But they were insistentThe crowd's insistence reflects the intense pressure placed on Pilate by the Jewish leaders and the people. This moment is a culmination of the growing hostility towards Jesus, which had been building throughout His ministry. The religious leaders had long sought to eliminate Jesus, fearing His influence and the challenge He posed to their authority (
John 11:47-53). This insistence also fulfills the prophecy of the suffering servant in
Isaiah 53, where it is foretold that the Messiah would be rejected by His own people.
demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified
The demand for crucifixion highlights the severity of the punishment they sought. Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution reserved for the most heinous criminals and was considered extremely shameful and brutal. The loud voices indicate a mob mentality, where reason and justice are overshadowed by emotion and manipulation. This scene echoesPsalm 22, a messianic psalm that describes the suffering and rejection of the righteous one.
And their clamor prevailed
The prevailing clamor signifies the triumph of injustice and the failure of Pilate to uphold justice, despite his initial hesitations (Luke 23:4, 14-15). Pilate's capitulation to the crowd's demands illustrates the political and social pressures of the time, as he sought to maintain order and avoid unrest during the volatile period of Passover. This moment also underscores the fulfillment of God's sovereign plan for redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus, as foretold in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:10).
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The CrowdA group of people, likely including religious leaders and common citizens, who were vehemently demanding Jesus' crucifixion.
2.
Pontius PilateThe Roman governor who was responsible for overseeing the trial of Jesus and ultimately authorized His crucifixion.
3.
Jesus ChristThe central figure of Christianity, who is being unjustly accused and sentenced to death.
4.
JerusalemThe city where these events took place, significant as the center of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple.
5.
The CrucifixionThe method of execution that the crowd demanded for Jesus, a pivotal event in Christian theology.
Teaching Points
The Power of Public OpinionThe crowd's insistence demonstrates how public opinion can influence leaders and decisions, even when they are unjust.
The Fulfillment of ProphecyDespite the injustice, these events fulfill Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah's suffering and rejection.
The Role of LeadershipPilate's capitulation to the crowd's demands highlights the responsibility of leaders to uphold justice, even under pressure.
The Nature of Sin and RedemptionThe crucifixion, demanded by the crowd, becomes the means of salvation, illustrating God's redemptive plan through human sinfulness.
The Cost of DiscipleshipFollowing Christ may involve standing against the crowd and enduring persecution, as Jesus did.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Luke 23:23?
2.How does Luke 23:23 illustrate the power of public opinion over justice?
3.What can we learn from Pilate's response to the crowd's loud demands?
4.How does this verse connect with Isaiah 53:3 about Jesus being despised?
5.In what ways can we resist peer pressure in our daily Christian walk?
6.How should we respond when faced with unjust demands from others?
7.Why did the crowd demand Jesus' crucifixion in Luke 23:23?
8.How does Luke 23:23 reflect human nature's tendency towards mob mentality?
9.What does Luke 23:23 reveal about the concept of justice in biblical times?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Luke 23?
11.What defines populism and a populist?
12.What were the key events in Jesus' trials?
13.In Luke 23:43, how could Jesus promise immediate paradise to the thief when other texts suggest differing timelines for the afterlife?
14.Who was Joseph's father? (Matthew 1:16 vs. Luke 3:23)What Does Luke 23:23 Mean
Persistent opposition“But they were insistent…”
• Pilate had just declared Jesus innocent for the third time (Luke 23:13-22), yet the crowd refused to accept that verdict.
• Their stubbornness mirrors earlier rejections of God’s prophets (Luke 13:34;Acts 7:52), revealing a heart hardened against truth.
•Mark 15:11-14 shows the chief priests stirring up the multitudes, underscoring how spiritual leaders can sway people when Scripture’s authority is ignored.
The sinister demand“…demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified.”
• The cry for crucifixion highlights the depth of human sin: rather than mere punishment, they clamored for the most brutal death Rome could inflict (John 19:6, 15).
•Isaiah 53:3-5 foretold that the Messiah would be “despised” and “pierced,” and here those prophecies unfold in real time.
•Acts 2:23 later confirms that, though wicked men executed Jesus, His death was part of God’s predetermined plan—a stunning blend of human responsibility and divine sovereignty.
The triumph of clamor“And their clamor prevailed.”
• Pilate capitulated to public pressure (Matthew 27:24-26), trading justice for expediency.
•Proverbs 29:25 warns that “the fear of man brings a snare,” a snare Pilate walked straight into.
• Yet even this miscarriage of justice fulfilled Jesus’ own prediction that He would be “lifted up” (John 12:32-33), proving Scripture’s absolute reliability.
summaryLuke 23:23 exposes how relentless opposition, sinful demands, and prevailing clamor combined to send the innocent Son of God to the cross. Though driven by human wickedness, every moment unfolded exactly as Scripture had foretold, displaying both the depth of man’s sin and the unfailing faithfulness of God’s redemptive plan.
(23)
They were instant.--Literally,
they pressed upon Him. As the adjective is almost passing into the list of obsolescent words, it may be well to remind the reader that it has the force of "urgent." So we have "instant in prayer" (
Romans 12:12), "be instant in season, out of season" (
2Timothy 4:2).
And of the chief priests.--The words are omitted in many of the best MSS.
Verse 23. -
And they were instant withloud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. The Roman governor now found that all his devices to liberate Jesus with the consent and approval of the Jews were fruitless. After the clamour which resulted in the release of Barabbas had ceased, the terrible cry, "Crucify him!" was raised among that fickle crowd. Pilate was determined to carry out his threat of scourging the Innocent.
That might satisfy them, perhaps excite their pity. Something whispered to him that he would be wise if he refrained from staining his life with the blood of that strange quiet Prisoner. St. Luke omits here the "scourging;" the mock-homage of the soldiers; the scarlet robe and the crown of thorns; the last appeal to pity when Pilate produced the pale, bleeding Sufferer with the words, "Ecce Homo!" the last solemn interview of Pilate and Jesus, related by St. John; the sustained clamour of the people for the blood of the Sinless. "Then
he delivered Jesus to their will" (ver. 25). (See
Matthew 27,
Mark 15, and
John 19, for these details, omitted in St. Luke.) Of the omitted details, the most important piece in connection with the "last things" is the recital by St. John of the examination of Jesus by Pilate in the Praetorium. None of the Sanhedrists or strict Jews, we have noticed, were present at these interrogatories. They, we read, entered not into the judgment-hall of Pilate, lest they might be defiled, and so be precluded from eating the Passover Feast. St. John, however, who appears to have been the most fearless of the "eleven," and who besides evidently had friends among the Sanhedrin officials, was clearly present at these examinations. He too, we are aware, had eaten his Passover the evening before, and therefore had no defilement to fear. The first interrogatories have been already alluded to, in the course of which the question, "Art thou a King, then?" was put by Pilate, and the famous reflection by the Roman, "What is truth?" was made. Then followed the "sending to Herod;" the return of the Prisoner from Herod; the offer of release, which ended in the choice by the people of Barabbas. The scourging of the prisoner Jesus followed. This was a horrible punishment. The condemned person was usually stripped and fastened to a pillar or stake, and then scourged with leather throngs tipped with leaden balls or sharp spikes. The effects, described by Romans, and Christians in the 'Martyrdoms,' were terrible. Not only the muscles of the back, but the breast, the face, the eyes, were torn; the very entrails were laid bare, the anatomy was exposed, and the sufferer, convulsed with torture, was often thrown down a bloody heap at the feet of the judge. In our Lord's case this punishment, though not proceeding to the awful consequences described in some of the 'Martyrologies,' must have been very severe: this is evident from his sinking under the cross, and from the short time which elapsed before his death upon it. "Recent investigations at Jerusalem have disclosed what may have been the scene of the punishment. In a subterranean chamber, discovered by Captain Warren, on what Mr. Fergusson holds to be the site of Antonia - Pilate's Praetorium - stands a truncated column, no part of the construction, for the chamber is vaulted above the pillar, but just such a pillar as criminals would be tied to to be scourged" (Dr. Westcott). After the cruel scourging came the mocking by the Roman soldiers. They threw across the torn and mangled shoulders one of those scarlet cloaks worn by the soldiers themselves - a coarse mockery of the royal mantle worn by a victorious general. They pressed down on his temples a crown or wreath, imitating what they had probably seen the emperor wear in the form of laurel wreath - Tiberius's wreath of laurel was seen upon his arms (Suetonius, 'Tiberius,' c. 17). The crown was made, as an old tradition represents it, of the
Zizyphus Christi, the
nubk of the Arabs, a plant which is found in all the warmer parts of Palestine and about Jerusalem. The thorns are numerous and sharp, and the flexible twigs well adapted for the purpose (Tristram, 'Natural History of the Bible,' p. 429). "The representations in the great pictures of the Italian painters probably come very near the truth" ('Speaker's Commentary'). In his right hand they placed a reed to simulate a sceptre, and before this sad, woebegone Figure "they bowed the knee, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!" Hase ('Geschichte Jesu,' p. 573) is even moved to say, "There is some comfort in the fact that, even in the midst of the mockery, the truth made itself felt. Herod recognizes his innocence by a white robe; the Roman soldiery his royalty by the sceptre and the crown of thorns, and that has become the highest of all crowns, as was fitting, being the most meritorious." It was
then and
thus that Pilate led Jesus out before the Sanhedrists and the people, as they shouted in their unreasoning fury, "Crucify him!" while the Roman, partly sadly, partly scornfully, partly pitifully, as he pointed to the silent Sufferer by his side, pronounced "Ecce Homo!" But the enemies of Jesus were pitiless. They kept on crying, "Crucify him!" and when Pilate still demurred carrying out their bloody purpose, they added that "by their Law he ought to die, because he made himself the
Son of God." All through that morning's exciting scenes had Pilate seen that something strange and mysterious belonged to that solitary Man accused before him. His demeanour, his words, his very look, had impressed the Roman with a singular awe. Then came his wife's message, telling him of her dream, warning her husband to have nothing to do with
that just Man. Everything seemed to whisper to him," Do not let that strange, innocent Prisoner be done to death: he is not what he seems." And now the fact, openly published by the furious Jews, that the poor Accused claimed a Divine origin, deepened the awe. Who, then, had he been scourging? Once more Pilate returns to his judgment-hall, and he says to Jesus, again standing before him, "Whence art thou?" The result of this last interrogatory St. John (
John 19:12)briefly summarizes in the words, "From thenceforth Pilate sought to release him." The Sanhedrists, and their blind instruments, the fickle, wavering multitude, when they perceived the Roman governor's intention to release their Victim, changed their tactics. They forbore any longer to press the old charges of blasphemy and of indefinite wrong-doing, and they appealed only to Pilate's own dastardly fears. The Prisoner claimed to be a King. If the lieutenant of the emperor let such a traitor go free, why, that lieutenant emphatically was not Caesar's friend! Such a plea for the Sanhedrin to use before a Roman tribunal, to ask for death to be inflicted on a Jew because he had injured the majesty of Rome, was a deep degradation; but the Sanhedrin well knew the temper of the Roman judge with whom they had to deal, and they rightly calculated that his fears for himself, if properly aroused, would turn the scale and secure the condemnation of Jesus. They were right.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Butδὲ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.they were insistent,ἐπέκειντο(epekeinto)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1945:From epi and keimai; to rest upon.demandingαἰτούμενοι(aitoumenoi)Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 154:To ask, request, petition, demand. Of uncertain derivation; to ask.with loud voicesφωναῖς(phōnais)Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5456:Probably akin to phaino through the idea of disclosure; a tone; by implication, an address, saying or language.for [Jesus]αὐτὸν(auton)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.to be crucified.σταυρωθῆναι(staurōthēnai)Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive
Strong's 4717:From stauros; to impale on the cross; figuratively, to extinguish passion or selfishness.Andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.theirαὐτῶν(autōn)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.clamorφωναὶ(phōnai)Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5456:Probably akin to phaino through the idea of disclosure; a tone; by implication, an address, saying or language.prevailed.κατίσχυον(katischyon)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2729:To prevail against, overpower, get the upper hand. From kata and ischuo; to overpower.
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NT Gospels: Luke 23:23 But they were urgent with loud voices (Luke Lu Lk) 
