Jesus Accused - Luke 23:2

Luke the beloved physician wrote concerning Jesus how, “the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate”, and in chapter twenty-three and verse two of his book Luke shared how the religious leaders, “began to accuse him” where we read:

And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation,

and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

The verse reads, “And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, ...” Luke began with the words, “and they began” or “and the whole multitude of religious leaders initiated and started” “to accuse him” which means “to make accusations against and charge Jesus with an office”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “we found this fellow perverting” which means “we, religious leaders, discovered , came upon, learned and detected this man distorting, turning aside, opposing and corrupting” “the nation” or “the people group, tribe and people”. Luke shared how the religious leaders made accusations against Jesus by declaring that He was “turning aside and corrupting” the people of the land.

The verse continues, “... and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” Luke added the words, “and forbidding to give tribute” which means “and hindering, preventing, refusing and denying granting, bestowing, supplying, furnishing and delivering” “to Caesar” which means “severed and was the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title”, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring and proclaiming” “that he himself is Christ” or “that he, Jesus His own self, exists as the anointed One, Messiah and Son of God” “a King” which means “a leader of the people, prince, commander and lord of the land”. Luke shared how the religious told Pilate that Jesus was “preventing” people from paying their taxes because He claimed to be “the Messiah, Son of God and lord of the land”.

When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the religious leaders accused Jesus by telling Pilate that He was “corrupting” the people in the land as He instructed them not to pay taxes to Caesar because He was God's Messiah, a King, and ruler of the land. Their charges were only partly correct, but it did not matter because they wanted Jesus dead and anything that might bring judgment upon Him was useful in condemning Him. Though these “religious leaders” meant great harm to Jesus, they were actually falling into God's plan for Jesus to die for the sins of the world. Everyone who carefully examines God's plan of redemption through Jesus Christ should yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” and receive forgiveness for their sins and eternal life with God.

Next time we see Luke share how, “Pilate asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".