Luke 23:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Pilate exhibited weakness and struggled to uphold the truth. His fear of false accusations and the possibility of being disgraced for releasing the wicked man overwhelmed him. He was unable to declare, "We shall not be afraid of your fear, but the Lord himself shall be my fear" (Isaiah 8:12-13). Therefore, he stated, "Having therefore chastised him," referring to the scourging, "I will release him."

The Sanhedrin approached Pilate following Jesus’ encounter with Herod. Pilate recognized that his cleverness had not served him well, leaving him in the same dilemma. Faced with the proud Sanhedrin, he pondered how to address their concerns and the purity of Jesus’ character. He informed the Sanhedrin that, based on his examination conducted in their presence, he found Jesus Christ to be innocent, and Herod’s court also deemed Him undeserving of death. Pilate concluded that it was his decision to either punish Jesus or release Him. The Sanhedrin fell silent, revealing their unexpected response (Luke 23:13-16). Thus, the battle between Pilate’s weakness and his conscience remained unresolved, prompting him to seek another course of action.

Pilate, noticing the insistence of the chief priests, proposed that Jesus be released, as it was customary to pardon a criminal during Passover. This would allow the verdict of the Sanhedrin to stand while preserving the life of the accused. In an attempt to appease their animosity towards Jesus, Pilate ordered Him to be whipped. However, the crowd, following the guidance of the chief priests, shouted for Barabbas to be set free instead of Jesus. As Pilate grappled with this dilemma, he received a message from his wife, who had recently experienced a troubling dream that led her to advocate strongly for the Innocent One. She requested that he refrain from condemning Him, a fate which Pilate sensed was imminent (Matt. 27:19).

Upon discovering that Herod had not found Jesus guilty but had merely ridiculed Him, Pilate exited to the Lyphostron. He addressed the chief priests, the leaders of the people, and the crowd, saying, “You have presented this man to me as one who misleads the people, yet I have examined Him in your presence and have found no fault in Him concerning the accusations you bring. Herod found nothing deserving of death when I sent Him to him. Therefore, I will release Him. If you do believe He has committed an offense and deserves punishment, I am willing to chastise Him as you wish, but afterward, I will release Him.” How just is such a judge? To declare the accused innocent of all charges and yet, to appease the malicious prosecutors by inflicting punishment? He sought to satisfy both sides but misjudged the situation: the chief priests, seeing his uncertainty, pressed their demands even more fervently; no compromises could quench their thirst for vengeance. Only the death of Jesus would bring them satisfaction.

From Herod's palace, the Lord Jesus Christ makes His way again through the streets of the northern Upper City to Pilate's Praetorium, with the throng around Him swelling during this journey. The Gospel narrative indicates that the procurator's court was a distinct structure, likely elevated, featuring a stone-paved platform at its entrance, which the Evangelist describes with the terms ‘a place called Lyphostroton, and in Hebrew Gabbatha.’ The term Λιθόστροτον signifies a stone platform, while גבעתא denotes a high platform. Out of concern for ceremonial purity, the Jews choose not to enter the actual building of the Praetorium—something they would normally do—but instead pause at the entrance, likely in a sizable square located before the Praetorium, beneath Gabbatha.

"Through His punishment," Pilate intended to appease the leaders of the people who had leveled accusations against the Lord, ensuring they would not depart without some form of retribution, thus preventing their bitter grumbling. On the flip side, he perceived that a mild penalty was appropriate for this visionary (whom he likely regarded as such), who, while posing no real threat to the Roman authorities, nonetheless claimed kingship and refused to disavow it. "I will release" signifies granting freedom, liberating from judgment and persecution.