The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-10-09
JESUS BEFORE PLATE.
DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Lesson III of the International Series for
Sunday, Oct. lO-Golden Text: 81 Find
in Him no Fault" John xviii, 80. Les
son Text, John xviii, g8-4O.

Saviour Went through three forms or trial.
before the chief priests III a sort Of secret ses-
sion w. 10 and v. "a in open court, for FORMS
sake, before Plate; and before Herod luke
xiii, 7-l2D. They may have it explained to
them that the chief priests conducted the jew
ish trial, and on religious and church grounds
the Roman governor and Herod had charges
of a civil kind brought before them against
Jesus, as the only grounds on which Christs
enemies could hope for his death. The Jews
had not of course, the power of life and
death In their hands 1t is of the trial before
Plate we are now to study the details.
Joseph Caiaphas, as JoSephus calls him, is
named as high priest 10y Matthew, Luke and
John, and again in Acts iv, q. He held office
during the whole time of Pontius PLATE, but
was afterwards deposed He married the
daughter of Annas. The prosecutors OF Je Us
lost no time early" in the morning they
led him into the Judgment hail. for the Roman
procurator must give sentence. The illustra-
ton they give here of being scrupuous about
rites while bent on moral wrong has been
often noticed. SO many men keep up the
form of religion while carrying on unjust,
dishonest or violent proceedings. Fanaticism
and horrible Injustice and cruelty often went
tOptltlpT Ill lllt lllItlc 49, h' 'ou'o VI
palace, or pretortum, was counted by them
defiling place. being a Gentle dwelling; SO
they remained at the door, and the Roman
Judge had to go to the door to hear their
charges. 1t was, likely, part of the castle
of Antonio. So common We're popular dis
turbances at the passover time that the Roman
ruler was won't to come to keep order 1t was
contrary to Roman usage for judge to pro-
nounce sentence in court before q o'clock i'll
the morning, at which time Plate John xix,
49, ''sat in the Judgment seat" All the Incl
dents of our lesson occurred between the
cock Growing and the sixth hour. Their fear
ing deGlement before eating the passover has
been counted difficulty. If we assume that
they had been interrupted and kept from
their service by Judas and the proceedings Of
tho night and wished to get through with it
before the next day, all difficulty is removed.
They hoped to get Christ conference.-the
true PaSSOver-and then to eat the typical;
and even this latter they seem to have been
kept from, for Plate took time with the &C
cuSad prisoner.
V. % Plate went out unto them" II
was his duty to keep peace and deal promptly
with cases. Like magistrates in a time Of
popular riot, he had probably been ut his
post all night (See v. b. His question:
"What accusation bring ye against this man|
they hardly expected They hoped that their
sentence would be ratified as matter of
course; hence
q. 3Ol their reply, "If He were not male
factor" etc. They did not mean or desire to
go in % evidence in the case, but if possible to
set sentence on their verdict. They stand on
Al. 4. T., ,,nt ,,r,h hat
chief priests, etc, tell you He Is a malefac-
tor9' He took it for granted it was mere
dispute about some Jewish religious matter.
He held them and their religion in scorn
was arbitrary and sometimes cruel. Like
Gallo, he "cared for none Of these things"
and he said accordingly,
". 81 take him" etc. Now they have
to shift their ground. They cannot get a sen
tence of death on "blasphemy" or Christ's
meSsianic claims They must bring politi
cal charge, and they have to recall their hui
initiation as a nation. They cannot lawfully
put any one 10 death; they lost this power in
their subsection to Rome, Had they pos
sessed this power, stoning would have been
Christs doom. But He had spoken John iii,
IA, and xii. So OF being lifted up" Their
inability to put to death made good His words
IT, 81
" B In his condensing the narrative John
omits what Luke tells us Luke XIII, y, the
charge forbidding tribute to Ca.sar and
claiming to be himself king-which they
now bring Hence Pilates question, in the
form of which lin the Creek some find a tono
of scor,. You, prisoner, In poverty-are
you king Are you the king of the Jews"
1t il every way likely that Jesus bore the
marks of blows and violence. Yie dignity
and f-control of the Saviour n lear in His
reply.
V. 81 you are judge, set for the vindi-
cation of the innocent and the punishment OF
the guilty, and bound to 20 upon evidence
Is this charge, implied in your question, on
evidence, or from your own mind 1t was
proper that the guilt OF ringing such unjust
charges should be brought home to his per
Secutors.
V. IS. Plate resents the question, speaks
of the jews, in the question
"Am Jewf' What interest, he says in
effect, have in this matteri What should | |
know about it but from thine own nation !
and chief priests, etc : What is thy crine'
What hast thou done to make them condemn |.
thee"
'. Iltlt IL llliJ JtNliN " !tij''Not'l us
good confession. He claims to be in a true |
sense kirg, but not in the sGslSe in which |
they alleged. He was not "A rival Of Caesar. |
II he had been king 'of this world'-of the
accepted kind-he would have trained his !
servants to fight for him. so Muhammed |
did, and many another. But bis kingdom |
WAS not Of an earthly origin-"from hence
If it had been, there would have been resist |
ance to the officers He stopped all resist |
ance VS.. 10, ~ filate could easily learn |
that snow" does not imply that it would |
yet become "of this world He means now |
for strong statement Of its place and nature, !
V. 81 A third question is put, and in the
anne spirit: Art thou a king, them" 1t Is |
N contemptuous surprise, in Greek: A king, !
hen-that is what thou art The reply is Il |
title obscure Plate did not say Jesus was a
King Our Lords words mean Thou appli- |
st the word king to me, anc it Is true, but ,
not in the sense of this woslG. | was born
SO he owns his humanity and | came into
his world this refers to pre-exiNtence and !
,owerl 10 witness to the truth This is my |
'oyalty' How far.reachng is this word! |
I'he truth as 10 the divine nature, attributes,
II to mercy and hope for men, a, 70 justice |
md Righteousness, az 10 love an grace-all