and that God " spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all." (Rom. iv. 25 ; viii. 30.) Christ was delivered to death, that we might be delivered from death and set free. Here is substitution.
Let us remember, as we read the word " led," that Isaiah ex- pressly foretold that Messiah should be brought, or led, as a Lamb to the slaughter." (Isaiah liii. 7 ; Acts viii. 33.)
Alford thinks it possible that at this point the scourging of our Lord was repeated. But I see no satisfactory proof of this. Considering what a Roman scourging was, it is not probable that any body could have endured it twice in one day.
Let us note, that according to the narrative of John, there seems no delay between the condemnation of our Lord and His crucifixion. He went at once from Gabbatha to Golgotha, and from the judgment to execution. At this rate the theory, sup- ported by Burgon and others, that there was a delay of three hours, between six o'clock and nine, after condemnation, is com- pletely overthrown. If we looked at Matthew and Mark alone, we might fancy that Pilate saw nothing more of our Lord after He had been scourged and mocked by the soldiers. But it ap- pears plain to me, if we carefully compare John's account with that of Matthew and Mark, that they have not recorded our Lord's last appearance before Pilate, which John relates. Nor can I feel surprised at this, when I remember that throughout John's Gospel, he supplies what the other evangelists have omitted. In particular he supplies our Lord's examination be- fore Annas, and His private conversation with Pilate, when the Jews would not enter Pilate's palace, and entirely omits the ex- amination before Caiaphas. So likewise I think he supplies the last scene in our Lord's trial, which Matthew and Mark en- tirely omit, for some wise reason. Holding this theory, which to me seems the most natural account of the order of things, I cannot see any room for an interval of time between the final condemnation and the crucifixion.
Henry remarks with much shrewdness, " Judgment was no sooner pronounced, than with all possible expedition the prose- cutors, having gained their point, resolved to lose no time, lest Pilate should change his mind and order a reprieve, and also lest there should be an uproar among the people."
How St. John became acquainted with all the details of our Lord's trial, and the private conversations between Him and Pilate, is a question which none can answer satisfactorily who do not hold the doctrine of plenary inspiration. That John was in and about the palace of the high priest, and not far from our Lord all the time, from the seizure in Gethsemane up to His death, we may well believe ; but that he could have overheard the private conversations between Jesus and Pilate, seems simply impossible. How then could he know anything about
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