The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-06-11
the SUNDAY SCHOOL


International Lesson for june a. lsee-
Jeaus Crucinsd-Luks sSsoS-Ae.
ARRANGED from Peloubet's Noees.1
GOLDEN TrxT.-Christ died for our sins
according to the scripturess-I Cor. ib:a
LESSON NOTES.
I. The Trial.-From little before
one o'clock Friday morning till sunrise,
about half-past FIVE, Jesus was endur-
ing an unjust trial, In some form, before
the Jewish authorities. The court
YVES the Jewish sanhedrim. The first
meeting was irregular, because It was
illegal to try any person before 1t dur
ing the night The witnesses were
difficult to procure, Of the kind sought.
But finally, two false witnesses were
obtained, who perverted q saying Of
Jesus, and did not agree even in their
nounced, not from anything the wit
nesses brought forward, but from
Jesus own confession that He was the
Messiah, the Son of God. This they
construed as blasphemy, capital Of
tense among the Jews. He was voted
to be worthy of death. The sanhedrim
then adjourned till dawn, when they
met in regular session, and pronounced
the formal sentence.
It was now that Peter was "sifted
as wheat" Peter, beset and worried
by crowd of menials and roughs, sur
rounded by darkness, amid unknown
dangers, thrice denied his Master, the
last time with cursing and swearing.
Such conduct was unlike that of dis
ciple. Jesus look of reproof was more
eloquent than volume of words, and
Peter went out and wept bitterly.
After the latter session of the sanhe-
drim, Jesus was taken before PLATE.
The religious accusation of blasphemy
would be of no account in Pilates
courts, ,henceitwasc carefully suppressed.
Instead of this, the Jews charged Jesus
with treason, under the triple accusa-
tion Of (1) sedition, exciting revolt
against Rome, (2) rebellion, refusing
to pay tribute, and (3) open treason
in claiming to be king. The second
charge we know was utterly false, and
the other two, though true in sense,
not true in the sense intended and not
at all reasonable. PLATE knew Jesus
to be innocent, but wanted to please the
Jews. He tried in various ways to es-
cape a formal decision, but in vain.
The sentence of death by crucifixion
was finally pronounced, and Jesus was
led out toward Calvary.
H. The Crucifixion.-This was trans
piring from nine o'clock till three, Fri
day, April Z, on Calvary, just outside
the walls of Jerusalem, beginning and
ending at the hours Of the daily sacri-
fee.
AS soon as the sentence was pro-
nounced the necessar, preparations
were made, during which some of the
soldiers mocked Jesus again, and then
the sad procession moved out of the
castle. Two incidents of the journey
are described-Simon of Cyrene COM
PEELED to aid Jesus in bearing the cross,
and Jesus words to the daughters of
Jerusalem Thus Jesus was aided by the
strength of man and the sympathy of
woman.
Jesus was nailed to the cross while it
was lying upon the ground, then it was
slowly raised with the sufferer upon it.
Crucifixiou was an unspeakably awful
form of death. The most revolving fea-
ture Of death by crucifxion was that
the torture was deliberately prolonged.
Jesus was upon the cross five or six
hours, retaining consciousness, while
the burning of the wounds in the hands
and feet, the uneasiness of the un-
natural position, the oppression OF
overcharged veins and the intolerable
thinst were constantly increasing. But
the most intense s,lnerings OF Jesus
were OF the spirit. he was bearing the
sing OF the world.
We may here note tour scenes Of In
terast that took place around the cro1.
First, the parting of Christ's raiment
by the guard of soldiers then the cast
ing OF lots for His inner coat or ta1nio.
Second, the shouting, scofang and
mocldng of the unruly. turbulent
crowd, crying: HE saved others; let
Him save Himself" The rulers and sol
die,,s also took mart in this mockerv.