494

PILATE'S FIRST ACQUITTAL OF JESUS.

and so saying, he went out of the palace, into the presence of the Jews.

Doubtless in this conversation, so briefly related by John, Pilate had heard the true "word" from the lips of Jesus. It took hold on the heathen's heart, and he desired to do the Lord justice, but the clamorous Jews would not let him. In the words of the parable (Luke 8: 12), he was one by the wayside who, having heard the word, then cometh the devils and taketh it away from his heart, which believing he might have been saved.

With what contempt must Pilate have looked down on the envious, blood-thirsty rabble below him, as he said:

"I find no fault in the man," whom you have brought here. This decided acquittal greatly excited the fury of the Jewish rulers, who, in turns, "accused Jesus of many things." Jesus was by this time returned from the palace by the guard, and stood by the side of Pilate in full view of His accusers. "He perverteth the nation," shrieked some.

"And forbid giving tribute to Cæsar," said others.

He calls himself 'Christ, a king,'" cried they all.

"And he stirreth up the people throughout all Judea, beginning again from Galilee to this city."-Luke.

"Galilee?" said Pilate, catching at the word. "Is he then a Galilean?"

"Yes," they cried in chorus, "A Nazarene!"

Pilate, with quick perception, saw his way out of the present dilemma, and at once said to the officers in charge of the prisoner

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'Take him to Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee, for he is of Herod's jurisdiction."-Luke 23: 7.

The palace of the Asmoneans, in which Herod Antipas probably made his home while in Jerusalem,* was situated on the south side of the hill next north of Zion, and due west from the northwest corner of the temple, and on the west side of the Tyropean valley.

Therefore, Jesus was led down the broad avenue from Pi

*Antiq. 20: 8, 11; also Geikie, 2: 540.

JESUS BEFORE HEROD ANTIPAS.

495 late's house, down the northern slope of Zion, through the narrow streets, closely followed by the band of soldiers, and the Sanhedrin,,and, doubtless, by this time, the news of the arrest having spread, a curious rabble following in the rear, and so they arrived at Herod's residence.

When Herod knew who it was brought before him for examination, "He was exceedingly glad, for he was, of a long time, desirous to see Jesus, of whom he had heard such marvellous things.”—Luke.

"So Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, has sent you to me for adjudication?" and Herod was greatly flattered, for he and Pilate had been at enmity for a long period, because of the unwarranted slaughter of some Galileans by Pilate.* Now they were friends! Imbecile Herod! Pilate's flattery had overreached him. Foolish Herod! Pilate only wanted to make a tool of him, in order to get rid of a disagreeable responsibility. He dared not condemn an innocent man, as he was satisfied that Jesus was; he dared not acquit Him before the clamorous Jews, recalling former refusals to comply with their demands, and the result, almost disastrous to his government, until at last he was compelled, after nearly a week's siege in his palace, to comply.

Never before had the detestable character of Herod asserted itself with more cowardly meanness than on this occasion.

He began questioning Jesus as to His life and teachings, ending this, part first, by requesting Him to perform some miracles for his edification. To his surprise, Jesus stood before him in a dignified silence-the silence of contempt.Luke, only.

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'What! not answer me, a 'king,' one word? Not perform for me, your 'sovereign,' one clever legerdemain trick?" It was too galling to the would-be-king, after his vassal-king had sent him the prophet-juggler.

To be sure, the Jews stood without the palace shouting their various accusations against Jesus, but that amounted to

† Antiq. of Josephus 20: 5, 3; Ewald 5: 90, 91.

496

HEROD RETURNS JESUS TO PILATE.

nothing, since they offered no evidence against the accused.— Verses 10 and 15.

Still the great ruler must gratify his littleness of soul by making sport of the defenceless prisoner. So he took Jesus within the palace, and, by his servants, arrayed Him in a long, purple robe, one of his own cast-off garments, and setting some sort of a crown on His head, he, in common with the soldiers, mockingly hailed Jesus as "King of the Jews."

Having gratified his grovelling tastes in mocking the defenceless prisoner, Herod returned Him to Pilate with the message: "I find nothing condemnatory against Him."Luke 23: 15.

Back through the hot and dusty streets they led the Son of man, like a beast, with a halter about His neck, still arrayed in the mock habiliments of a king, back into the palace of the governor.

Having read the verdict of Herod, and leaving Jesus in the pretorium, Pilate went out to the Jews, and sat down on a place called the pavement to pronounce the verdict. According to Roman law, consultation (Acts 25: 12) and examination (10) were made in the pretorium, before the judgmentseat there, but verdicts must be rendered in the open air.— Bib. Encyclo., Kitto, art. "Gabbatha."

The Greek word here used is lithostratos, signifying stone paved; denoting a pavement of ornamental stones. Taking this fact in connection with Josephus' statement that this palace was constructed (or ornamented) with stones of countless varieties, and that the "walls were constructed of white marble; " we may believe that this "pavement" was an ornamental part, "possibly a permanent erection, . . . projecting from the judgment-hall of the palace, and easily accessible by a doorway from it."—Geikie.

Necessarily Pilate "sat" above the crowd in the yard, it being a maxim of the Roman law that all criminal trials should be held in a raised tribunal, that all might see and be seen.-Winer.

Here Pilate called the rulers of the Jews before him, and proceeded to sum up the verdict in the following words:

JESUS OR BARABBAS.

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"You brought the prisoner before me accused of perverting the people (23: 2). I have examined Him and found nothing against Him touching the things whereof you accused Him. Furthermore, I sent Him to Herod, who also having examined Him, has sent Him back, finding nothing against Him worthy of death. I will therefore reprimand Him and let Him go."

Why punish Him at all if innocent?

Pilate hoped thereby to conciliate the Jews.

Now there were among the Jews two customs of the feast week perfectly inconsistent with each other: one was to execute some condemned criminal as a public warning, and the other to ask the release of some condemned criminal from the governor, perhaps as a mark of his leniency. Therefore Pilate, on this ground, proposed to release Jesus. The rulers had anticipated him, however, by "stirring up the people" (now accumulated before the palace) to demand the release of one Bar-Abbas, a man lying in prison condemned of insurrection in the city. Therefore they raised the cry:

"Away with Jesus, and release unto us Bar-Abbas."

This fellow, the son of a rabbi, as the name indicates, was "a robber," an insurrectionist, and "a murderer," but the rulers of Israel preferred him to Jesus the Innocent!

Now Pilate began to see of what stuff these Jews were made!

Again he spoke to them, asking that they release Jesus.

It was at this point that they first raised the cry,

Crucify, crucify Him!"-Luke 23: 20-23.

"A third time Pilate remonstrated" (22).

"Why, what evil has he done? I have found no cause for putting Him to death. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him."

A wild tumult followed; amounting almost to an uprising of the whole multitude, headed by the fanatical priesthood.

In great perplexity Pilate re-entered the palace and, returning, brought out Jesus, still arrayed in the "gorgeous" robes of Herod. Meek and lowly, exhausted by long stress of fa

498

PILATE'S WIFE TO THE RESCUE.

tigue, faint from hunger, heartsick and deserted, He stood, bowed before them.

"Behold the man!" said Pilate, touched by pity, heathen as he was.

Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" roared the mob below.

From a chamber balcony Pilate's wife overlooked the whole shameful proceeding. She heard the clamorous mob thirsting for the innocent man's blood, and she saw her weak-kneed, vacillating husband sitting in judgment over a nation that he dared not offend by releasing a prisoner whom he knew was innocent, and "brought before him from very envy."-Matt. 27: 18.

In haste, for no time was to be lost, she sent a message to her already affrighted lord, saying:

"Have nothing to do with that righteous man” (19).

Still rose the cry, on the increase, to crucify Jesus. "We have a law, and by that law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God," they cried.

This last expression increased Pilate's alarm. Possibly this was the "Son of God!" What if He should be? Well might Pilate be "the more afraid" to kill Him.-John 19: 8, 9.

Again Pilate entered the palace with Jesus, and asked Him: Whence art thou?"

But Jesus answered Him not a word.

"Will you not speak to me?" Pilate asked. "Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you, as the rabble outside demands?" To this Jesus replied:

"You could not unless the power was conceded from heaven; therefore he who delivered me to you hath greater sin."

It must have been at this point that Pilate removed the mock-royal garments from Jesus, if at all.—John 19: 5, garments on; Mark 15: 17-20, Matt. 22: 27, reclothe him. Again Pilate returned to address the mob outside. His words were drowned in the increasing tumult.

"If you release this man you are no friend to Cæsar;