378 clxxxvi. They accuse him to Pilate as setting up for a king. LUKE XXIII. 2. And they began to accuse him, saying, SECT. crime of which the prisoner here before you is convicted, and as, after a fair trial, he has received such a sentence in the sanhedrim, we only John XVIII31 wait your warrant to proceed to execution. Luke And, as Pilate could not but inquire of what XXIII. 2 crime he had been convicted, they resolved to mention that charge which might render him We found this fellow most obnoxious to the Roman power, and to re- perverting the nation, present the matter in its most malignant view; tribute to Cesar, sayand forbidding to give and accordingly they began with great violence to ing, that he himself is accuse him, saying, It is not merely on a religious Christ, a King. account that we have brought him before you, but we have also found this seditious [fellow] perverting the whole Jewish nation, from one end of the country to the other, and in effect forbidding to pay tribute to Cæsar, by saying, that he himself is Messiah, a King, whom many of the Jews have expected to rescue them from all subjection to a foreign power: and this claim he has had the assurance to avow in open court; so that it is but a necessary piece of respect to thee, and to the emperor, whose lieutenant thou art, to bring him hither to be condemned, and indeed to leave him to be executed by you. John And though they aimed at nothing more by this JOHN XVIII. 32. XVIII. than to make sure of their murderous designs, That the saying of Je. sus might be fulfilled, 32 and to add new circumstances of shame and which he spake, sigagony to the execution, yet Providence was nifying what death he pleased to over-rule it with a wise intent, that should die. the saying of Jesus might thus be fulfilled, which he spake more than once (see John iii. 14. xii. 32, 33. and Mat. xx. 19.) signifying or implying by what kind of death he should die, even by being lifted up from the earth, or by crucifixion, which was a Roman punishment; whereas according to the Jewish law (Lev. xxiv. 16.) he would have been stoned (as his servant Stephen afterwards was), having been impiously adjudged by them to have deserved death as a blasphemer. (Compare Mat. xxvi. 65, 66, and Mark xiv. 64, p. 362.) Mat. MAT. XXVI. 12. And when he was accused of the chief And when he was thus accused by the chief XXVII. priests and elders, who aggravated the matter 12 by the addition of many other things, either en priests and elders [of tirely false, or grossly misrepresented; reproach- many things], he nothing. ing him as a blasphemer, a sabbath-breaker, and answered And when he was thus accused, &c.] The reader may perhaps observe that I have transposed Mat. xxvii. 11, and Mark xv. 2. But it is only because I think the a magi other evangelists relate the story in such an order, as to shew the propriety of this little transposition. As Jesus was silent, Pilate takes him in and examines him. 379 how many things they witness against thee. [MARK XV. 4.] SECT. clxxxvi. Mat. a magician; and, in a word, omitting nothing which they thought might blacken his character, 13 Then saith Pilate he made them no answer at all. Then Pilate unto him, [Answerest said to him, Dost thou answer nothing to ali XXVII. thon nothing?] Hearest thou not? [Behold] this? Iearest thou not the several charges they 13 produce against thee, or hast thou no concern to vindicate thyself from what they have alledged? Behold, and consider, how many and how great things they witness against thee. But still, as 14 Jesus knew how little all his apologies would signify, he continued silent, and did not answer him to any one word; so that Pilate the governor was greatly astonished, and knew not how to account for so uncommon a behaviour, 14 And [Jesus yet] answered him to nethat [Pilate] the governor marvelled greatly. ver a word, insomuch [MARK XV. 5.] JOHN XVIII. 33. Then Pilate entered is ed him, saying,] Art XVIII. 33 But yet, as the governor had heard an honour- John able report of Jesus, and observed in this silence an air of meek majesty and greatness of spirit, rather than any consciousness of guilt or any indication of a fierce contempt, he was willing to discourse with him more privately before he thou the king of the proceeded farther. Pilate therefore entered again Jews? [MAT. XXVII. into the prætorium, which he had quitted to oblige the Jews (ver. 29, p. 576), and called Jesus in and [as] Jesus stood before the governor there, Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou indeed the king of the Jews, and dost thou really pretend to any right to govern them? 11. MARK XV. 2.LUKE XXIII. 3.-] Jesus answered him, Dost thou say this of thy- 34 self, from the knowledge of any seditious practices which thou hast ever observed in me? or is it only what thou hast gathered from the present clamour made against me, and have others told it thee concerning me? Pilate immediately replied, am I a Jew? or 35 do I know any thing of your peculiarities, further than I am informed by others? I do not at all pretend to it: but thou knowest that thine own nation, and those who are esteemed the most sacred persons in it, even the chief priests themselves, have delivered thee to me as a malefactor, and have charged thee, among other crimes, with treason against Cæsar, in setting up for king of the country: tell me therefore freely what hast thou done to deserve such a charge for the more frank thou art in thine acknowledgment, the greater favour mayest thou expect. Jesus answered him, My kingdom is not of this 36 world, nor is it my business or design to erect a 3 B temporal 380 clxxxvi. Jesus declares his kingdom is not of this world. SECT. temporal dominion, and to establish any claim kingdom were of this which should at all interfere with that of Cæsar, servants fight, that I world, then would my or of which any prince has reason to be jealous. should not be deliverJohn XVIII. Indeed if I would have entertained such views, ed to the Jews,; but 36I might have found support and encourage- not from hence. now is my kingdom ment from the very persons who are now my accusers and if I had asserted that my kingdom was of this world, and had favoured such methods of defence, my sercants, who professed of late so great and so public a regard to me, would resolutely have fought, that I might not have been delivered to the Jews, or would attempt even now to rescue me out of their hands: but now my kingdom is not from hence, nor to be erected here; and therefore I have been so far from arming my followers with secular weapons, that the guard who came to apprehend me know I forbad their making use of those they had. 37 Pilate therefore 37 Pilate therefore said to him, Thou speakest a king then -[And] Jesus answered [LUKE, him, and said], Thou say And Jesus answered him and said, therein conrageously witnessing a good confession (1 Tim. vi. 13), Thou sayest [right]; I am indeed, as est that I am, a king. thou hast said, a King; the king of the Jews, To this end was I born, and the appointed Head and Governor of the and for this cause came whole Israel of God; nor will I ever basely I should bear witness I into the world, that seek my safety by renouncing my Divine claim unto the truth. Every to the most excellent majesty and extensive do- one that is of the truth minion nay, for this purpose was 1 born, and [MAT. XXVII.-11. for this end I came into the world from another MARK XV.-2. LUKE and much better abode, that I might bear wit- XXIII.-3.] ness to the cause of truth in general; and in particular to this great and fundamental branch of it and I have given such ample proof of this, that every honest and well-disposed person, who is indeed a friend of the truth, heareth my voice, g My servants would have fought, &c.] Though our translation of nywvigolo may be more literal, yet, considering that our Lord was now actually in the hands of his enemies, think it plain that it is to be taken in such an extent. It may be objected, that the number of Christ's disciples, had all the five hundred been assembled in arms, could have been no match for the Jewish and Roman power at Jerusalem. But it is to be remembered, that (as Dr. Lardner with his usual good sense observes) the populace appeared zealously on Christ's and heareth my voice. side but a few days before; and the reason of their turning against him was his not assuming a temporal kingdom, as they certainly expected he would have done. (See Lardu. Credib. part i. book i. chap. 5, Vol. I. p. 501.) And we may farther add, that a very small body of forces, under a leader endowed with such miraculous power as Jesus lately exercised, might have been sufficient to vanquish all the Roman legions. Compare notei on John vi. 14, Vol. VI. p. 416. h Every Reflections on Christ's examination by Pilate. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith [to the chief priests, and to the people], I find no fault at all [in this man.] LUKE XXIII. 4.] And when he had said 381 and pays an entire deference to my instruc- SECT. tionsh. clxxxvi. Pilate says to him, What is the truth which John thou referrest to, and speakest of as thy business XVIII. to attest? And when he had said this, as Jesus 38 made a pause, and did not immediately make him any answer, his hurry would not allow him to wait for it: so he went out again to the Jews, and said to the chief priests, and the people assembled with them abroad, I have examined the prisoner you brought me in private; and I must freely declare that I find no fault at all in this man, nor can I perceive that he is any enemy either to the rights of Cæsar, or the tranquility and happiness of the Jews; and therefore do not see how I can with any justice condemn him to die. But his accusers refused to acquiesce in this, and advanced a more circumstantial charge against him, which gave occasion to that examination before Herod, which will be related in the next section. IMPROVEMENT. How much exactness in the ceremonials of religion may be found in those who have even the most outrageous contempt for its vital principles and essential duties! Yea, how much of that 28 exactness may be made subservient to the most mischievous and diabolical purposes! These wolves in sheep's clothing would not enter into the house of a heathen, lest they should be polluted, and become unfit to eat the passover; yet they contrive and urge an impious murder, which that very heathen, though he had much less evidence of Christ's innocence than they, could not be brought to permit without strong reluctance, and a solemn, though vain transferring of the guilt from himself to them. xxiii. 2. Justly might our Lord say in the words of David, They laid to my charge things which I knew not; (Psal. xxxv. 11.) But what can defend the most innocent and excellent against malicious Luke slanders and defamations! Or who can expect, or even wish, wholly to escape, when such accusations are brought against Christ, even by the rulers of his nation, who should have been men of distin on the evidences which he and his bre- h Every person who is a friend of the truth heareth my voice.] What our Lord here savs incidentally is to be regarded as an universal maxim; all sincere lovers of the truth will hear him and accordingly heareth us. St. John, with all simplicity, depending : 3 B2 j It 382 Reflections on Christ's examination by Pilate. SECT distinguished generosity and honour! But instead of this they clxxxvi. were all an assembly of murderers, and lay in wait for their prey, Mat. like so many devouring lions. xxvii. 12. Pilate would renew the examination of the cause; and so far he acted a cautious and an honourable part. Yet, alas, how John many that set out on such maxims want courage and resolution 29-33. to pursue them! But the courage of Christ never failed. He witnessed before Pontius Pilate the good confession we have now been 37 reading (1 Tim. vi. 13); and owned himself a King, though at the same time he declared (what it were to be wished all his followers had duly regarded) that his kingdom is not of this world. Greatly do we debase it, if we imagine it is; and most unworthy 36 is it of those that call themselves the ministers of his kingdom to act as if they thought it was. Yet such is the wickedness of some, and such the blindness of others, in the Roman church, that, though of all the churches in the world it is manifestly the most secular kingdom, it arrogates to itself the name not only of a part, but of the whole, of Christ's kingdom here below. Christ came to bear witness to the truth; and a careful attendance to his testimony will be the best proof we can give that we 37 love the truth, and the best method we can take to make ourselves acquainted with it. And of so great importance is the truth, that it surely deserves the attentive inquiry and the zealous patronage of the greatest and the busiest of mankind. Let us not therefore, when we begin to ask what it is like Pilate, 38 hurry on to some other care before we can receive a satisfactory answer; but joyfully open our minds to the first dawnings of that celestial day, till it shine more and more to irradiate and adorn all our souls. On the whole, imperfect as the character of this unhappy governor was, let us learn from him candidly to confess the truth, so far as we have discovered it; let us learn more steadily than he to vindicate the innocent and worthy, and on no terms permit ourselves, in any degree, to do harm to those Luke in whom, on a strict and impartial inquiry, we can find no fault. xxiii. 4. i It is manifestly the most secular king- illustrated in his most ingenious discourse dom.] This Mr. Boyse of Dublin has finely on these words, SECT. |