Jesus led back from the Court of Herod to that of Pilate.
The enemies of Jesus were perfectly infuriated at being obliged to
take Jesus back, still uncondemned, to Pilate, who had so many times
declared his innocence. They led him round by a much longer road, in
order in the first place to let the persons of that part of the town
see him in the state of ignominy to which he was reduced, and in the
second place to give their emissaries more time to stir up the populace.
This road was extremely rough and uneven; and the soldiers,
encouraged by the Pharisees, scarcely refrained a moment from
tormenting Jesus. The long garment with which he was clothed impeded
his steps, and caused him to fall heavily more than once; and his cruel
guards, as also many among the brutal populace, instead of assisting
him in his state of exhaustion, endeavoured by blows and kicks to force
him to rise.
To all these outrages Jesus offered not the smallest resistance; he
prayed constantly to his Father for grace and strength that he might
not sink under them, but accomplish the work of his Passion for our
redemption.
It was about eight o'clock when the procession reached the palace of
Pilate. The crowd was dense, and the Pharisees might be seen walking to
and fro, endeavouring to incite and infuriate them still more. Pilate,
who remembered an insurrection which had taken place the year before at
the Paschal time, had assembled upwards of a thousand soldiers, whom he
posted around the Praetorium, the Forum, and his palace.
The Blessed Virgin, her elder sister Mary (the daughter of Heli),
Mari (the daughter of Cleophas), Magdalen, and about twenty of the holy
women, were standing in a room from whence they could see all which
took place, and at first John was with them.
The Pharisees led Jesus, still clothed in the fool's garment, through
the midst of the insolent mob, and had done all in their power to
gather together the most vile and wicked of miscreants from among the
dregs of the people. A servant sent by Herod had already reached
Pilate, with a message to the effect that his master had fully
appreciated his polite deference to his opinion, but that he looked
upon the far famed Galilean as not better than a fool, that he had
treated him as such, and now sent him back. Pilate was quite satisfied
at finding that Herod had come to the same conclusion as himself, and
therefore returned a polite message. From that hour they became
friends, having been enemies many years; in fact, ever since the
falling-in of the aqueduct.
[The cause of the quarrel between Pilate and Herod was, according
to the account of Sister Emmerich, simply this: Pilate had undertaken
to build an aqueduct on the south-east side of the mountain on which
the Temple stood, at the edge of the torrent into which the waters of
the pool of Bethsaida emptied themselves, and this aqueduct was to
carry off the refuse of the Temple. Herod, through the medium of one of
his confidants, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, agreed to furnish
him with the necessary materials, as also with twenty-eight architects,
who were also Herodians. His aim was to set the Jews still more against
the Roman governor, by causing the undertaking to fail. He accordingly
came to a private understanding with the architects, who agreed to
construct the aqueduct in such a manner that it would be certain to
fail. When the work was almost finished, and a number of bricklayers
from Ophel were busily employed in removing the scaffolding, the
twenty-eight builders went on to the top of the Tower of Siloe to
contemplate the crash which they knew must take place. Not only did the
whole of the building crumble to pieces, fall, and kill ninety-three
workmen, but even the tower containing the twenty-eight architects came
down, and not one escaped death. This accident occurred a short time
previous to the 8th of January, two years after Jesus had commenced
preaching; it took place on Herod's birthday, the same day that John the
Baptist was beheaded in the Castle of Marcherunt. No Roman officer
attended these festivities on account of the affair of the aqueduct,
although Pilate had, with hypocritical politeness, been requested to
take a part in them. Sister Emmerich saw some of the disciples of Jesus
carry the news of this event into Samaria, where he was teaching, on
the 8th of January. Jesus went from thence to Hebron, to comfort the
family of John; and she saw him, on the 13th of January, cure many
among the workmen of Ophel who had been injured by the fall of the
aqueduct. We have seen by the relation previously given how little
gratitude they showed him. The enmity of Herod towards Pilate was still
farther increased by the manner in which the latter revenged himself on
the followers of Herod. We will insert here a few details which were
communicated at different times to Sister Emmerich. On the 25th of
March, of the second year of our Lord's preaching, when Jesus and his
disciples were in the neighbourhood of Bethania, they were warned by
Lazarus that Judas of Gaulon intended to excite an insurrection against
Pilate. On the 28th of March, Pilate issued a proclamation to the
effect that he intended to impose a tax, the proceeds of which were
partly to cover the expenses he had incurred in raising the building
which had just fallen to the ground. This announcement was followed by
a sedition headed by Judas of Gaulon, who always stood up for liberty,
and who was (unknown to himself) a tool in the hands of the Herodians.
The Herodians were rather like our Freemasons. On the 30th of March, at
ten o'clock p.m., Jesus, dressed in a dark garment, was teaching in the
Temple, with his Apostles and thirty disciples. The revolt of the
Galileans against Pilate burst forth on this very day, and the rebels
set free fifty of their number who had been imprisoned the day before;
and many among the Romans were killed. On the 6th of April, Pilate
caused the Galileans to be massacred at the moment of offering
sacrifice, by disguised soldiers whom he had concealed in the Temple.
Judas was killed with his companions. This massacre exasperated Herod
still more against Pilate, and we have just seen by what means their
reconciliation was effected.]
Jesus was again led to the house of Pilate. The archers dragged him
up the stairs with their usual brutality; his feet became entangled in
his long robe, and he fell upon the white marble steps, which were
stained with blood from his sacred head. His enemies had again taken
their seats at the entrance of the forum; the mob laughed at his fall,
and the archers truck their innocent victim, instead of assisting him
to rise. Pilate was reclining on a species of easy-chair, with a little
table before him, and surrounded with officers and persons who held
strips of parchment covered with writing in their hands. He came
forward and said to the accusers of Jesus: 'You have presented unto me
this man, as one that perverteth the people, and behold I, having
examined him before you, find no cause in this man in those things
wherein you accuse him. No, nor Herod neither. For I sent you to him,
and behold, nothing worthy of death is done to him. I will chastise
him, therefore, and release him.'
When the Pharisees heard these words, they became furious, and
endeavoured to the utmost of their power to persuade the people to
revolt, distributing money among them to effect this purpose. Pilate
looked around with contempt, and addressed them in scornful words.
It happened to be the precise time when, according to an ancient
custom, the people had the privilege of demanding the deliverance of
one prisoner. The Pharisees had dispatched emissaries to persuade the
people to demand the death, and not the life, of our Lord. Pilate hoped
that they would ask for Jesus, and determined to give them to choose
between him and a criminal called Barabbas, who had been convicted of a
dreadful murder committed during a sedition, as also of many other
crimes, and was, moreover, detested by the people.
There was considerable excitement among the crowd; a certain portion
came forward, and their orators, addressing Pilate in a loud voice,
said: 'Grant us the favour you have always granted on the festival day.'
Pilate made answer: 'It is customary for me to deliver to you a criminal
at the Paschal time; whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, or
Jesus that is called Christ?'
Although Pilate did not in his own mind feel at all certain that
Jesus was the King of the Jews, yet he called him so, partly because
his Roman pride made him take delight in humbling the Jews by calling
such a despicable-looking person their king; and partly because he felt
a kind of inward belief that Jesus might really be that miraculous
king, that Messiah who had been promised. He saw plainly that the
priests were incited by envy alone in their accusations against Jesus;
this made him most anxious to disappoint them; and the desire was
increased by that glimmering of the truth which partly enlightened his
mind. There was some hesitation among the crowd when Pilate asked this
question, and a few voices answered, 'Barabbas.' A servant sent by Pilate's
wife asked for him at this moment; he left the platform, and the
messenger presented the pledge which he had given her, saying at the
same time: 'Claudia Procles begs you to remember your promise this
morning.' The Pharisees and the priests walked anxiously and hastily
about among the crowd, threatening some and ordering others, although,
in fact, little was required to incite the already infuriated multitude.
Mary, with Magdalen, John, and the holy women, stood in a corner of
the forum, trembling and weeping; for although the Mother of Jesus was
fully aware that the redemption of man could not be brought about by
any other means than the death of her Son, yet she was filled with the
anguish of a mother, and with a longing desire to save him from those
tortures and from that death which he was about to suffer. She prayed
God not to allow such a fearful crime to be perpetrated; she repeated
the words of Jesus in the Garden of Olives: 'If it is possible, let this
chalice pass away.' She still felt a glimmering of hope, because there
was a report current that Pilate wished to acquit Jesus. Groups of
persons, mostly inhabitants of Capharnaum, where Jesus had taught, and
among whom he had wrought so many miraculous cures, were congregated in
her vicinity; they pretended not to remember either her or her weeping
companions; they simply cast a glance now and then, as if by chance, at
their closely-veiled figures. Many thought, as did her companions
likewise, that these persons at least would reject Barabbas, and beg
for the life of their Saviour and Benefactor; but these hopes were,
alas, fallacious.
Pilate sent back the pledge to his wife, as an assurance of his
intention to keep his promise. He again came forward on the platform,
and seated himself at the little table. The Chief Priests took their
seats likewise, and Pilate once more demanded: 'Which of the two am I to
deliver up to you?' A general cry resounded through the hall: 'Not this
man, but Barabbas!' 'But what am I to do with Jesus, who is called Christ?'
replied Pilate. All exclaimed in a tumultuous manner: 'Let him be
crucified! Let him be crucified!' 'But what evil has he done?' asked Pilate
for the third time. 'I find no cause in him. I will scourge and then
acquit him.' But the cry, 'Crucify him! Crucify him!' burst from the crowd,
and the sounds echoed like an infernal tempest; the High Priests and
the Pharisees vociferated and hurried backwards and forwards as if
insane. Pilate at last yielded; his weak pusillanimous character could
not withstand such violent demonstrations; he delivered up Barabbas to
the people, and condemned Jesus to be scourged.