Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-10-15
JESUS TO BE CRUCIFIED.
DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

Them to be Crucified."-Lesson Text,
John Xxx, lie.
1t is proper to remind the pupils that the
four evangelists each give the details of that
dreadful morning on which Christ was cruel
fed, in his own way not closely repeating
one another SO it occurs that some things
are recorded 10y one, not by others This is
natural and as it would be in our own life.
We can put their narratives together and see
how PLATE sent Jesus to Herod as a piece of
polite policy. and Jesus was silent before him,
how Pilates wife warned her husband Matt.
xvii. 1W. and how the Jews pressed the
point that to let off one who set himself up rs
a rival to Caesar would put PLATE in a bad
light before Caesar. This was their strong
point. These are three lines of study we NAV
take as we see Jesus in the hands of sinful
men, PLATE being for the time prominent.
Plate is first, trying n compromise; this
fails and he is frightened, and in the third
stage he yields.
l. The compromise. -Not admitting that
Jesus has done anything worthy of death, he
will practically own that he may have broken
Jewish law, and may be so far punished so
be took Jesus and scourged him." possibly
thinking that this would satisfy their rage
An offender about to be scourged was bound
by the hands to post. or something fixed.
and beaten with cords made sharp and heavy
with bone or lead fastened on them. to the
torture. and loss of much blood. flesh and
even it is said. at times the eyes of the vic
tim. The doing of this hv the approval at
least of the governor who was the highest
authority there. emboldened the soldiers,
who. it is probable resented the idea of any
king but Caesar. They proceeded, as the
cruel are apt to do, from bad to worse, till
the climax is reached with blows Begin
ming with mock crown of the prickly shrub
nubk, which is found around Jerusalem still,
they proceed to robe him in a garment in
imitation of that worn by king or gem
eral: then they make mock sautes by bend
ing their bodies be fore Him and calling out,
Hail, King of the Jews" Then, as if they
We're bringing Him gifts in their hands, they
strike Him blows Plate tries on the prose
ecutors the effect of this. He brings Jesus
out, in obvious suffering and indescribable
humiliation with the crown and purple robe
on Him, and says in effect, See | have
brought Him out thus to you. You deem
Him guilty Well if so He is punished
enough, and | want you to know that find
no reason for putting Him to death Even
his language seems to imply an appeal to
their pitv-"Behold the man" He is not
quite diSregarding their wishes: but he sees
no reason for a sentence of death.
He thought he knew much. but he did not
understand all the case, nor the depth Of wild
fury to which wounded pride. revenge and
fanaticism can carry those whom they
posses" Whatever feeling the common
people had, the chief priests and officers"
made them cry OUT ". @ for his clucifxion
They have gone farther than in refusing his
release. Evil men wax worse" He is
partly indignant and partly scornful: Take
him yourselves and cruelty him. 1t is not IA
sentence on Jesus it is an angry motkery of
their rage and their impotence. 1t is not
uttered 10y him as judge lsee V. 80 He
adds, Il find no fault in him." Then why let
him be scourged and cruelty Knocked.
V I. The Jews now bring in another ele-
ment: He made himself the Son of God"
tSee Lev. xiv, 80. Even bad men can be
superstitious, and their fears can be played
upon. The idea of something unusual in
Christ must have been raised already in Pi-
lates mind The idea of a "son of Godn
would not be foreign to "A Roman. If he had
received his wife's warning now he must
have felt the sciemn mystery about the mat
ter yet more. He was more perplexed and
alarmed. He went again into the judgment
hall and set about cross-q questioning Christ:
but in vain ". 81, for G) PLATE would not
understand, and (2) he had already done or
allowed great and cruel wrong, and his aim
now was not to do what was right but what
would he safe for himself He had not the
single eye.
Y. 10. He demonstrates against this silence
alleging that it was the interest of Jesus to
speak to him who had power to release or
cruelty. But Jesus had already spoken. The
case was no Sfrpnppr AGAINST Him noy tbon
at first. If PLATE found no fault in Him,
was not that enough! Cruelty after that
avowal. Silence was dignified, just "a proper
protest against the weak and cruel conces-
sions of Plate to the passions of the jews
V. II. Jesus now sets him right and again
las John xviii, 80 puts the fault where it lay:
Thou couldst have no power" etc. He
means, as he often said elsewhere, if it were
his Fathers will to save him he could have no
power, 1t was the Fathers will that he
should drink of this cup: but that did not lift
responsibility from the parties Plate would
be guilty; those who prosecuted still more SO,
for they knew more than Plate did They
were nominal worshipers of the God of
Israel, readers of the Scriptures, approached
by conclusive evidences, having the light and
yet loving the darkness
Deeper still is the impression now made on
Pilates mind, and he would fan ". ~ re-
lease him: but a new argument is now ut
tered by the prosecutors: IF thou let etc.
This was plausible. 1t appealed to Pilates
fears, At this stage of the Roman empire
corruption was very bad. A rival or an as
pirant for Pilates place could easily make use
of a report like this to his ruin. He was him
self conscious of many charge that could be
brought against him. Some, in fact, had
been brought. The phrase Caesars friend"
had become honorary, and was given TO sue
cessful Roman governors. He probably
hoped for it. Old Roman simplicity had now
vanished. Pride, show, plumber, power and
degrading pleasures took its place.
This new aspect of the case Plate recog-
nized. He knew the hostility of Jews and
Samaritans to him. He saw the passionate
fury of the prosecutors of Jesus. His diplo-
macy had failed He sees nothing for it but
sentence of death. He had ''sought"-re-
peatedly sought the word implies-to get the
approval of the people to his design of spar
ing him and in vain. He yields.
Y. 10, He brought Jesus forth. A tesselat-
ed pavement, we learn from authorities out
side Of Scripture, was always deemed proper