though he said, " Come in hither. Prisoner, that I may speak with thee privately ! "
[And said... art Thou. .. King... Jews ?^ The first question that Pilate asked of our Lord, was whether he really admitted that He was what the Jews had just accused Him of being. " Tell me, is it true that Thou art the King of the Jews ? Dost thou really profess to be the King of this ancient people, over whom I and my soldiers are now rulers ?" — It is far from improbable that Pilate, living so long in Jerusalem, may have often heard of the old Jewish kings, and of the dominion they received. It is far from unlikely, moreover, that he thought it possible he had before him one of those mock Messiahs, who, like Theudas, rose up at this period, and kept the minds of the Jews in agi- tation. " They accuse Thee of setting up Thyself as a King? Art Thou really a King ? Dost Thou lay claim to any royal au- thority '{ " The humble attire and lowly appearance of our Lord can hardly fail to have struck Pilate. " Can it be true, that Thou, a poor man, with no signs of a kingdom about Thee, art the King of the Jews ? "
In order to estimate aright this question which Pilate put, we must remember that Suetonius, the Roman historian, distinctly says that a rumor was very prevalent throughout the East at this period, that a King was about to arise among the Jews, who would obtain dominion over the world. This singular rumor, originating no doubt from Jewish prophecies, had of course reached Pilate's ears, and goes far to account for his question.
It is noteworthy that each of the four Gospel writers dis- tinctly records that this was the first question that Pilate put to our liord. It seems to show that the chief thing impressed on the mind of Pilate about Jesus, was that He was a King. As a King he examined Him, as a King he sentenced Him, and as a King he crucified Him. And one main object that he seems to have had in view in questioning our Lord, was to ascertain what kind of a kingdom He ruled over, and whether it was one that would interfere with the Roman authority. On the whole, the question seems a mixture of curiosity and contempt,
34. — {Jesus answered Jiim, Say est thou, etc.] Our Lord's motive in this answer to Pilate was probably to awaken Pilate's conscience: "■ Dost thou say this of thine own independent self, in conse- quence of any complaints thou hast heard against Me as a se- ditious person ? Or dost thou only ask it because the Jews have just accused Me of being a King? Hast thou, during all the years thou hast been a Governor, ever heard of Me as a leader of insurrection, or a rebel against the Romans "l If thou hast never heard anytliing of this kind against Me, and hast no per- sonal knowledge of my being a rebel, oughtest thou not to pay very little attention to the complaint of my enemies ? Their bare assertion ought not to weigh with thee."