prisoner, they led him away to the house of Caiaphas the high-priest. He
had gathered together the chief-priests and other members of the Jewish
high council, called the Sanhedrim. This was the highest court among the
Jews. It was composed of seventy, or seventy-two of the oldest, the most
learned, and honorable men of the nation. The high-priest was generally
the president of this council. Their usual place of meeting was in one
of the courts of the temple. But, on special occasions, they met in the
house of the high-priest, as they did now. Jesus was brought before this
council. Here they tried to bring some charge against him of teaching
false doctrines, or of doing something contrary to the laws of their
church. But though they had hired many false witnesses against him, the
witnesses did not agree in their testimony, and they found it impossible
to prove anything wrong against him.
Then the high-priest made a solemn appeal to him, and asked him to say
whether he was the Son of God. “Jesus saith unto them—I am. Hereafter
shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Then
they said he was guilty of blasphemy, and deserved to be put to death.
St. Matt. xxvi: 59-66; St. Mark xiv: 55-64; John xviii: 19-24.
After this, the servants of the priests blindfolded Jesus, and began
to mock him, to smite him, to spit on him, and to say all manner of
insulting and blasphemous things to him. St. Matt. xxvi: 67, 68; St. Mark
xiv: 65; St. Luke xxii: 62-65.
Then the priests and other members of the council seem to have gone home,
leaving Jesus to the mockery and insults of the servants. As soon as
it was morning the priests and scribes met again. They asked him once
more if he were the Christ, the Son of God. Again he declared that he
was. Then they arose and led him to Pilate, the Roman governor, to get
his consent for them to put him to death. This was necessary because
Jerusalem was then under the power of the Romans, and no one but the
governor, whom they appointed, had the power of putting a prisoner to
death according to law.
But, when the priests brought Christ before Pilate, they changed their
plan. They did not accuse him of blasphemy now, because they knew very
well that Pilate would not care at all about that. So they pretended
that he had been trying to stir up the people in opposition to the Roman
government. This was a very serious charge, and one for which, if it
could be proved, the punishment would be death.
But, they could not prove their charge. As soon as Pilate looked on
Jesus, he seemed to be satisfied that he was an innocent man. Then he
took him aside and had a long conversation with him, alone by himself.
The result of this was that Pilate was perfectly satisfied of the
innocence of Jesus, and was resolved to release him.
But, on returning to the judgment hall and telling the Jews what he
wished to do, he found that they would not listen to this for a moment.
Thus he was in trouble, and knew not what to do. Just then something was
said about Galilee. This was in the northern part of Palestine, and out
of the dominion of Pilate. Herod was the governor of Galilee. He happened
to be in Jerusalem at that time. Pilate resolved to send his prisoner
to him, and hoped in this way, to get rid of any further trouble in
connection with him.
So Jesus was sent to Herod—the Herod under whose dominion John was
beheaded. He asked him many questions; but Jesus declined to answer one
of them. Then Herod, with his men of war, mocked him and sent him back to
Pilate, only saying that he found no fault in him. St. Matt. xxvii: 1, 2,
11-14; Mark xv: 1-5; Luke xxiii: 1-12; John xviii: 28-38.
After this Pilate made several attempts to release Jesus; but the Jews
were so fierce in their opposition that he was afraid to do it.
Then he thought he saw his way out of the difficulty by the help of a
custom that had prevailed in connection with the feast of the Passover,
which was then about to be kept. He had been in the habit of allowing
the Jews to ask for the release of some prisoner who deserved to be put
to death, and of setting him at liberty, when they requested it, while
they were keeping the feast. There was a prisoner then in Jerusalem named
Barabbas. He had been guilty of murder and other dreadful crimes. Pilate
thought that when he should bring Jesus and Barabbas before the people,
side by side, and offer to release to them whoever they should choose,
they would be sure to ask for the gentle, loving Jesus, in preference to
a wretched, blood-stained murderer. And no doubt they would, if they had
been left to their own choice. But they were not so left. The priests
and scribes had made up their minds that Jesus should be put to death. So
they went about among the people, when this offer was made, and persuaded
them to cry out—“Not this man, but Barabbas.”
Thus Pilate was disappointed again.
While this was going on, his wife sent a message to him saying she had
had a dream about this prisoner Jesus, which troubled her greatly. She
said he was a just and good man, and begged her husband not to have
anything to do with putting him to death. This made Pilate feel still
more resolved than ever to let him ago.
Then he told the Jews that Jesus had done no wrong, and he would
therefore chastise him and let him go. This made the Jews very furious.
They told Pilate that if he let this man go, it would show that he was
not a true friend of the emperor, Cæsar. They gave him to understand that
they would complain of him to the emperor, and in this way he would be
likely to lose his office. This alarmed him so that he could stand out no
longer. He let the Jews have their way, and delivered Jesus up to them,
to be crucified.
Then the soldiers took Jesus and stripped him of his own clothes, and put
a purple robe upon him; and platted a crown of thorns and put it on his
head, and bowed the knee before him in shameful mockery, and cried—“Hail!
king of the Jews!” Then they smote him with the palms of their hands,
and with the reed, and showed their utmost contempt by spitting on him.
Then Pilate had him brought forth before the Jews, wearing the crown of
thorns, and the purple robe, and pointing to him in scorn, said—“Behold
the man! Behold your king!”
“And he delivered him to be crucified.” St. Matt. xxvii: 11-30; St. Mark
xv: 1-20; St. Luke xxiii: 1-25; St. John xviii: 13-24, 28-40; xix: 1-16.
Such is the history of our Saviour’s trial.
And now, we may go on to speak of _five_ lessons taught us by this
history.
_The first lesson is about—THE WEAK RULER._
We refer, of course, here to Pontius Pilate. We know very little about
him beyond what we learn from the gospels. He belonged to a highly
honorable Roman family. He had been the governor of Judea for several
years. He was not a very cruel or oppressive ruler, although he sometimes
did hasty and unjust things. Our Saviour referred to one of these when
he spoke of—“the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their
sacrifices.” We know none of the particulars of this event. But, from
reading the history of our Lord’s trial we can see, very well, what sort
of a man Pilate was. He was a weak man. I do not mean weak in body, but
weak in character. He could see what was right, and was willing to do it,
if it could be done without injury to himself.
When Jesus was brought before him as a prisoner, he soon saw that he was
an innocent man, and that it would be wrong to put him to death. But,
at the same time, he saw that unless he did put him to death, he would
give great offence to the Jews. And if he offended them, he was afraid
they would complain of him to the emperor, and he would lose his office.
And so his fear led him to condemn an innocent man to death, although he
knew it was wrong to do so. He tried to get rid of the guilt connected
with this act by washing his hands before the Jews, and saying “I am
innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” But this was
very foolish. Why, all the waters in the ocean could not wash away the
stain of the Saviour’s blood from the hands of Pilate. He knew that the
right thing for him to do was to let Jesus go: but he was afraid to do
it. This shows what a weak man he was.
And the wrong that he did on this occasion did not save him from the
dangers that he dreaded. The Jews did accuse him to the emperor for some
other things. He lost his office in disgrace. And of what happened to
him after losing his office, different accounts are given. One of the
stories about him is that he retired into Switzerland and spent the rest
of his days on a mountain, near the city of Lucerne. This mountain is
named Pilatus after him. The story says that he lived a very unhappy life
there, and that he finally drowned himself in a lake on the top of that
mountain. But the things for us to remember about Pilate are that he was
a weak man; that he committed a dreadful sin when he condemned Jesus to
death; and that the punishment of his sin which followed him in this life
was the loss of his office, and the deep disgrace which it has fastened
on his name. Wherever the two great creeds of the church are repeated,
all over the earth, we hear it publicly proclaimed that Jesus—“suffered
under Pontius Pilate.”
We see plainly illustrated in Pilate’s case the punishment that followed
from his weakness in not doing what he knew to be right. If we have the
courage to refuse to do what is wrong, we shall always be rewarded for it.
“Brave Charlie.” Two little boys were walking along a village street one
day, when they stopped before the garden connected with a gentleman’s
house and gazed with admiration on the many beautiful flowers that were
growing there. Presently the smaller of the two boys exclaimed, “Oh, how
I wish I had one or two of those beautiful roses, to take home to my sick
sister. Every day she says she wishes she could see some flowers again.”
“Then, why don’t you take some of them, you little goose,” said the other
boy. “Here, I am taller than you, and I can reach over the fence. I’ll
get some for both of us.”
“No, no, Tim,” said the little boy, seizing his arm; “I wouldn’t steal
even a flower, if I never had one in the world; but I’ll go in and ask
the lady for a rose for Ellen.”
“Well, you’ll only get sent away for your pains,” said the older boy;
“for my part I shall help myself.”
But, just as Tim was reaching over the fence and had seized a branch of
beautiful roses, the gardener spied him, and dropping a basket that was
in his hand, he rushed after the boy and caught him. He gave him a sound
flogging and told him that if he ever found him doing that again, he
would have him put in jail as a thief.
In the meantime little Charlie had gone up the steps and rung the
door-bell. The door was opened immediately by a kind-looking lady.
“Please, ma’am will you give me a rose or two for my sick sister?” asked
Charlie.
“Yes, indeed, my little man,” said the lady. “I have been sitting at the
window and I heard your conversation with the boy who wished you to steal
some of my roses; and I’m very glad to see that you would not steal ‘even
a flower.’ Now come with me, and I will cut you a beautiful bunch of
roses.” Then she asked him about his mother and sister, and told him to
come and get some flowers whenever his sister wanted them.
After this she went to see his sick sister and mother and helped them
in many ways. She kept up her interest in Charlie, and when he had done
going to school, she got him a nice situation and remained his friend for
life.
And when we think of Pontius Pilate, the weak ruler, let us remember that
if we do wrong, we must always suffer for it; and that if we do right
God will surely reward and bless us.
“Dare to do right! dare to be true!
You have a work that no other can do;
Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well,
Angels will hasten the story to tell.
“Dare to do right! dare to be true!
The failings of others can never save you;
Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith;
Stand like a hero, and battle till death.
“Dare to do right! dare to be true!
God, who created you, cares for you too—
Treasures the tears which his striving ones shed,
Counts, and protects every hair of your head.”
[Illustration: Pilate Washeth His Hands
Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring
him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then
came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe.
And _Pilate_ saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests
therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify _him_,
crucify _him_. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify _him_:
for I find no fault in him.—And the governor said, Why, what evil hath
he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When
Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but _that_ rather a tumult
was made, he took water, and washed _his_ hands before the multitude,
saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye _to it_.
Then answered all the people, and said, His blood _be_ on us, and on our
children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged
Jesus, he delivered _him_ to be crucified.—_St. John xix: 4-6; St. Matt.
xxvii: 23-26._
_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
_Once more the scene is “Gabbatha”—the place where Pilate sat; and
Jesus, his lacerated shoulders covered with a cast-off soldier’s cloak
of scarlet, and wearing a crown of thorns, is exposed to the gaze of
the rabble of Jerusalem, who now surged and thronged in the courtyard
of the palace. Pilate vainly hoped that the sight of the sufferings the
prisoner had already endured might satisfy the fury of his enemies; but
the relentless hatred of the priests was voiced through the insensate
yells of the ignorant and bloodthirsty mob, and their final argument was
cunningly directed to the point of least resistance. Pilate’s sense of
justice yielded to that of self-interest. “He released unto them one who
(Barabbas), for sedition and murder, was cast into prison, whom they had
desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.”_
66]
_The second lesson that we may learn from the history of Christ’s trial
is a lesson about—THE WICKED PRIESTS._
If our Saviour had been persecuted and put to death by infidels or by men
who did not profess to be religious, it would not have been surprising.
But, when we find that it was the priests—men occupying the highest
places in the church, and whose business it was to study the Scriptures,
and teach them to the people—when _these_ were the men most forward in
having Jesus put to death—it seems very strange. And yet, it was just
so. When Jesus began his ministry, the priests were the first to oppose
him. As he went on with the work of his ministry, they were always the
most ready to persecute him, and give him trouble. And at the last, it
was the priests who resolved he should be put to death and who took the
lead in bringing about that awful result. It was the priests who hired
Judas to betray him. It was the priests who brought false charges against
him. And, when Pilate was willing to let him go, it was the priests who
stirred up the people to insist on his being put to death. Jesus had come
at the time and in the way that the prophets had said he should come; and
yet the priests would not receive him. He had been loving, and gentle,
and kind; and yet they hated him. He had spent his life in going about
doing good; and yet the priests made up their minds that he must be put
to death.
And the question that comes up here is—how was it possible that these
men—these priests—should be so wicked? This is a very serious and
important question. And the answer to it is this: that being ministers,
or priests, or being engaged in the outward duties of religion will do us
no good and make us no better than other people, unless we are careful to
have our hearts made right in the sight of God; unless we are willing
to believe what he tells us, and to think, and feel, and speak, and act,
as he wishes us to do. The best things, when spoiled, always become the
worst things. Women have many things that help to make them better than
men. But a bad woman is always worse than a bad man. Satan was once an
archangel. But he sinned. He fell. He is now an angel ruined, and this
makes him the worst, the wickedest person to be found in all the universe.
There is one passage of Scripture which explains to us how it was
possible for those priests to become so wicked. This passage is found in
II. Thess. ii: 11, 12. Here the apostle Paul tells us that if we are not
willing to let God be our teacher, and if we do not love the teachings
that he gives us, God will let Satan come and deceive us, and lead us to
believe what is not the truth. This will make us very wicked; and the
end of it will be that our souls will be lost. This explains to us how
it was that those Jewish priests became so wicked. They were not willing
to let God be their Teacher. They would not receive the things that
God had taught about Jesus in the Old Testament. Then Satan came and
deceived them. He made them believe what was not true about Jesus. And
it was _this_ which led to their becoming such wicked men. They were the
wickedest men in the world at the time they lived.
And this should make us very careful not to think too much of ourselves
or of our own opinions. It should make us willing to believe all that
God tells us about Jesus, or about ourselves, in the Bible, whether we
understand it or not. This is the only way in which we can become wise,
and good, and happy; and be kept from following the example of these
wicked priests.
There is only room for one illustration here:
“The Two Brothers.” Some years ago there lived in the State of Rhode
Island two boys who were brothers, twin-brothers. They grew up together.
They both had the same home, the same education, and everything about
them the same. They were very much alike in size and appearance. They
were both bright, intelligent, sensible, good-natured boys. This
continued till they were about sixteen years of age. Then one of them
read an infidel book—called Paine’s Age of Reason. He made up his mind to
follow the teachings of that book. The other brother had read the Bible
and resolved to take _that_ as his guide and teacher through life. And
from this time, the two brothers, who had been so much alike before, soon
began to be very different from each other. One of them turned around
and walked in a wrong way, the other went on in the right way. One of
them fell into habits of intemperance, and so was led on to all kinds of
wickedness. The other learned the lessons which the Bible teaches, and
practised them in his daily life. One of them became an idle, worthless
vagabond, while the other became a useful, prosperous, and happy citizen.
One of them sank down to the low level of a wretched gambler, while the
other rose to occupy a seat in the Legislature of the State in which he
lived.
And the end of these two men was that one of them committed murder. He
was put in prison; was tried, found guilty, condemned to be hanged, and
died upon the gallows. The other lived a long and useful and happy life,
and died at last loved and honored by all who knew him.
This is the lesson about the wicked priests.
_The next lesson from this history of the trial is about—THE PATIENCE OF
CHRIST._
There are many things told us of the life of Christ which are wonderful,
but the most wonderful of all is his patience. There are other examples
of patience in the Bible, but none that can be compared with the example
of Jesus. The apostle James tells us of “the patience of Job.” Ch. v:
11. He was indeed very patient. In one day he lost all his property and
his children. The messengers that brought him the sad tidings of his
losses followed each other, like the waves of the sea. It must have been
very hard for him to bear. And if we had been told that he was very much
excited and had said some very violent and bitter words on hearing of all
that had happened to him, we should not have been at all surprised. But
he did nothing of the kind. After hearing of all his terrible losses, he
simply bowed himself to the earth, and said—“The Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job i: 21. Here is a
noble example of patience.
Joseph was very patient. When he first saw his brethren, as they came
down to Egypt to buy corn, he remembered all the bitter wrongs they had
done to him. He was now the governor of all the land of Egypt. They were
completely in his power. How easily he could have taken revenge upon them
by throwing them all into prison or putting them to death! But there
was no such feeling in his heart. He was forgiving and patient. He only
thought of doing them good and showing them kindness.
But, all other examples of patience dwindle into nothing when compared
to the example of Christ. What a beautiful picture of his patience the
prophet Isaiah gives when he thus speaks of him: “He was oppressed and
he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
opened not his mouth.” Is. liii: 7. He let his enemies say all manner
of evil things against him falsely; he let them mock him,—and smite him
on the face,—and spit upon him. Yes, he whom the angels of heaven had
been accustomed to honor and worship, as they bowed in reverence before
him, allowed himself to be so shamefully treated by sinful worms of the
dust, by the very men he had come down from heaven to save; and yet, he
never spoke one cross or angry word to them! How wonderful this was! How
amazed the angels must have been when they saw it! Oh! what an example
of patience we have in Jesus! And if we call ourselves the friends and
followers of Christ, let us try to have the same mind in us that was
in him, by imitating the example of his patience. There is no way in
which we can do so much good to others, and make them think well of the
religion of Christ, as by trying to practise the same patience which he
practised.
“How to Learn Patience.” A good many years ago there was a celebrated
physician in Germany, named Boerhave. He was famous for his learning
and also for his piety. He had learned well this lesson of patience.
One day he had been greatly provoked, but without getting angry in the
least. A friend who had witnessed it, asked him if he knew what it was to
be angry. “O, yes,” said he, “my temper was naturally very violent and
passionate.”
“Then, pray tell me,” said his friend, “how you ever learned to be so
patient.” Now mark what that great and good man said in answer to this
inquiry.
“I learned to be patient,” was his reply, “by doing two things; one was
by thinking of Christ; the other was by asking him to help me.”
We may all learn patience in this way.
“A Soldier’s Example of Patience.” Some years ago an English missionary
in India baptized a soldier. This man had been a famous prize-fighter in
England. He was a powerful, lion-looking, lion-hearted man. With a single
blow he could level the strongest man to the ground. The men in his
regiment were all afraid of him. He had not been in the habit of going
to church, but, as he afterwards told the missionary, “he sauntered into
the chapel one evening, hardly knowing where he was going.” What he heard
that night led him to repentance and he became a Christian. The change
which took place in his temper and conduct was very surprising. The
lion was changed into a lamb. A month or so after this, when they were
dining in the mess-room one day, some of his comrades, who had always
been afraid of him, began to ridicule him on account of his religion.
One of them said, “I’ll find out whether he is a real Christian or not;”
and taking a bowl of hot soup, he threw it into his breast. The whole
company were alarmed at this. They looked on in speechless silence,
expecting to see the roused lion leap up, and spring in fury on his foe.
But he quietly opened his waistcoat, and wiped his scalded breast. Then
turning calmly round he said, “This is what I must expect. If I become
a Christian, I must suffer persecution. But my Saviour was patient, and
I want to be like him.” His comrades were filled with astonishment. But
they were satisfied he was a true Christian and he had no more trouble
from them. The patience of Christ is the third lesson for us to learn
from his trial.
_The fourth lesson taught us by this subject is—THE HUMILIATION OF
CHRIST._