Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-3
This
particular incident is a mystery historically, with no record from historians
of the time, including Josephus. But one
possibility exists.
Galileans—possibly
the followers of Judas of Galilee, who, some twenty years before this, taught
that Jews should not pay tribute to the Romans, and of whom we learn, from Ac
5:37, that he drew after him a multitude of followers, who on his being slain
were all dispersed. About this time that party would be at its height, and if
Pilate caused this detachment of them to be waylaid and put to death as they
were offering their sacrifices at one of the festivals, that would be
"mingling their blood with their sacrifices" [Grotius, Webster and
Wilkinson, but doubted by De Wette, Meyer, Alford, &c.].
Pilate
didn’t mix their blood with the sacrifices in any sort of ritual, but killed
them while they sacrificed. Jesus used the
story to say no matter how you die and leave this earth, you must repent first.