Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Luke: Chapter 23]
[Table of Contents]
[Previous] [Next]
23:1 {The whole company} (\hapan to pl•thos\). All but Nicodemus
and Joseph of Arimathea who were probably not invited to this
meeting.
23:2 {Began to accuse} (\•rxanto kat•gorein\). They went at it
and kept it up. Luke mentions three, but neither of them includes
their real reason nor do they mention their own condemnation of
Jesus. They had indulged their hatred in doing it, but they no
longer have the power of life and death. Hence they say nothing
to Pilate of that. {We found} (\heuramen\). Second aorist active
indicative with first aorist vowel \a\. Probably they mean that
they had caught Jesus in the act of doing these things (_in
flagrante delicto_) rather than discovery by formal trial.
{Perverting our nation} (\diastrephonta to ethnos h•m•n\).
Present active participle of \diastreph•\, old verb to turn this
way and that, distort, disturb. In the N.T. only here and Ac
13:10. The Sanhedrin imply that the great popularity of Jesus
was seditious. {Forbidding to give tribute to Caesar}, (\k•luonta
phorous kaisari didonai\). Note object infinitive \didonai\ after
the participle \k•luonta\. Literally, hindering giving tribute to
Caesar. This was a flat untruth. Their bright young students had
tried desperately to get Jesus to say this very thing, but they
had failed utterly ( Lu 20:25). {Saying that he himself is
Christ a king} (\legonta hauton Christon basilea einai\). Note
the indirect discourse here after the participle \legonta\ with
the accusative (\hauton\ where \auton\ could have been used), and
the infinitive. This charge is true, but not in the sense meant
by them. Jesus did claim to be the Christ and the king of the
kingdom of God. But the Sanhedrin wanted Pilate to think that he
set himself up as a rival to Caesar. Pilate would understand
little from the word "Christ," but "King" was a different matter.
He was compelled to take notice of this charge else he himself
would be accused to Caesar of winking at such a claim by Jesus.
23:3 {Thou sayest} (\su legeis\). A real affirmative as in
22:70. The Gospels all give Pilate's question about Jesus
asking of the Jews in precisely the same words ( Mr 15:2; Mt
27:11; Lu 23:3; Joh 18:33).
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/LU23.RWP.html (1 of 11) [28/08/2004 09:05:57 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Luke: Chapter 23)