The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1901-03-14
THE SUNDAY school.
Lesson In the 1nternstlonal series
for March IL, 18O1--Jesus
and Pilate.
Prepared by H. G. L<enington.1
THE LESSON TEXT.

(Luke 23:13-26)
49, And Plate when he had called to,
gether the chief priests and the rulers and
the people,
IL. Said unto them: Ye have brought this
man unto me, as one that perverteth the
people: and, behold, I, having examined
Him before you have found no fault In this
man touching those things whereof ye ac-
cuse Him.
l6 No, nor vet Herod: for I sent you to
him; and. 10, nothing worthy Of death is
done unto Him.
Is. will therefore chastise Him, and re-
lease Him
II. (For Of necessity he must release one
unto them at the feast)
IL. And they cried out all at once, saying:
Away with this man, and release unto US
Barabbas;
10. (Who for a certain sedition made in
the city, and for murder. was cast into
prison)
90 PLATE, therefore, willing to release
Jesus, spake again to them.
81. But they cried, saying: Cruelty Him.
cruelty Him.
a And he said unto them the third time:
Why, what evil hath He done? I have
found no cause of death In Him: I will,
therefore, chastise Him. and let Him go.
g. And they were instant with loud
voices. recurring that He might be cruel
fed. And the voices Of them and of the
chief priests prevailed.
GOLDEN TEXT.-I and NO fault In
this man.-Luke 2Ss4.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The Scripture to be studied includes
the story Of Judas inglorious end, in
Matthew 27:1-1O. It il said that when
Judas saw that Jesus was condemned
to death as the result of his treachery
he "repented himself" There 10 re-
pentance and repentance. There 10 .
repentance that is only the inevitable
remorse that follows every unholy
deed. In this sense there never was .
sinner who did not repent, that 10, felt
remorse for the wrong he had done.
True repentance, the repentance which
John the Baptist and Jesus Himself
came preaching, was . very different
affair. This was sorrow for sin,
coupled with determination to hence
forth do right. To be sorry one has
been wrong, and then continue in the
wrong, this is travesty on the noblest
impulse ever felt in human heart. Ju-
das' repentance was remorse, and II led
him to q towards death-suicide. He
went and hanged himself, and his body
was given = pauper's burial, cast into
the pottsr's field. And the place was
known from that time forward as the
place of blood, fitting memorial of the
life of dishonor he had lived. and the
deed of monumental treachery he had
committed. Even this Judas had a
glimmering of Divine truth, and he
added his testimony: 81 have sinned
in that I have betrayed the innocent
blood" .n
The parallel accounts of the lesson
proper are found in the four Gospels,
as follows:
Matthew a N:1l-31
Mark 15:1-20.
Luke 23:1-6.
John 1S:28-19I6.
Jesus Before Pilate.-The Jewish
council had declared Jesus guilty of
blasphemy and had voted the sentence
of death. But the Jews were not al
lowed to put any man to death. The
prerogative of passing the sentence of
death had been reserved by the Romans
to their own authorities. For this rea-
son Jesus was taken before PLATE. But
blasphemy was no crime against the
Roman law. Another charge had to be
trumped up. 1t was the charge of sedi-
| tion. Jesus had declared Himself to be
| king. John tells us that Plate ques-
toned Jesus on this point, and Jesus
admitted He was king, but he added.
His kingdom was not of this world.
1t was the kingdom Of truth He came to
establish. PLATE found no fault in Him
This was public acquittal of Jesus.
Jesus Sent to Herod.-At this the
Jews became even more furious than
| they had been, and reiterated their
charges against Jesus. Naturally Plate
hesitated about releasing Him. Learn
ing that Jesus was Galilean, PLATE
thought he saw his way out. He would
send Jesus before Herod, in whose
| jurisdiction was the district of Galilee.
Herod also had his palace in Jerusalem
To this palace Jesus was taken. Herod
was glad to see Jesus, because he had
long heard of Him as wonderful mir
acle worker. He hoped to see some
great miracle performed. But Jesus
was silent. Herod was baffled, and the
wicked king made sport of the event by
arraying the peasant of Nazareth, who
naQ' uecldTeu f1lHlSelI 10 De KING. In
kingly purple robe and Knocked him,
and sent Him again to PLATE.
| The Jews Demand Bara rabbas.-Pilate
made one more attempt to release
Jesus. On the feast days he had mad E
it custom to release one prisoner. So
PLATE appealed to the populace, but the
people. prompted by Jesus accusers,
| demanded not the innocent Jesus, but
demanded Barabbas-one who had
been really guilty Of sedition, the crime
they now charged against Jesus. PLATE
allowed himself against better in
stinct, to be prevailed upon by the cries
of the crowds and the demands of the
rulers. PLATE passed the sentence OF
death, and then delivered Jesus over to
the soldiers for the scourging usually
| given before crucifiNion. The soldiers
added their mockeries to the scene
They put on Him gay robe, crown OF
thorns on His head and rod (for a
scepter) in His hand. In every way they
insulted the King of the Jews.