The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-11
THE LESSON STORY.


The illegal ight-condemnation of Jesus
was duly legalized by the Sanhedrim in
open session at sunrise. The whole coun-
Gil was summoned. If any friends of Jesus
were present their voices were drowned in
the prevalent angry elimination of the
Prisoner.
Jesus, whose bonds had been removed
or loosened in the later hours of the night,
was once more securely bound. Then the
whole council, excepting it may be some
humane members who could not endure
participation in such an inhuman proceed
ing, went in procession to the pretorium.
1t was a notable procession. At its
head, in his pontifical robes, was Caiaphas
the high priest. There was guard of
temple police, to resist any attempt to res
cue the Victim. Jesus was in the midst.
The old tradition is credible; he was led
by cord about his neck.
'The way" Geike tells us, fran from
the West Hall of the temple over the Tyro-
pnon by bridge, and across the open
space of the Xystus with its pillared
porches, to the palace of Herod, now
Pilates headquarters" Pilates palace,
the pretorium, had been built on Mount
Zion by Herod the Great; in massiveness
and splendor it symbolized the strength of
the Roman power. TWAS, like the palaces
of the period, built around court, to
which entrance was gained through a
portico.
1t was yet early, perhaps o'clock, when
the strange procession arrived before the
portico. 1t was DESTROYS of delivering its
Prisoner into the hands of the execution
ers, before his friends could attempt his
deliverance.
There was a judgment hall within the
palace; but it was deflement for the priests
to enter it, and on this first day of the Pass
over these priests were especially DESTROYS
to keep themselves in their own way holy
The procession therefore stood with their
Victim in the place called The Pavement
Tin Hebrew Gabbatha), in front of the pal.
ace. The square was speedily filled with
a curious crowd. The scheme of the
priests had succeeded. Jesus was brought
to PLATE before Jerusalem was awake, and
he was guarded by surrounding rabble
against rescue by his friends.
PLATE, accompanied by the officers which
constituted his judicial court, appeared and
took his seat upon the tribune on the ele.
walton between the white marble pillars of
the portico.
PLATE has been the Roman Procurator
in Judea for five years. The seat of his
authority is at Casarea; but at the time of
the great feasts of the Jews he regards it
prudent to make a show of his military
power in Jerusalem and overawe any at
tempt at revolt. He is typical Roman;
crudely just yet selfshly ambitious; SEN
sual, earthly, atheistic; yet in degree
human. He had repeatedly come into
collision with the Jewish authorities, and
had reason to fear the Jewish appeals to
Rome. His MASTER the emperor Liberals,
expected two things of him; first, that he
be faithful to his office as procurer of the
taxes; second, that he rule his subjects so
severely yet justly that no questions should
come to Rome for adjudication. Repeated
appeals to Rome nevertheless had already
been source of irritation at the home
court. The success of these appeals had
emboldened the priestly party in Jerusa-
lem, and had in degree unnerved PLATE.
Plate, because of his want of moral cour-
age and spiritual vision, will always have
an unenviable name in Christian history;
yet it may be true, as Farrar says, that Fin
point of fact, of all the civil and ecclesias-
teal rulers before whom Jesus was brought
to judgment, Plate was the least guilty of
malice and hatred, the most anxious, il
not to spare his agony, at least to save his
life."
rilate was now ready to hear the charge
, be made against the Prisoner.
1. Silent Before His Accusers,
Tvs. IS.
We have in our lesson-passage from
Mark but sketchy account of the trial
before the Roman governor. From the
parallel accounts in the other evangelists
we fill some of the interstices in Marks
brief notes.
Pilates first question was, What aecHSa-
tion bring ys against this man? 1t is
probable that Caiaphas spoke first in
1OiiIldA yet SCHCidl dCCuSdllOH. udlC III
fers that the accusation against Jesus per-
tains to the ecclesiastical authorities; he
advises the accusers to take him and try
him by their own law. "Lf he qVsye not a
maAetaetoy," they reply, sac 7V0xId not
haze dsltveysd him MP unto thee" This
saying makes unmstakable their intention
1t is not question they can settle with the
Prisoner. They can determine matters of
faith and ecclesiastical faithfulness; but
they have no power to condemn an offender
to death. They have brought Jesus to
Plate therefore with the expectation that
he will lend them ready credence in their
assertion that he is an offender against
Roman law worthy of culprit's death.
Plate distinguished, among the accusa-
tons made by the excited priests, the dec
laration that Jesus pretended to be the
King of the Jews. Here was matter de-
serving Roman attention. But in the pres