Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
22.47
–53: Jesus’ arrest
(Mt 26.47–56; Mk 14.43–52; Jn 18.2–12).
47
:
Kiss
, see 2 Sam 20.9; the greeting of early followers of Jesus (Rom 16.16; 1 Cor 16.20; 2 Cor 13.12; 1 Thess 5.26; 1 Pet 5.14).
48
:
Son of Man
, 5.24n.
49
:
Sword
, see 22.36–38.
52
:
Chief priests
, mentioned only in Luke’s account of the arrest (see 19.47n.).
Bandit
(Gk “lēstēs”), not a simple robber but one who uses violence (10.30,36; 19.46).
53
:
Power of darkness
, 1.79; 11.35–36; 23.33; Gal 1.13; Luke depicts the chief priests’ authority as cosmically evil (see also Ps 82.5; 107.10,14, and elsewhere).
22.54
–62: Peter’s denials
(Mt 26.69–75; Mk 14.66–72; Jn 18.12–27).
59
:
Galilean
, likely identifiable by his accent.
61
:
The Lord
…
looked
, unique to Luke’s Gospel.
22.63
–65: The mockery of Jesus
(Mt 26.67–68; 27.27–31a; Mk 14.65; 15.16–20a; cf. Jn 18.22–24).
22.66
–71: Sanhedrin condemnation
(Mt 27.1; 26.59–65; Mk 14.55–63; 15.1; Jn 18.13–14,19–23).
66
:
Council
(Gk “synedrion,” Sanhedrin; related to Heb “bet din,” “house of judgment”), the judicial authority.
Mishnah Sanh
. records a “Great Sanhedrin” of seventy-one that met in the Temple; it was ruled by the high priest but consisted of sages (rabbis). This report’s historicity is questionable, given the Mishnah’s tendency to promote the authority of the sages. John’s Gospel, lacking a Sanhedrin hearing, depicts only a hearing before Annas.
67
:
If you are the Messiah
, a charge against Jesus in 23.2.
69
:
Son of Man
, see 5.24n.
Seated at the right hand
, see also Col 3.1; Heb 8.1.
70
:
You say
, Jesus does not provide a direct answer (contrast Mk 14.62).
71
:
No charge is directly applied to Jesus; he has not technically blasphemed nor engaged in sedition.
23.1
–5: Jesus before Pilate
(Mt 27.1–14; Mk 15.1–5; Jn 18.28–38).
1
:
Pilate
, see 3.1n.
Perverting our nation
, perhaps an allusion to Deut 13.1–11, suggesting Jesus is a false prophet.
Forbidding us to pay taxes
, see 20.25.
A king
, see 19.38.
3
:
You say so
does not answer the question.
4
:
I find no basis
, 23.14,22,41; Jn 19.4,6; Acts 13.28. The Gospels portray Pilate as seeking to free Jesus but succumbing to pressure by the Jewish rulers and population.
23.6
–12: Jesus before Herod.
An episode unique to Luke’s Gospel. Son of Herod the Great (see 3.1n.), Herod [Antipas] arrested (3.19–20) and beheaded (9.9) John the Baptist.
7
:
Sent him off to Herod
, Perhaps alluding to Ps 2.2.
8
:
See 9.9; Acts 4.27–28.
9
:
Gave him no answer
, see Mt 27.12; Mk 15.5.
10
:
Chief priests and scribes
, 19.47n.
11
:
Mocked him
, see Jn 19.2–3.
23.13
–16 [17]: Pilate declares Jesus innocent. 13:
Chief priests
(19.47n.) together with
the people
condemn Jesus.
14
:
Not found this man guilty
, vv. 4,22,41.
15
:
Herod
, vv. 6–12.
[17]
:
Scribal addition from Mk 15.6.
23.18
–25: The people condemn Jesus
(Mt 27.15–26; Mk 15.6–15; Jn 18.39–40; 19.16). See Acts 3.13–14.
18
:
Barabbas
(see Mt 27.15–23; Mk 15.6–14; Jn 18.39–40), Aramaic, “Son of the Father.” Luke omits Mark’s reference to the (unlikely) custom of releasing a prisoner and so makes the crowds’ demand for Barabbas more perverse.
19
:
Insurrection
, Barabbas is guilty of sedition, the charge leveled against Jesus (23.38).
20
–25:
Wanting to release Jesus
, Luke places the blame for Jesus’ death on the Jewish people (cf. Acts 2.23; 3.13–15; 4.10; 5.30; 7.52; 13.27–29).
23.26
–31: Journey to the cross
(Mt 27.31b–32; Mk 15.20b–21; Jn 19.17a).
26
:
Cyrene
, in Libya.
The cross
, the horizontal beam.
27
:
Beating their breasts
, likely indicating mourning rather than repentance (cf. 18.3; 23.48).
28
–31:
See 21.23–24; 19.41–44.
29
:
Blessed are the barren
, see 21.23.
30
:
Suggestive of Hos 10.8.
31
:
The analogy is not clear: either the saying means that if the innocent Jesus suffers, how much more will the guilty Jerusalem suffer, or if evil occurs with Jesus present, how much more will occur in his absence (see 1 Pet 4.17–18).
23.32
: Two criminals. 32:
Criminals
, Luke does not specify their crimes.
23.33
–49: The crucifixion.
(Mt 27.33–43; Mk 15.22–32a; Jn 19.17b–27).
33
:
Skull
(Gk “kranion”), Matthew and Mark give the Aramaic “Golgotha.”
34
:
See textual note
b;
cf. Acts 7.60.
Cast lots
, alluding to Ps 22.18.
36
:
Sour wine
, alluding to Ps 69.21.
39
–43:
(Mt 27.44; Mk 15.32b).
41
:
Has done nothing wrong
, a point affirmed by Pilate and Herod Antipas (vv. 4,14,22).
42
:
Remember
, a psalmic cry for aid (Ps 74.2,18,22).
43
:
Paradise
, originally referring to the Garden of Eden (Gen 2.8–10 LXX); here the home of the righteous dead prior to the resurrection; cf. 16.22.
44
–48:
(Mt 27.45–54; Mk 15.33–39; Jn 19.28–30).
45
:
Sun’s light failed
, the translation is uncertain; see Am 8.9; Joel 2.31.
Curtain of the temple
, Ex 26.31–35.
Torn in two
, indicating mourning (Gen 37.29,34; 44.13; Num 14.6; Josh 7.6; 11.35; etc.) and perhaps prefiguring the Temple’s destruction. The point is not, contrary to some readings, new access to God, since God had always been accessible outside of the Jerusalem Temple.
47
:
Innocent
, Gk “dikaios,” lit., “righteous.”
48
:
Beating their breasts
, see v. 27n.
49
: (Mt 27.55–56; Mk 15.40–41; Jn 19.25–27).
Including the women
, see 23.55; cf. 8.1–3; 24.10.
23.50
–56: Jesus’ entombment
(Mt 27.57–60; Mk 15.42–46; Jn 19.38–42).
50
:
Council
, 22.66n.
51
:
Arimathea
(likely from Heb “Ramataim,” cf.
Ramoth, Ramah
), near Jerusalem.
53
:
Laid it in a rock-hewn tomb
, Luke does not record who cared for the bodies of the other two crucified men.
54
:
Day of Preparation
, Friday, before sunset.
Sabbath was beginning
, at sundown.
55
–56:
Mt 27.61; Mk 15.47–16.1;
m. Shabb
. 23.5.
55
:
Cf. 24.10.
56
:
Spices and ointments
were applied to the corpse; see Mk 16.1; Jn 19.40. Preparation of the corpse should precede burial. The women presume that Jesus will not be resurrected.
They rested
, see Ex 20.10.