Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-01
PLATE AND HEROD
As They Sat in Judgment on the
Reviled King of the Jews.
DEMANDS OF THE ANGRY RABBLE.
Remorse Of Judas and the Tragedy Of the
Valley of Hinnom.
CASTING AWAY THE BLOOD-MOyEY
rwR1TTrN FOR THE DrsrArcH.l

1T is Lne early morning OI 1ooO EflO2ys
Out of the house of the High Priest they lead
Jesus to take Him to the palace Of the Gov
ernor. The chiefs of the Jews are in the COM
pany. These are the religious leaders Of
that day-none more jealous for the Church
than they. None more exacting in observ-
ance of her ritual than these blind guides
God is manifested in the flesh, and they who
are accounted the men of God reject Him.
"Hecame unto His own and Els own received
Him not"
So thev came to the palace of Plate, the
Governor. Pilates consent must be had
before Christ can be put to death. The
crowd stands before Pilates palace. It is q
hea!hen's house, and they will not set foot
within it, because this is holy season. So
careful are they about the infinitely little,
SO blind to the infinitely great
1t is in the gray dusk of the early morn
ing. The street before the door is thronged
with priests and elders. Jesus is led within,
into the hall Of Judgment. Plate comes
out to meet the accusers. He asks the ac-
cusation. For a moment the accusers are
confused. They have no accusation which
will weigh with Plate. Blasphemy, if they
affirm that, will count for nothing with him..
IF He were not malefsctor," they cry
out, gaining a little time, "we would not
have delivered Him unto thee
The Charge of sedition.
Then the telling accusation comes into
their minds. They charge Him with sedi-
ton. 1--WE found this fellow Derverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to
Cesar. saying that He Himself is Christ, q
king"
Plate returns into the judgment hall
Jesus is called before hini. Art Thou the
King of the Jews?' asks PLATE, half in
scorn and half in awe, looking into the face
of this strange criminal. Art Thou the
King of the Jews?" And Jesus answers,
yes. He is king, but His kingdom is not
of this world. 1t is the Kingdom of the
Truth over which He rules. Everyone that
is of the truth heareth His voice. And
PLATE goes out, pondering this strange an
swer, saying TO himself again with that in
termingling of scorn and wonder: NV hat is
truth?" PLATE goes out and gives his ver-
diet to the waiting crowd. This man is in
nocent. 81 find no fault in Him at all"
At once goes up great disorderlv cry.
The crowd is in an instant passion, execra-
tion, epithets, shouts of accusation, all
sorts of fierce speech, and threats, and lies, .
and ISLANDERS, and words of hatred are
hurled at the silent and guiltless prisoner.
Among the riot Plate hears the name of
Galllee. He asks if the man is Galilean.
And when they tell him that He is, at once
there occurs to Pilate way of escape out Of
responsibility. Herod is in town. And
Herod is the ruler of Galilee. Christ
belongs to Herod's Jurisdiction. He must
be taken to Herod.
Herod Demands a Miracle.
Away moves the procession through the
quiet streets. 1t is still the early morn Ig.
Herod is in his palace. Herod has heard Of
Jesus Of Nazareth. He has heard of Him
as a worker of wonders. He demands that
Christ shall work some wonder now. He
wants to see miracle. Christ keeps stern
silence. Herod plies Him with questions;
Christ returns no answer. Outside stand
the chief priests and the scribes and We
hemently accuse Him, but not word breaks
that determined silence. Again, Christ is
derided The scenes OF the house of Gaia
phas are repeated. "Herod, with his men.
of-war, set Him at naught and marked Him
and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and
sent Him again to Pilate."
Christ has not spoken once. HE was op-
pressed and He was afflicted, yet opened He
rot His mouth. He is brought as a lamb to
the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His
mouth" What significant silencel To
Plate He will speak, but not to Herod. To
PLATE, who has a little gleam of justice in
him, little purpose to do right, weak,
easily persuaded, vet with fair impulses,
with possibility of good in him, to PLATE
Christ will speak. But for Herod, foolish,
curious, sneering, He has no word. To him
Christ has only stern and most significant
silence. So they go back again.
And What of Traitor Judas?
Where is John? Where is Peter? Where
are the others? Have they hidden them
selves? Have they sought some upper room
and set the barrier of barred doors and win
dows, as they did little later, against the
hostile world? Or do they Toliow afar of?
We know not. We know where one of the
apostles is, and what he is doing as this pro-
cession passes, but all the rest are ont Of
sight.
The end is near at hand for Judas Christ
Is condemned; somewhere from afar of
Judas has seen that they strike Him, and
mock Him, and spit upon Him, and He
utters no word. He puts forth no effort Of
power He is in the hands of His enemies.
1t has all come to pass as He predicted, and
the cross is the next step in the way. Judas,
watching, sees that, Whatever dreams be
NAV have had that the Messiah would at
last in His extremity declare Himself, are
gone now. The fatal deed Is done. Judas
has betrayed his Master, even to the death
of the cross.
A fearful reYulsion Of feeling comes over
him. Sin looks so different on its two sides
so revolving, so shameful when we look back
upon i'll Judas, at last, opens his eyes and
sees. What can he do? Here is the blood
money; the price and symbol OF his treachery.
He cannot keep it; he will appeal to the
men who gave it. He hurries into the tenn
pie, and great and bitter cry breaks from
his lips.
Remorse of the Betrayer.
"I have siuned," he cries. 81 have sinned
in that have betrayed the innocent blood"
But he gets no sympathy, and finds no pity.
They give him not so much as a hearing.
"What is that to us?" they say. "See thou
to thatW Who can help but pity himl He
is reaping what he has sown, as We all do,
but what dreadful harvestl The
man is friendless upon the earth. There
is but one among all men who might
speak \ word OF kindness to him, and to
that one Judas dares not 90. Christ passes
down the street, led by the priests and the
servants, clothed in the garment of mock
cry, thronged by the blasphemy rabble Of
enemies and idlers. But Judas does not
dare to look at Christ. Down he Aings the
money at the feet Of the chief priests. and as
it rolls ringing over the temple pavement,
he tsrns away. What shall he do with him
self? Where shall he go?
Away he burries beyond the city wall,
ont of the sight of mems hateful faces.
Down he rusnes into ''the horrible solitude
of the valley of Hinnom," place accursed.
They burned the refuse of the city there,
o,,d th tainfo6 aunoEa roca NJ. 49,. al