路加福音 第23 Part 1 章 Luke Chapter 23 Part 1
- 馬克牧師
- Apr 17
- 10 min read
各位平安，我們今天來讀《路加福音》第23章。因為篇幅較長，我們會分成兩天來分享。今天，我們聚焦在第1節到第31節的內容；明天我們再來看從第32節開始，耶穌被釘十字架的過程。
在這一段裡，我們看到耶穌被帶到彼拉多面前。因為在羅馬帝國的統治下，猶太人是沒有權力執行死刑的。他們想要耶穌死，就必須交由羅馬官府來下手。
他們原本在公會裡面控告耶穌是因為祂“褻瀆上帝”，但這樣的罪對羅馬人來說根本無關痛癢，因為羅馬人從不在意猶太的宗教律法。所以這些宗教領袖決定「捏造罪名」，故意捏造出兩條政治性指控：
耶穌煽動百姓叛亂。
祂禁止人納稅給凱撒。
他們甚至補上一句：「祂從加利利開始，到這裡一路在煽動百姓。」
這裡我們看到了一種令人心寒的操作——當他們無法靠屬靈或道德理由控告耶穌時，就轉而用政治理由構陷祂。他們不惜扭曲事實，只為達到目的。
當彼拉多聽到「加利利」這個地名時，他靈機一動，想要把這個燙手山芋推給別人。他知道加利利屬於希律的管轄範圍，而希律此時剛好也在耶路撒冷過節，於是他立刻把耶穌轉送到希律那裡，想要「技術性閃避」。彼拉多這一招，其實也反映出他心中的膽怯與權謀。他知道耶穌無罪，但他不想捲入爭議，也不願得罪猶太的宗教領袖。
接下來我們看到，當彼拉多把耶穌送到希律那裡時，希律一開始是「很開心的」。但他開心的理由，卻讓人感到非常悲哀。
他並不是因為想聽耶穌的教導才高興，而是出於一種「看熱鬧」的心態。因為他聽說耶穌很有名，行了很多神蹟奇事，他心裡想的是：「來啊，給我變一個看看。」他把耶穌當作江湖藝人，當作一個可以表演神蹟娛樂他的表演者。
這其實也揭露了一種非常現代化的心態：不是拒絕耶穌，而是輕看耶穌。不是敵對信仰，而是把信仰當成消費品。
今天的世界上，多少人都在過聖誕節、復活節？有燈飾、有聚餐、有禮物、有彩蛋，甚至連商場都會播放《O Holy Night》……但真正坐下來反思耶穌降生、耶穌受難、耶穌復活意義的人有多少？很多時候，連我們自己身為基督徒，都講不清楚復活節是什麼、聖誕節為什麼要慶祝。我們被這個世界的文化洪流捲走了，把耶穌當成放假的理由、十字架變成商品符號，沒有真正把祂當作主、當作救主。
希律的問題，不只是他不信，而是他從來沒有真正想要 “認真對待” 耶穌的話語。這個問題，不只是在希律的時代有，也發生在今天的我們當中。
所以弟兄姊妹，這一段經文提醒我們一件事：我們是不是也在某些時候，像希律一樣，只把耶穌當成「方便的存在」，而不是生命的主？我們過節、唱詩、分享，但我們的心真的知道祂為什麼來到這世上嗎？我們願意在這樣的節期中，把祂重新放回我們生命的中心嗎？
接下來的故事，我們看到耶穌又被送回彼拉多的手中。而彼拉多其實心裡很清楚：耶穌根本無罪。作為一個羅馬政府的地方官，他其實並不想擔這個審判的責任。因為他知道，如果自己身為一位正式的政府代表，卻做出一個明顯不公義的判決，不只他的良知受不了，更會影響羅馬帝國在當地的名聲與公信力。羅馬帝國雖然是殖民統治，但其實在當時是有正規制度、有法律程序的政權，特別是法院制度是被人民所尊重的。因此，彼拉多本來不想捲入這個荒謬的宗教爭執之中。
而且我們從《馬太福音》第27章還可以看到一個細節 ——彼拉多的夫人在前一晚做了一個夢，夢見耶穌是個義人，還特地派人來告訴彼拉多：「這個義人的案件你不要管！」這讓彼拉多更加猶豫，一度他甚至想乾脆「打耶穌一頓就放了他」，意思是：我做個樣子安撫你們，但我不願下死刑的決定。
然而問題來了。猶太人當時在地方上的勢力其實非常龐大，而且根據羅馬制度，百姓是可以向上檢舉地方官員瀆職的。如果地方官員處理不當，是有可能被送上凱撒那裡接受審查的。
《約翰福音》19章12節，猶太人一句話讓彼拉多的內心徹底動搖：「你若釋放這個人，就不是凱撒的忠臣。凡以自己為王的，就是背叛凱撒了。」
這句話，幾乎就是公然威脅彼拉多：「你若不殺耶穌，我們就告你瀆職、放任叛國者！」這話的份量太重了。如果真的一紙狀書告上羅馬皇帝那裡，彼拉多的官位可能就不保，甚至人頭都不一定留得住。
到這裡，彼拉多已經再也無法堅持了。他做出了一個看似「推卸責任」的動作：當眾洗手。《馬太福音》27章24節記載，他說：「流這義人的血，罪不在我，你們承擔吧！」這是一個極為諷刺的場景——他明明有權、有責任維護正義，卻選擇了逃避、選擇了沉默。
弟兄姊妹，這裡其實給我們一個深刻的提醒： 比拉多沒有手拿鐵鎚釘十字架，但他的妥協與沉默，讓不義得以繼續。今天，我們每一次誦讀《使徒信經》的時候，仍會說出：「在本丟彼拉多手下受難」。這句話，成為歷史對他的永恆記錄。因為他擁有權柄、卻沒有勇氣；他知道真相、卻選擇沈默；他可以制止罪惡，卻任憑邪惡掌權。
親愛的弟兄姊妹，願我們不要成為彼拉多。當世界要求我們妥協、壓力逼我們選邊站時，那就是一個關鍵的時刻。在我們讀到《路加福音》23章26節的時候，有一段看起來好像是「插曲」的小故事出現了。這一節提到，有一個人名叫「古利奈人西門」，正從鄉下進城，被羅馬兵丁強迫幫耶穌背十字架。
你可以想像一下這個場景——西門大概是個平凡百姓，從鄉下趕來耶路撒冷，本來可能是為了來過逾越節，也許帶著敬虔的心，想在這重要的節期親近上帝、履行宗教義務。但沒想到，他剛進城就被兵丁攔住，毫無預警地被抓來當「幫耶穌背十字架」的人。
這段經文其實只有短短一節，很容易被我們忽略。但我們若停下來思想，其實這是聖經中一段非常動人又充滿屬靈含義的插曲。
想想看，西門根本沒有預備好，也沒有人問他願不願意。他是被強迫的，是被「隨機挑中」的路人甲。但這個「路人甲」的一次被動參與，卻有可能成為他一家信主的開始，甚至讓他的家族成為初代教會的重要柱石！
我們再回頭看馬可福音15章21節，裡面怎麼介紹這位西門？他不是單單被說是「古利奈人西門」，還補了一句：「就是亞歷山大和魯孚的父親。」這就有意思了。為什麼馬可要提到他的兒子？因為馬可福音是寫給羅馬教會的，而這兩個兒子可能就是羅馬教會裡非常有名的人物。再來，當我們翻到《羅馬書》16章13節，保羅寫到：
「又問在主裡蒙揀選的魯孚和他母親安；他的母親就是我的母親。」
這邊看到，保羅不但對魯孚非常敬重，甚至對魯孚的母親有極深的感情，把她當作自己的母親一樣。從這裡我們可以推斷，西門的一家後來應該是全家都信主了，並且在羅馬教會裡成了非常重要的信徒與同工。
而這一切的起點，竟然就是那天……他被臨時拉去，背了耶穌的十字架。
你不覺得這是一個極其美麗的神安排嗎？
今天的屬靈反思弟兄姊妹，有時候我們也像西門一樣——走在人生的路上，突然遇到一個「莫名其妙」的挑戰，被推進一件我們沒有預期的困難或責任裡面。我們不願意、我們不明白、甚至我們覺得很委屈。但或許，就在那一段路上，耶穌讓我們與祂「一起同行」；而我們也在那段「不得不」的經歷裡面，看見祂的愛，認識祂的榮耀。
沒有一個人是偶然被選上的。沒有一段苦路是毫無意義的。
也許你今天經歷的挑戰，就是神安排你與耶穌同行的開始；而這一段「擔起十字架的路」，也將成為你與你家得救的門。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天繼續分享耶穌在十字架上的話語，願上帝祝福各位。
Since the chapter is quite lengthy, we’ll split it over two days. Today, we’ll focus on verses 1 to 31. Tomorrow, we’ll continue with verse 32 onwards, covering the crucifixion of Jesus.
In this first part, we see Jesus being brought before Pontius Pilate. Under Roman rule, the Jews did not have the authority to carry out capital punishment. If they wanted Jesus executed, it had to be done by the Roman authorities.
Originally, they accused Jesus of blasphemy in the Sanhedrin, but such a charge meant little to the Romans. The Romans didn't care about Jewish religious laws. So, the religious leaders fabricated charges—two political accusations designed to get the attention of Roman governance:
Jesus was inciting the people to rebellion.
He was forbidding people to pay taxes to Caesar.
They even added, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”
Here we see a chilling tactic—when they couldn’t convict Jesus on spiritual or moral grounds, they turned to political manipulation. They twisted facts, not caring for truth, only for their desired outcome.
When Pilate heard the word “Galilee,” a light went on in his mind. Realizing that Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and that Herod happened to be in Jerusalem for the festival, he saw a way to pass the buck. This maneuver reflected Pilate’s cunning and his fear. He knew Jesus was innocent, but didn’t want to offend the Jewish leaders or get involved in a religious conflict.
When Jesus was sent to Herod, Herod was initially pleased—but not for a good reason.Herod didn’t want to hear Jesus, he wanted to see Him perform. He had heard of Jesus' miracles and was hoping to see some kind of show—he treated Jesus like a street performer.
This is deeply saddening, but also very relevant today.Just like Herod, many in the modern world don’t reject Jesus—they simply trivialize Him. They turn Jesus into a product, a holiday symbol, or an excuse to take a break.People celebrate Christmas and Easter—with lights, food, gifts, and even “O Holy Night” playing in the mall—but how many truly reflect on the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
Worse still, many Christians themselves cannot clearly explain the meaning of Easter or Christmas. We’ve been swept up in the tide of culture—treating Jesus as decoration, rather than Savior and Lord.
Herod’s problem wasn’t just disbelief—it was his unwillingness to take Jesus seriously.That same problem exists today.
So here’s the question:Are there times when we also treat Jesus as a “convenience” rather than the Lord of our lives?Do we sing, celebrate, and attend church without really considering why He came into the world?This season, will we choose to put Christ back at the center of our hearts?
As the story continues, Jesus is returned to Pilate.Pilate knew clearly: Jesus was innocent.As a Roman governor, Pilate didn’t want to take responsibility for this verdict. He knew that if he, a Roman official, condemned an innocent man, it would be a stain on Rome’s reputation and his own conscience.
Even in Matthew 27, we read that Pilate’s wife had a dream the night before and sent word to him: “Have nothing to do with that righteous man!” This added to Pilate’s hesitation. At one point, he even considered having Jesus flogged and then released—just to appease the crowd.
But things took a turn.
The Jewish leaders held considerable power in the region. Under Roman law, the people had the right to report local officials to Caesar. If Pilate mishandled the case, his job—and possibly his life—could be at stake.
John 19:12 says the Jewish leaders told Pilate:“If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”That was a direct threat.Essentially: “If you don’t execute Jesus, we’ll accuse you of treason.”
It was too much. Pilate could no longer resist.He took a basin of water and washed his hands before the crowd.
In Matthew 27:24, Pilate said:“I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your responsibility.”
What a tragic moment.Here was a man with authority and power to uphold justice—yet he chose cowardice.Pilate didn’t drive the nails, but his silence allowed injustice to win the day.
To this day, when we recite the Apostles’ Creed, we still say:“Suffered under Pontius Pilate.”
That single line has immortalized his compromise.He had authority, but lacked courage.He knew the truth, but chose silence.He could have stopped the evil, but allowed it to prevail.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be like Pilate.When the world pressures us to compromise, or when we’re forced to take a stand—will we choose truth, or comfort?
In Luke 23:26, we see a small but powerful story.
A man named Simon of Cyrene was coming into town from the countryside. Suddenly, Roman soldiers grabbed him and forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
Imagine it:Simon had probably come to Jerusalem for Passover, full of spiritual anticipation. Then, out of nowhere, he’s pulled into this grim scene, forced to carry a cross behind a bloodied, condemned man.
It seems like a random, unfortunate moment—but it was divinely appointed.
In Mark 15:21, Simon is described not only as “Simon of Cyrene,” but as the father of Alexander and Rufus. This matters—Mark’s Gospel was written for the Roman church, and these two sons were likely well-known believers.
Later in Romans 16:13, Paul writes:"Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too."
This suggests that Simon’s entire family later became believers—key members of the Roman church.And it may have all started from this one unexpected moment—when he carried Jesus’ cross.
Spiritual Reflection
Dear brothers and sisters, sometimes we too are like Simon.We’re just going about our lives, when suddenly we’re thrown into a trial, a responsibility, or a burden we didn’t choose.
We don’t understand it. We didn’t ask for it.And yet—perhaps in that very moment, Jesus invites us to walk with Him.
That journey may begin with hardship, but it can lead to salvation—for us, and for our families.
There are no accidents in God’s plan.No cross you carry is without meaning.Perhaps today’s challenge is the beginning of your calling to walk with Christ—and through it, you may become a blessing to many.
Thank you for listening.Tomorrow we will continue with the second half of Luke 23, reflecting on Jesus’ words from the cross.May the Lord bless you all.
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