What does Luke 23:1 mean?

It is early Passover morning. The night prior, members of the Sanhedrin had held three different trials. They've been scrambling to find someone who could testify that Jesus is guilty of a capital offense (Luke 22:63–71; Mark 14:53–65).

Their situation is delicate. They need Jesus to be guilty of the Mosaic law so they can justify continuing their investigation. But even if they find legal justification to execute Him, they can't get their own hands dirty. If they overtly kill Jesus, the people who listen to His teaching and benefit from His miracles will rise against them (Luke 22:2). So, they also need Jesus to be guilty of a capital offense according to Roman law. That way, Pilate will be responsible for His death.

The trials the night before were fishing expeditions to find the right charges. Unfortunately for the Sanhedrin, few of the witnesses gave actionable testimony and none of them agreed. Eventually, as if to aid their efforts, Jesus affirmed that He is the Messiah and will receive power and authority from God (Matthew 26:63–64). This is what the Sanhedrin needs: they believe His statements blaspheme God and threaten the emperor.

The language used to identify the members of the group gets a little confusing. Here, the text says, "the whole company." The next verse (Luke 23:2) says, "And they began to accuse him." The truth is, there is at least one member of the Sanhedrin—Joseph of Arimathea—who "had not consented to their decision and action" (Luke 23:51). It may be that Joseph knows he is in a dangerous position and skips these meetings.