Expository Thoughts
opponents of all changes—all ranked together against evangelical religion. One common hatred binds them together. They hate the cross of Christ. To use the words of the apostles in the Acts— "Against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, are gathered together." (Acts 4:27.) All hate each other very much, but all hate Christ much more.
The true Christian must not count the enmity of the world a strange thing. He must not marvel, if like Paul at Rome, he finds the way of life, a "way everywhere spoken against," and if all around him agree in disliking his religion. (Acts 28:22.) If he expects that by any concession he can win the favor of man, he will be greatly deceived.
Let not his heart be troubled. He must wait for the praise of God. The saying of his Master should often come across his mind— "If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19.)
Notes on 23:1-12
1. Led him off to Pilate. Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea.
Without him the Jews had no power to put our Lord to death. The mere fact that they were obliged to apply publicly to a foreign ruler to carry out their murderous plan was a striking proof that the scepter had departed from Judah (Genesis 49:10) when the Messiah came.
2. "He opposes payment of taxes." The duplicity and dishonesty of this charge are evident. When the enemies of our Lord wanted to