The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-11-19

Matt. xvii. 22-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. NJ. Stearns.
This chapter le%inS with the words.
when the morning WAS come. What
an eventful night ii had becn-the last
passover. wifi I'LL its incidents; the
great discourse and prayer; the agony
of Gethsemane: the betrayal and the
arrest; the mOckery of trial before
the chief priests and the council. with
the buffeting and splitting; the denial
of Peter with his Oaths and curses.
Now they bind Him again and lead
Him away to PontiuS liiate. the
Roman governor. that He may he put
to death If the Jews had the power
to Kill Him He would have been stoned
as Stephen afterwdrd was. hut the pre-
dictiOn in Ps. xxi. lG-"they pierced
my hands ami my fees Indicated
cruci6xion. and every Scripture must
be fulfilled.
The record in John xviii, *. to xix.
| II, seems to come in before our lesson
! verses. telling of Pilates private ill
| terview with Jesus and no" he came
out again and again and said. Il find
no fault i'll Him How when he ask
/ ed what prisoner he should release
unto them, as was his custom ut this
| feast, they asked for Barabbas. who
was Il rObber and murderer. How II
| late had Jesus scOurged. and tine sol
| diers made Il crown of thOTns and put
| it on Him ana Knocked Him and smutc
! Him. How PLATE brought Him forth
wearing the crown of thUrnS ard the
| purple robe and said. "SchOld the
| Man." And they all cried ont. Cruel
| fy Him. cruelty Him. and said. by
| our law He ought to die because lie
made Himself the Son of God"
| When Jesus made no reply to Pilates
| question. whence art Thou" and ask
ed if He did not know that lie had
! power to cruelty or release Him. Jesus
said that PLATE could have no power
against Him except it We're given him
| from above. AS PLATE persisted i'll his
efforts to release Him the Jews said,
IF thou let this man go thou art not
| Caesars friend" Then PLATE brought
Jesus forth and sat down in the judS-
ment seat, and Jesus stood before him,
the Creator before one of His crea-
lures.
1t is even so as you read this-your
Creator in the person of the Lord Je-
sus is before you to be wOrshiped. rev.
erenced, adored if you have already
received Him as your own personal
Saviour; if not. then the one great and
only question for you to answer is
the one in verse 20 of our lesson,
what shall l do with Jesus who is
called Christi 1t is never in any
case q question of our standing before
men, character or good works or even
church membership, which may mean
something or nothing, but only this,
Am l in Christ. redeemed by His pre-
cious blood who bare my sins in His
cwn body on the cross?
PLATE sitting or the judgment seat
and Jesus standing before him. the
chief priests and elders accuse Him of
many things. such as pCrverting the
nation. fOrbidding to give tribute to
Caesar. proclaiming Himself King.
| To all these accusations Jesus answer
ed never a word, and Plate marveled
| greatly Oversees 12-14; Luke xiii. =. 81.
1t is trying TO he lied about and false
! ly accused either behind ones back or
before your face. but to do as Jesus
did and answer nothing when there is
| nothing TO be answered is the better
way.
Nothing can be said or done to any
| member of His body without His per-
mission or without His feeling it. and
| all suffering with Him and for His
sake is a very great privilege. Con
slider continually that He who bore
4 all this so meekly was not only IN
! reality King of the Jews. hut also King
of nations. ruler of the kings of the
earth, King of kings and Lord of
lords. and all kings shall fall down be-
fore HiE3, all nations serve Him Oeut
Y. II; Is. Xxi. IL: Rev. i. 3: XIV. 3:
wonder OF il all that He should cor
descend to submit to all this for our
sakes; then to think how little we are
! willing TO bear for Him,
| How Plate sent Him to Herod to be
| further Knocked and set at nouGht and
how there also He answered nothing is
/ recorded in Luke xiii. 6-12. When
/ He had been returned to PLATE he
| brought Him forth and said to the
! Jews. Behold your King" But they
; cried out: Away with Him. cruelty
J Him. We have no king but Caesar"
! {John xix. II. 1jl. Pilates wife sent
| TO him. saying. Have thou nothing to
80 with that just man. for | have suf-
! fered many things this day in dream
because of Him." But the chief priests
and elders prevailed. and when PLATE
washed his hands, saving. Il am inno-
cent of the blood of this just person."
they all answered. His blood be on US
md on our children" oversees 10. 20.
, "a. 90.
So Barabbas the murderer was re-
leased and Jesus Christ the Holy One
Of God. God manifest in the flesh. de-
livered to their will TO be crucified
verse &c; Luke xiii. "a, %.
This is the hatred of God which Is
In the heart of man. for the carnal
mind is enmity against God. and only
fhe Spirit of God can convince Of sin.
the great sin of rejecting Christ. and
open the heart to receive Him
Because they chose Barabbas and
Caesar instead of Christ their suffer |
Ess continue 10 this day