Luke 23:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Now they finding nothing else to support their calumny, have resort to the aid of clamour, for it follows, And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. As if they said, He perverts the people, not in one part only, but beginning from Galilee He arrives at this place, having passed through Judæa. I think then that they purposely made mention of Galilee, as desirous to alarm Pilate, for the Galilæans were of a different sect and given to sedition, as, for example, Judas of Galilee who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.

They strongly objected, claiming He misleads the people by "teaching in all Judea, starting from Galilee even to this place." They retract their earlier charges, fabricating reasons to accuse Him and discovering new ways to defame Him. "For He, they assert, misleads the populace, teaching across Galilee even to this location." However, in their allegations of His teaching, they conveniently leave out the content of His teachings, likely fearing that Pilate himself might become a believer. If he were to hear Christ unveil His truths, he could have chosen to abandon the worship of false deities, allowing the light of genuine knowledge of God to illuminate his heart and mind with the healing and redemptive message that Christ offers. So, what are Christ’s teachings?

Luke, after he had finished relating the denial of Peter, recapitulated all that took place concerning our Lord during the morning, mentioning some particulars which the others omitted; and so he has composed his narrative, giving a similar account with the rest, when he says, And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him to Pilate, &c.

Our Lord is accused and is silent, for He needs no defence. Let them cast about for defence who fear to be conquered. He does not then confirm, the accusation by His silence, but He despises it by not refuting it. Why then should He fear who does not court safety? The Safety of all men forfeits His own, that He may gain that of all.

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That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which He prophesied of His own death, He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, that is, to the Romans. For Pilate was a Roman, and the Romans had sent him as governor to Judæa.

The authorities expressed numerous accusations against Him (Mark 15:3). The Sanhedrin remained unresponsive to the truth, persistently hostile towards Jesus. Its members confronted Him with fury, seeking to compel Pilate to refuse His release. St. Luke highlights the nature of the charges leveled against Jesus, stating: “they said that He was stirring up the people throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee.”

Pilate, noticing the relentless insistence of the chief priests, proposed that Jesus be released, as it was customary to free a prisoner during Passover. This would allow the Sanhedrin’s verdict to stand while sparing the life of the accused. To appease their animosity towards Jesus, Pilate ordered Him to be scourged. Yet the crowd, influenced by the chief priests, shouted for Barabbas instead, demanding that Jesus not be released. Confused about how to proceed, Pilate received a message from his wife, who had a significant dream regarding the Innocent One. Without mentioning Him by name, she urged Pilate not to condemn the Righteous One, which deeply troubled Pilate (Matt. 27:19).

The second charge (Luke). When the adversaries of Jesus noticed that their claim of Him asserting He was the King of the Jews did not lead to the expected reaction from Pilate, they sought to reinforce this allegation by highlighting not only His proclamation of Kingship but also the fact that He incited the populace, prompting them towards insurrection while preaching across Judea, from Galilee to this location. It is possible that they specifically mentioned Galilee, aware of Pilate’s animosity towards the governor of Galilee, believing that this might provoke Pilate to act with greater severity out of vengeance. Yet, they misjudged the situation; at that moment, Pilate aimed to mend relations with Herod. To this end, and perhaps also in hopes of gaining clarity on a perplexing issue, he sent Jesus to Herod.

The high priests continued their accusations against Jesus, asserting that He was inciting the crowds, preaching throughout Judea and Galilee. "Is He a Galilean?" Pilate inquired. At that time, Galileans were regarded as insurrectionists, and the chief priests believed that labeling Jesus as such would reveal Him as a potential instigator of unrest. "Indeed, He is a Galilean," they affirmed.

The public declaration of innocence for the prisoner, despised by the religious leaders and the target of much plotting and restless nights, only served to infuriate His adversaries further. In reaction to Pilate's exoneration, they cried out in desperation, asserting that it was unthinkable to release such a person, claiming He was a fraud who had incited the people through His teachings all across Judea, from Galilee to this location. Amid these vociferous accusations, the Prisoner remained composed and silent.

It is easy to envision the effect that the procurator's words had. How could the accusers come to terms with such an unfavorable outcome and swiftly accept Pilate's ruling? Fresh accusations emerged against the Lord Jesus Christ, inciting the anger of the people, as noted in Luke 23:5. As the mob's fervor escalated, Pilate found himself increasingly vacillating between his own beliefs and the demands of the accusers. Amidst the chaotic shouts, he heard the mention of Galilee. Realizing that the accused hailed from Galilee and was thus outside his jurisdiction, Pilate quickly seized the chance to sidestep an unpleasant situation. The Romans upheld a statute stipulating that every criminal fell under the authority of the governor of the province to which they belonged.

They pressed on, likely not anticipating such a response from the Roman governor, who represented Caesar's authority in Judea. When he did not accept their interpretation of Jesus claiming royal status, they adamantly focused on their original allegation that He was inciting the populace. They explicitly used the term “enrages” rather than “corrupts,” clearly indicating to the Roman governor that it was a political insurrection that he, too, was obliged to suppress as Caesar's representative in Judea. According to their claims, Jesus had initiated this insurrection in Galilee, which now extended throughout Judea, including its capital; therefore, this unrest was seen as affecting two-thirds of the region, namely Galilee and Judea, with only Samaria being unaffected.