Herod Antipas (who had caused John the Baptist to be beheaded) was, we are told, exceeding glad to see Jesus: he had long been desirous to see One, of whom he had heard many things; "and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him."

It does not seem that Herod wished to see Jesus from any good motive, or from any desire to _learn_ of Him, but simply out of curiosity: he was, therefore, disappointed. Jesus worked no miracle, neither would He give any account of what He had done and taught. Herod "questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing. And the Chief Priests and Scribes stood and vehemently accused him," as they had done before Pilate. Herod was probably provoked by our Lord's silence: at any rate, he allowed Him to be ill treated, and himself joined in showing contempt for His claims to be a king: for in ridicule, "Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate."

Chapter x.x.xIX.--JESUS CONDEMNED.

St. Luke tells us, that "the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves."

"Enmity" means just the contrary to friendship: Pilate and Herod had quarrelled, as the different governors throughout the Roman provinces were very apt to do. The Bible does not tell us the cause of this enmity; but from other histories we learn, that some time before this, Pilate had dedicated some shields of gold to the Emperor Tiberius, and placed them in the palace called Herodium, built by Herod the Great.

The Jews looked upon this as an insult to their religion, and with Herod's permission, sent messengers to Rome, to pet.i.tion the Emperor to order these shields to be removed. This caused a quarrel between Herod and Pilate: but when the latter, not wishing to help the Jews in condemning Jesus, sent Him to Herod, the king, considering this as an acknowledgment of his authority, was pleased; and willing again to become friends with the Roman governor.

The Herodium was a very large palace, consisting of two separate buildings, one called Caesareum and the other Agrippeum: it stood near the temple. It is probable that Pontius Pilate inhabited one of the buildings, and Herod the other, so that Jesus was not long gone.

Pilate, seeing that Herod had p.r.o.nounced no sentence against Jesus, was still more unwilling that He should die: he was, however, too much afraid of the people to act as a just Judge should have done, and set the prisoner at liberty; so he thought that, if he offered to punish Him in some way, he might satisfy the Jews, and yet save the life of his innocent prisoner: to propose to punish Him at all was unjust; but even this expedient availed nothing, as we shall see. Herod having sent Jesus back, it was necessary that Pilate should take some further steps. "And Pilate, when he had called together the Chief Priests and the rulers and the people, said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him. No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him."

There was a custom amongst the Jews at this time, that at the Feast of the Pa.s.sover the Jews might claim any one of the criminals then under sentence of death for their crimes. Whoever the Jews chose was to be set at liberty: this custom appears to have been introduced by some Roman governor of Judaea, in order to gain favour with the Jews; who were thus allowed to choose one amongst the prisoners to be pardoned.

"Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would; and they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. And the mult.i.tude, crying aloud, began to desire Pilate to do as he had ever done unto them. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)"

"Therefore, when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Pa.s.sover: Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? Will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? For he knew that the Chief Priests had delivered him for envy."

The Roman governor saw truly that it was to gratify private pa.s.sions alone, that the Chief Priests had brought Jesus before him; and, hoping that the people might be more just, he offered them a choice between Jesus and one of the greatest criminals then in prison: a man who had committed the very crime, which the Priests pretended that Christ was trying to stir up the people to commit; who, in the prosecution of his designs, had committed the murder; and who was also a robber: his evil deeds had been many; and many must have suffered from his wickedness and violence. Well might Pilate hope, that the contrast between such a man and Jesus, Whose whole life had been spent in going about doing good, would have inclined the people to demand His liberty, and leave Barabbas to the fate he had so justly deserved.

But no; "the Chief Priests and elders persuaded the mult.i.tude that they should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus. And they cried out all at once saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas."

One reason why Pilate strove anxiously to release Jesus was, that during the night his own wife had some remarkable dreams concerning our Lord: what they were, we are not told; but they had convinced her that He was an innocent and righteous man, and that it would be a sin to allow any harm to befall Him. Therefore, "when Pilate was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man": nothing, that is, in the way of punishing or harming Him; "for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."

"Pilate the governor therefore, willing to release Jesus, answered and spake again to them, and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do with Jesus which is called Christ? unto him whom ye call King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him; they all say unto him, Crucify him, Crucify him, Let him be crucified." Pilate made another effort to save Jesus, by reminding the people of His innocence; and in answer to their savage cry, "Crucify him, Crucify him," he "said unto them the third time, Why? what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him and let him go. And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the Chief Priests prevailed." Pilate could stand out no longer; the people showed symptoms of breaking out into a riot, which at that moment would have been a serious matter; as there were an unusual number of Jews a.s.sembled for the Pa.s.sover, and Pilate had not soldiers enough to keep order, if the people should make a disturbance. If anything like a riot had occurred, the Emperor Tiberius would probably have considered Pilate to blame; and would certainly have deprived him of his office, and most likely of his life also. Pilate had not that fear of G.o.d, which admits no fear of man; neither was his wish to save Jesus strong enough to make him risk his life to deliver Him. As a heathen, the life of one man would seem to him of little consequence; but whilst he gave way to the clamours of the Jews, he performed a symbolical action, whereby he testified that Jesus was innocent, and that he, Pilate, did not consent to His death, though forced to allow it. For "when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the mult.i.tude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." Fearful words in the sense in which they uttered them! meaning, that if Jesus was innocent, they were quite willing that the punishment for putting him to death should rest upon them and upon their children. Little did they foresee how dreadful would be that punishment; and how severely they and their descendants would suffer, in consequence of the crime they were wilfully committing. In one sense, we may all pray that "His blood may be on us and on our children"; even as the blood of the paschal lamb upon the door-posts turned aside the visit of the destroying angel.

In regard to Pilate's action on this occasion, we must recollect that it was ordered by the Law of Moses, that if a man were found dead in a field, and it was not known who or what had killed him, the elders of the nearest city should sacrifice a heifer, or young cow, with particular ceremonies: after which they should wash their hands over the slain beast, and declare solemnly before G.o.d, that they had had no hand in the death of the man, and that they knew not by what means he had met his death. In imitation of this custom, Pilate now washed his hands; meaning thereby to show that, if Jesus were put to death, he was no party to His death. But even in this Pilate was mistaken; for to allow a bad action to be committed, when we can prevent it, is to incur the guilt of it. As governor, Pilate might have refused to allow Jesus to be slain, and it was his duty to do so: had a riot followed, he could have been in no way guilty in the sight of G.o.d: but Pilate, being a heathen, did not consider the matter in this light. Do not many Christians, who should know better, act upon the same principles as those which influenced the Roman governor? They know some particular act to be wrong, and yet it seems so expedient, so likely to be useful in some way or other, that they do it. Then, again, they perceive that they ought to do something which may bring trouble upon themselves, or displease some one whose favour they wish to gain, and therefore they leave such action undone.

"Pilate, willing to content the people," and put an end to the tumult, "gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired."

Chapter XL.--JESUS CONDEMNED BY PILATE.

"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him." This was a very unnecessary piece of cruelty practised by the Romans; whose custom it was to scourge, or whip with cords, every criminal condemned to death.

We must now think of our blessed Lord, with His back all cut and bleeding from the stripes laid upon Him, aching and smarting all over; then we must remember that this was the punishment of _our_ sins, which He bore, and that, "with his stripes we are healed." Shall not such thoughts stir us up to show our love for Him, Who, out of His wondrous love for us, bore all these tortures? "And when Pilate had scourged him, he delivered Jesus to their will, to be crucified."

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus, and led him away into the common hall, called Praetorium"; where fresh insults and sufferings were inflicted upon the holy Jesus, the Messiah: for "they call together the whole band of soldiers," and in mockery and ridicule for His having styled Himself a king, "they stripped him" of his own clothes, "and put on him a scarlet or purple robe," (for the same word signifies both colours,) and then made a crown or wreath, by twisting together some branches of a p.r.i.c.kly plant. "And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand," to represent the sceptre, carried by kings. When the soldiers had thus arrayed our Lord, in ridicule of His claim to be a king, they went a step further, and in derision, "they bowed the knee before him, and worshipped him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!"

Not satisfied with this mockery, "they smote him with their hands. And they spit upon him," to show the greatest possible degree of hatred and contempt; "and took the reed, and smote him on the head"; thus driving the thorns into Him, and so increasing His sufferings. All this He bore for us; and all He asks in return is, that we should take Him for our King, so as to let Him reign in our hearts, and rule our lives. Pilate made another attempt to save the life of Jesus; he probably hoped, that if the people saw Him bleeding and suffering, they would feel pity, and be ashamed of so treating a man, declared to be innocent, and known to all as going about doing good. "Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!"

The Priests, however, were determined that nothing should save the life of their victim, and "therefore, when the Chief Priests and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, Crucify him."

Pilate finding all his efforts vain, and being still afraid to offend the Jews, "then saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him." As if he had said, If you are determined to crucify Him, do it; but remember it is not my doing, "for I find no fault in him."

"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of G.o.d." The Jews now changed their ground of accusation, and simply named the sin of blasphemy, as the cause for which their Law required our Lord's death.

"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid": the heathen governor had clearly seen that Jesus was no common man: if He were put to death for declaring Himself to be the Son of G.o.d, He would probably suffer for saying what was _true_; and though Pilate, as a heathen, had no knowledge of the nature and power of the Lord G.o.d Almighty, he was afraid to crucify One, whom he believed to be the Son of G.o.d. Hesitating and perplexed, Pilate "went again into the Judgment Hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?

Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."

Jesus meant to tell Pilate, that no earthly Ruler or Governor could have power to put Him to death, unless it had been the Will of G.o.d, who dwells in Heaven above, that He should suffer whatever the Jews chose to do to Him. The Jews had cruelly and unjustly persecuted Him, and in spite of His acknowledged innocence, had treated Him as the worst of malefactors: and therefore Jesus told Pilate, that the sin of the Chief Priests and others in insisting upon His death, was far greater than the sin of Pilate in giving way to them, in order to prevent a tumult amongst the people.

The words spoken by Jesus, His whole conduct and manner, so totally unlike that of a guilty person, convinced Pilate more and more, that He had _not_ "spoken _blasphemy_" in declaring Himself to be the Son of G.o.d; and "from thenceforth he sought to release him."

To prevent the escape of their innocent victim, the Jews now returned to their original charge of treason and rebellion against the Roman Emperor, "and cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend; whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar." Tiberius, who at that time was Emperor of Rome, was a suspicious and cruel tyrant; and would have punished with death any governor, supposed to have spared the life of a man, who had set himself up to be a king in any of the Roman provinces. Pilate, therefore, did not dare to give the Jews any excuse for thus complaining of him to Tiberius: so "when he heard that saying, (If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend,) he brought Jesus forth," from the Judgment Hall into which the Jews would not enter, "and sat down in the judgment seat, in a place" outside, "that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the Pa.s.sover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The Chief Priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified."

As St John's account of the hour at which the crucifixion took place appears to differ from that named by the other Evangelists, it may be well to explain why St. John says, "the _sixth_ hour," and St. Mark "the _third_."

St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, speak according to the Jewish mode of computing time. The Jews reckoned the day to begin at one sunset, and end at the next; so that their night came before the day, instead of after, as with us. From sunset, (about 6 o'clock of our time,) they divided the night into four equal portions or watches, of three hours each. The First from 6 o'clock P.M. to 9 o'clock; the Second from 9 P.M. to 12 o'clock, or midnight. The Third watch, called also the First c.o.c.k Crowing, ended at what we call 3 o'clock A.M.; and the Fourth and Last, called the Second c.o.c.k Crowing, at our 6 o'clock A.M. The next hour after 6 o'clock was called the 1st hour, and so on; the 3rd hour answered, therefore, to our 9 o'clock A.M.: and this was the hour at which St. Mark states that they crucified Jesus. It must be remarked, that the Jews also divided their day into four portions, calling each by the name of the hour at which it began: thus the 3rd hour, being the beginning of a portion, would include the other two hours in that portion. In this manner, the 3rd hour, our 9 o'clock, would include the 4th and 5th hours, or our 10 and 11 o'clock. Then the 6th hour, answering to our 12 o'clock mid-day, would extend to 3 o'clock, the 9th Jewish hour, and so on.

St. John, on the other hand, reckoned the time according to the Roman and Asiatic mode, still used by us. Thus the day, as spoken of by him, began at midnight; and therefore, his 6th hour was our 6 o'clock in the morning, or 6 o'clock P.M. But the Romans also divided their time into watches of three hours each, speaking of the whole three hours under the name of the hour with which the watch began. Thus the 6th hour, or 6 o'clock A.M., would include all the time up to 9 o'clock, which according to the Romans was the 6th hour, and according to the Jews the 3rd hour.

St. John further says, that it was "_about_ the sixth hour when they crucified him"; now _about_ may mean a little before, or a little after, the time mentioned; and therefore, we find that all the Apostles mean the same thing; viz., that Jesus was crucified soon after 9 o'clock in the morning.

The following table may help us to understand clearly the time at which the different events happened; beginning with the Pa.s.sover, which Jesus ate with His disciples:--

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- | | Our Time. | Jewish Time. | Events.

| | Thursday, probably | | about 5 o'clock. | Evening. | Jesus eats the | | Pa.s.sover.

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 6 o'clock P.M. | End of Day. | 7 " " | First Night Watch. | Jesus on the Mount of | | Olives.

8 " " | | --------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 9 o'clock P.M. | Second Night Watch. | Jesus in Garden of | | Gethsemane.

10 " " | | Betrayed by Judas, | | and taken to Annas.

11 " " | | Taken before Caiaphas.

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 12 o'clock Midnight.| Third Watch. | Peter's First Denial.

| First c.o.c.k Crowing. | Jesus condemned by the | | Priests.

1 A.M. Friday. | | Abused by the | | Attendants.

2 " " | | Peter's Second Denial.

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 3 o'clock A.M. | Fourth Watch. | Peter's Third Denial.

| Second c.o.c.k Crowing.| 4 " " | | Jesus condemned by | | the Sanhedrim.

5 " " | | Taken before Pilate.

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 6 o'clock A.M. | Romans' 6th Hour. | Jesus sent to Herod.

| | Returned to Pilate.

7 " " | Jews' 1st Hour. | Crowned with thorns.

8 " " | " 2nd Hour. | Delivered to be | | crucified.

--------------------+---------------------+----------------------- 9 o'clock A.M. | Jews' 3rd Hour. | Jesus crucified.

Chapter XLI.--JESUS CRUCIFIED.

In reading the account of our blessed Lord's condemnation, it may seem strange to us that Pilate was ready to receive Him so early as five o'clock in the morning; though we can understand the Priests and the Sanhedrim sitting up all night, to accomplish their wicked purpose.

But we must remember, that the Jews were at all times ready to make disturbances; and that as very great mult.i.tudes came into Jerusalem for the Pa.s.sover, those who were in authority were obliged to be very watchful, so as to check the first symptoms of a riot: and no doubt they were doubly watchful now, remembering that when Jesus rode into the city, a few days before, all the people accompanied Him, shouting, and declaring Him to be that King, the promised Messiah. "And they took Jesus, and led him away. And after that they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called, in the Hebrew, Golgotha."