CXXXI.
THIRD STAGE OF THE ROMAN TRIAL. PILATE
RELUCTANTLY SENTENCES HIM TO CRUCIFIXION.
(Friday. Toward sunrise.)
aMATT. XXVII. 15-30; bMARK
XV. 6-19; cLUKE XXIII. 13-25; dJOHN
XVIII. 39-XIX 16.
a15 Now at the feast
[the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont {bused
to} release unto them athe multitude one prisoner, whom they
would. {bwhom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or
by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown
elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor
upon certain occasions by releasing prisoners.]
a16 And they had then b7
And there was aa notable prisoner, bone called Barabbas,
lying bound with them that had made insurrection, men who in the
insurrection had committed murder. [710] [Josephus
tells us that there had been an insurrection against Pilate's government
about that time caused by his taking money from the temple treasury for
the construction of an aqueduct. This may have been the affair here referred
to, for in it many lost their lives.]
8 And the multitude went up and began to ask him to do as he was
wont to do unto them. [It was still early in the morning, and the vast
majority of the city of Jerusalem did not know what was transpiring at
Pilate's palace. But they came thither in throngs, demanding their annual
gift of a prisoner. Pilate welcomed the demand as a possible escape from
his difficulties.] c13
And Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people
[He did not wish to seem to take advantage of our Lord's accusers by releasing
him during their absence. Possibly he knew of the triumphal entry the Sunday
previous, and thought that the popularity of Jesus would be such that his
release would be overwhelmingly demanded, and so called the rulers that
they might see that he had released Jesus in answer to popular clamor.
If he had such expectations, they were misplaced],
b9 And a17 When
therefore they were gathered together, bPilate answered them,
saying, {c14 and said} unto them,
bWill ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? cYe
brought unto me this man, as one that perverteth the people: and behold,
I having examined him before you, found no fault in this man touching those
things whereof ye accuse him: 15 no,
nor yet Herod: for he sent him back unto us; and behold, nothing worthy
of death hath been done by him. d39
But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover:
c16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. dWill
ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? aWhom
will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?
18 For he knew {bperceived} athat for envy they bthe
chief priests had delivered him up. [Though Jesus had been declared
innocent on the joint finding of himself and Herod, [711] Pilate
did not have the courage to deliberately release him. He sought to please
the rulers by scourging him, and the multitude by delivering him to them
as a popular favorite, and himself by an adroit escape from an unpleasant
situation. But he pleased nobody.]
c18 But they cried out all together, saying, Away with this
man, and release unto us Barabbas:--
19 one who for a certain insurrection made in the city, and for murder,
was cast into prison. [We see from Matthew's account that though the
people had a right to name their prisoner, Pilate took upon himself the
liberty of choosing which one of two it should be. By doing so he complicated
matters for the Jewish rulers, asking them to choose between Jesus, who
was held on an unfounded charge of insurrection, and Barabbas, who was
notoriously an insurrectionist and a murderer and a robber as well. But
the rulers were not to be caught in so flimsy a net. Without regard to
consistency, they raised their voice in full chorus for the release of
Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus.]
a19 And while he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife
sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man;
for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
[This message of Pilate's wife suggests that the name and face of Jesus
were not unknown to Pilate's household. Pilate would be much influenced
by such a message. The Romans generally were influenced by all presages,
and Suetonius tells us that both Julius and Augustus Cæsar attached
much importance to dreams.] b11
But a20 Now the chief priests
and the elders persuaded {bstirred up} the multitude, {amultitudes}
bthat he should rather release Barabbas unto them. athat
they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 But the governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two will
ye that I release unto you? And they said, Barabbas.
d40 They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but
Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
c20 And Pilate spake unto them again, desiring to release Jesus;
[712]
b12 And Pilate again answered and said {asaith} unto
them, What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? bhim
whom ye call the King of the Jews? c21
but {b13 and} they cried out {cshouted}
bagain, csaying, Crucify, crucify him. aThey
all say, Let him be crucified.
b14 And Pilate said unto them, cthe third time, Why,
what evil hath this man {ahe} done? cI have found
no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him and release him.
aBut they cried out exceedingly, saying, bCrucify
him. aLet him be be crucified. [Finding the mob cruelly
persistent, Pilate boldly declines to do its will and turns back into the
Prætorium declaring his intention to release Jesus. But he retires
with the demands of the multitude ringing in his ears.]
d1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. [Carrying
out the program which he proposed, Pilate had Jesus removed from the Prætorium
to the place of scourging, and inflicted that punishment upon him. We learn
from Josephus and others that the law required that those about to be crucified
should first be scourged. But Pilate hoped that scourging would suffice.
He believed that the more moderate would take pity upon Jesus when they
viewed his scourged body, for scourging was so cruel a punishment that
the condemned person often died under its infliction. The scourge was made
of thongs loaded at the extremity with pieces of bone or metal. The condemned
person was stripped and fastened to a low post, this bending the back so
as to stretch the skin. Blood spurted at the first blow.]
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and
arrayed him in a purple garment; 3 and
they came unto him, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they struck him
with their hands. [The soldiers had no special malice against Jesus,
but the Roman military system made men hard of heart. The occasion gave
to these foreign legionaries a much-enjoyed opportunity to show their contempt
for the Jews by mocking Jesus as their King. It is not known which one
of the many thorny plants of Palestine [713] was
used to form the Lord's crown. See p.
330. The robe was designed to give Jesus a mock appearance of royalty,
and it was likely some cast-off military coat or state garment of Pilate's.
Pilate winked at the conduct of his soldiers since it favored his plan.
If Jesus could be made sufficiently pitiable and contemptible, his enemies
might relent. But Pilate little understood the venom of those enemies:
they mocked and taunted Jesus upon the cross.]
4 And Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him out
to you, that ye may know that I find no crime in him. [Those having
our modern sense of justice would have said that Pilate brought Jesus out
thus because he had found no crime in him. But scourging was little
thought of in that place and day (Acts xxii. 24). If Pilate had found Jesus
guilty, he would have condemned him at once. As it was, he sought to return
Jesus to the Sanhedrin as having committed no crime of which the Roman
law could take note.] 5 Jesus therefore
came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And Pilate
saith unto them, Behold, the man! [It was Pilate's original proposition
to scourge Jesus and let him go (Luke xxiii. 16). Having already scourged
him, he now hoped to effect his release. Presenting our Lord in this state
of abject humiliation, he feels that he has removed him from every suspicion
of royalty. He speaks of Jesus as no longer a king, but a mere man. Pilate's
words, however, have a prophetic color, somewhat like those uttered by
Caiaphas. All those of subsequent ages have looked and must continue to
look to Jesus as the ideal of manhood. The "Ecce Homo" of Pilate is in
some sense an echo of the words of the Father when he said, "This is my
Son, my chosen: hear ye him." In Jesus we behold the true man, the second
Adam.] 6 When therefore the chief
priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him,
crucify him! [Thus Pilate's expectation came to naught, for
not one of the Jewish rulers ever wavered in their demand for crucifixion.]
Pilate saith unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I
find no [714] crime in him. [In this
sentence, "ye" and "I" are both emphatic; for Pilate wishes to draw a contrast
between himself and the Jewish rulers. His words are not a permission to
crucify, but a bit of taunting irony, as if he said: "I the judge have
found him innocent, but ye seem to lack the wit to see that the case is
ended. If ye are so much superior to the judge that ye can ignore his decision,
proceed without him; crucify him yourselves."]
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God. [Perceiving that Pilate was
taunting them, and practically accusing them of attempting to put an innocent
man to death, they defended themselves by revealing the fact that in addition
to the charges that they had preferred against Jesus, they had found him
clearly guilty and worthy of death on another charge; viz.: that of blasphemy
(Lev. xxiv. 16). They had made no mention of this fact because Pilate was
under no obligation to enforce their law; but they mentioned it now to
justify their course. They probably felt sure that Jesus himself would
convince Pilate of the truth of this latter accusation if Pilate questioned
him.] 8 When Pilate therefore heard
this saying, he was the more afraid [The words of Jesus at John xviii.
37 (see p. 707) and the message
from his wife had already filled Pilate with fear, and this saying added
to it because the Roman and Grecian mythologies told of many incarnations;
and, influenced by the calm presence of Jesus, Pilate readily considered
the possibility of such a thing]; 9 and
he entered into the Praetorium again [taking Jesus with him for private
examination], and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus
gave him no answer. [Pilate sought to know whether Jesus were of heaven
or of earth; but Jesus did not answer, for the motive of the question was
not right. Pilate did not wish an answer that he might give or withhold
worship; but that he might know how strenuously he should defend Jesus.
But innocent life is to be defended at all hazards, and it matters not
whether it be human or divine. Pilate, therefore, already knew enough to
enable him to [715] discharge his duties.]
10 Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest
thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee?
[Pilate intimates that Jesus should treat his questions with more courtesy
since his good will and favor are not to be despised. But the words lay
bare the corrupt heart of Pilate, and form a prophecy of the sin which
he committed. Judges must hear and give sentence according to truth, uninfluenced
by good will or favor. But Pilate, to please the Jews, crucified Jesus,
reversing the sentence which he here suggests that he might render to please
Jesus.] 11 Jesus answered him, Thou
wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above:
therefore he [Caiaphas] that delivered me unto thee hath greater
sin. [Judas is spoken of as having delivered Jesus--John xviii. 2,
5 (the same word being translated both "betrayed" and "delivered"), but
Judas did not deliver to Pilate, so Caiaphas as the representative of the
Sanhedrin is here meant; and Pilate's sin is contrasted with that of the
rulers. Both of them sinned in abusing their office (the power derived
from above--Ps. lxxv. 6, 7; Isa. xliv. 28; Rom. xiii. 1); but Pilate's
sin stopped here. He had no acquaintance with Jesus to give him the possibility
of other powers--those of love or hatred, worship or rejection. The members
of the Sanhedrin had these powers which arose from a personal knowledge
of Jesus, and they abused them by hating and rejecting him, thereby adding
to their guilt. Pilate condemned the innocent when brought before him,
but the Sanhedrin searched out and arrested the innocent that they might
enjoy condemning him.] 12 Upon this
Pilate sought to release him [As we have seen, Pilate had before this
tried to win the consent of the rulers that Jesus be released, but that
which John here indicates was probably an actual attempt to set Jesus free.
He may have begun by unloosing the hands of Jesus, or some such demonstration]:
but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou release this man, thou art not
Caesar's friend: every one that maketh himself a king speaketh against
Caesar. [716] [Whatever Pilate's demonstration
was it was immediately met by a counter one on the part of the rulers.
They raise a cry which the politic Pilate can not ignore. Taking up the
political accusation (which they had never abandoned), they give it a new
turn by prompting Pilate to view it from Cæsar's standpoint. Knowing
the unreasoning jealousy, suspicion and cruelty of the emperor, Pilate
saw at once that these unscrupulous Jews could make out of the present
occasion a charge against him which would cost him his position, if not
his life.] 13 When Pilate therefore
heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat
at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. [Pilate had
already again and again declared Jesus innocent. He now mounts the judgment-seat
that he may formally reverse himself and condemn him. The apostle as an
eye-witness fixes by its two names the exact spot where this awful decision
was rendered.] 14 Now it was the
Preparation of the passover [see p.
647]: it was about the sixth hour. [It is likely that
John uses the Roman method of counting time, and means six A.
M. See p. 142. John
notes also the exact hour day and hour.] And he saith unto the Jews,
Behold, your King! [As he had tried to waken their compassion by saying,
"Behold, the man!" so he now made a final attempt to shame them by saying,
"Behold, your King!"] 15 They therefore
cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate
saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered,
We have no king but Caesar. [Carried away by the strong emotions of
the moment, the official organs of the Jewish theocracy proclaimed Cæsar
to be their only king, thus yielding with Jesus their claims to independence
and their hopes in a Messiah. This is a most significant fact. When their
ancestors rejected Jehovah as their king (I. Sam. xii. 12), their faithful
prophet, Samuel, warned them what the king of their choice would do, and
what they should suffer under him. Thus Jesus also foretold what this Cæsar
of their choice would do to them (Luke xix. 41-44; xxiii. 27-31). They
committed themselves to the [717] tender mercies
of Rome, and one generation later Rome trod them in the wine-press of her
wrath.] c23 But they were
urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. And their voices
prevailed. [They overcame Pilate's weak resistance by their clamor.]
a24 So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather
that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see
ye to it. 25 And all the people answered
and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. [Pilate's
act was symbolic, intended to show that he regarded the crucifixion of
Jesus as a murder, and therefore meant to wash his hands of the guilt thereof.
The Jewish law made the act perfectly familiar to the Jews (Deut. xxi.
1-9). Had the Jewish rulers not been frenzied by hatred, the sight of Pilate
washing his hands would have checked them; but in their rage they take
upon themselves and their children all the responsibility. At the siege
of Jerusalem they answer in part for the blood of Christ, but God alone
determines the extent of their responsibility, and he alone can say when
their punishment shall end. But we know that it ends for all when they
repentantly seek his forgiveness. The punishments of God are not vindictive,
they are the awards of Justice meted out by a merciful hand.]
b15 And Pilate, wishing to content the multitude, cgave
sentence that what they asked for should be done.
a26 Then released he unto them Barabbas; chim that
for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked
for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
d16 Then therefore bJesus, when he had scourged him,
to be crucified [Mark mentions the scourging to show that it preceded
the crucifixion, but we see from John's account that the scourging took
place somewhat earlier in the proceeding], bhe delivered
him unto them to be crucified. [Pilate delivered Jesus to their punishment,
but not into their hands; he was led forth and crucified by Pilate's soldiers,
who first mocked him, as the next paragraph shows.]
b16 And [718]
a27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus, bled
him away within {ainto} the court, which is the Praetorium;
and they called together aand gathered unto him the whole band.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. b17
And they clothe him with purple, a29
And they platted {bplatting} a crown of thorns, [and] they
put it on him; aupon his head, and a reed in his right hand;
and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him,
b18 and they began to salute him, asaying, Hail,
King of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon
him, and took the reed b19
And they smote his head {aand smote him on the head.} bwith
a reed, and spat upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. [After
the sentence of death the soldiers take Jesus back into the Prætorium,
and renew the mockeries and indignities which had been interrupted that
Pilate might exhibit Jesus to the people, as John shows us. Moreover, the
whole band, or cohort, are now gathered, where at first but a few took
part. It is likely that the mock robe and crown were removed when Jesus
was brought before Pilate to be sentenced, for it is highly improbable
that a Roman judge would pronounce the death sentence while the prisoner
was clothed in such a manner.]
[FFG 710-719]
