.
[15:2] 17 sn “Are you the king of the Jews?” Pilate was interested in this charge because of its political implications of sedition against Rome.
[15:2] 18 tn Grk “answering, he said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been modified for clarity.
[15:2] 19 sn The reply “You say so” is somewhat enigmatic, like Jesus’ earlier reply to the Jewish leadership (mentioned in Matt 26:64 and Luke 22:70).
[15:3] 20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[15:4] 21 tn Grk “Pilate asked him again, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[18:28] 22 tn Grk “to the praetorium.”
[18:28] 23 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[18:28] 24 tn Grk “And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
[18:28] 25 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
[18:29] 27 sn In light of the fact that Pilate had cooperated with them in Jesus’ arrest by providing Roman soldiers, the Jewish authorities were probably expecting Pilate to grant them permission to carry out their sentence on Jesus without resistance (the Jews were not permitted to exercise capital punishment under the Roman occupation without official Roman permission, cf. v. 31). They must have been taken somewhat by surprise by Pilate’s question “What accusation do you bring against this man,” because it indicated that he was going to try the prisoner himself. Thus Pilate was regarding the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin as only an inquiry and their decision as merely an accusation.
[18:30] 28 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[18:30] 30 tn Or “an evildoer”; Grk “one doing evil.”
[18:30] 31 tn Or “would not have delivered him over.”
[18:31] 32 tn Grk “Then Pilate said to them.”
[18:31] 33 tn Or “judge him.” For the translation “pass judgment on him” see R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:848).
[18:31] 34 sn Pilate, as the sole representative of Rome in a troubled area, was probably in Jerusalem for the Passover because of the danger of an uprising (the normal residence for the Roman governor was in Caesarea as mentioned in Acts 23:35). At this time on the eve of the feast he would have been a busy and perhaps even a worried man. It is not surprising that he offered to hand Jesus back over to the Jewish authorities to pass judgment on him. It may well be that Pilate realized when no specific charge was mentioned that he was dealing with an internal dispute over some religious matter. Pilate wanted nothing to do with such matters, as the statement “Pass judgment on him according to your own law!” indicates. As far as the author is concerned, this points out who was really responsible for Jesus’ death: The Roman governor Pilate would have had nothing to do with it if he had not been pressured by the Jewish religious authorities, upon whom the real responsibility rested.
[18:31] 35 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12.
[18:31] 36 tn Grk “said to him.”
[18:31] 37 tn Grk “It is not permitted to us to kill anyone.”
[18:32] 38 tn The words “This happened” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
[18:32] 39 tn Or “making clear.”
[18:32] 40 sn A reference to John 12:32.
[18:33] 41 tn Grk “into the praetorium.”
[18:33] 42 sn It is difficult to discern Pilate’s attitude when he asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Some have believed the remark to be sarcastic or incredulous as Pilate looked at this lowly and humble prisoner: “So you’re the king of the Jews, are you?” Others have thought the Roman governor to have been impressed by Jesus’ regal disposition and dignity, and to have sincerely asked, “Are you really the king of the Jews?” Since it will later become apparent (v. 38) that Pilate considered Jesus innocent (and therefore probably also harmless) an attitude of incredulity is perhaps most likely, but this is far from certain in the absence of clear contextual clues.
[18:34] 43 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
[18:34] 44 tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”
[18:35] 45 sn Many have seen in Pilate’s reply “I am not a Jew, am I?” the Roman contempt for the Jewish people. Some of that may indeed be present, but strictly speaking, all Pilate affirms is that he, as a Roman, has no firsthand knowledge of Jewish custom or belief. What he knows of Jesus must have come from the Jewish authorities. They are the ones (your own people and your chief priests) who have handed Jesus over to Pilate.
[18:35] 46 tn Or “your own nation.”
[18:35] 47 tn Or “delivered you over.”
[18:36] 48 tn Grk “so that I may not be.”
[18:36] 49 tn Or “delivered over.”
[18:36] 50 tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.
[18:37] 52 tn Grk “said to him.”
[18:37] 53 tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”
[18:38] 54 tn Grk “Pilate said.”
[18:38] 55 sn With his reply “What is truth?” Pilate dismissed the matter. It is not clear what Pilate’s attitude was at this point, as in 18:33. He may have been sarcastic, or perhaps somewhat reflective. The author has not given enough information in the narrative to be sure. Within the narrative, Pilate’s question serves to make the reader reflect on what truth is, and that answer (in the narrative) has already been given (14:6).
[18:38] 56 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. The term also occurs in v. 31, where it is clear the Jewish leaders are in view, because they state that they cannot legally carry out an execution. Although it is likely (in view of the synoptic parallels) that the crowd here in 18:38 was made up not just of the Jewish leaders, but of ordinary residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, nevertheless in John’s Gospel Pilate is primarily in dialogue with the leadership of the nation, who are expressly mentioned in 18:35 and 19:6.
