Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-10-14
JESUS TO BE CRUCIFIED.
Or. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

Lesson III of the International Series
for Sunday, Oct. IT-Golden Text, ''Tben
Delivered He Him Therefore UntH
Them to be Crucified."-Lesson Text,
John Xxx, 1-16.
1t is proper to remind the pupils that the
four evangelists each give the details of that
dreadful morning on which Christ was cruci-
fed, in his own way, not closely repeating
one another. So it occuys that some things
are recorded by 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 piece of
polite policy. and JESUS was silent before him
how Pilates wife warned her husband Matt.
xvii, 19), and how the Jews pressed the
point that to let off one who set himself up as
a rival to Caesar would put PLATE in bad
light before Caesar. This was their strons
point. These are three lines of study we may
take as We see Jesus in the hands of sinful
men, Plate being for the time prominent.
Plate is, first, trying compromise; this
fails and he is frightened, and in the third
stage he yields.
/. 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
he ''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 a post, or something fixed,
and beaten with cords made sharp and heavy
with bone or lead fastened on them, to the
L.. Il. A.. 4
even it is said, at times the eyes of the vic
tim. The doing of this by 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 a mock crown of the prickly shrub
nubk, which is found around Jerusalem still,
they proceed to robe him in a garment in
imitation Of tLat worn by a king or gen.
eral; then they make mock salutes by bend
ing their bodies before Him and calling out,
"Hail, Eing of the Jews!' Then, as if they
were 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
80 reason for putting Him to death" Even
bis language seems to imply an appeal to
their pity-"Behold the mani" He is not
quite disregarding their wishes; but he sees
no reason for n 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
possess" Whatever feeling the common
people had, the "chief priests and officers"
made them cry out ". G) for his crucifixion
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 q
sentence on Jesus; it is an angry mockery of
their rage and their impotence 1t is not
uttered by him as judge (see V. 30) He
adds, II find no fault in him" Then why let
him be scourged and cruelty Knocked!
V. 7. The Jews now bring in another ele-
ment: "He made himself the Son of God"
(See Lev. xiv, 16). 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-
late's mind. The idea of "son of God"
would not be foreign to a Roman. If he had
received his wife's warning now, he must
have felt the solemn mystery about the mat
ter yet more. He was more perplexed and
alarmed. He went again into the judgment
hall and set about ss-questioning Christ;
but in vain ". g, for Qt Plate would not
understand, and ~ he had already done or
allowed great and cruel wrong, and his aim
now was not to do what was right, but what
would be safe for himself. He had not the
single eye.
V. 10. He demonstrates against this silence
alleging that it was the interest of Jesus to
speak to him who had power to release OF
cruelty. But Jesus had already spoken. The
case was no stronger against Him now than
at first. If PLATE found no fault in Him.
was not that enough? Cruelty after that
avowal! Silence was dignifed, just, 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, 34 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 nc
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 fain ". 12) re-
lease him; but new argument is now ut
tered by the prosecutors: "If thou let" etc.
This was pla .sible. It appealed to Pilates
fears. AT tx S stage of the Roman empire
corruption was very bad. A rival or an as
pirant for Pilates place could easily make use
of report like this to his ruin. He was him
self conscious of many a 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, plunder, 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
V. IS. He brought Jesus forth. A tesselat-
ed pavement, VIC learn from authorities out
side of Scripture, was always deemed proper
for Judgment seat. This is one of number