Thereupon Pilate took Jesus into the judgment hall, and, having examined him, said, that he found no cause of death in him. Therefore he sought a means to release him; moreover, in order to move the Jews to pity on account of his innocence, he caused him (though against his conscience) to be terribly scourged, crowned with thorns, mocked, and, thus disfigured, brought before the Jews, saying, “Behold the man!” so that they might now be satisfied with his suffering, and spare his life. But it was of no avail; they cried the more, “Crucify him, crucify him; if thou let this man go, thou art not Cesar’s friend.” Verse 12.
Finally, when Pilate saw that the Jews were not to be moved, and fearing that they might accuse him before Cesar, he went and sat down (at about eight o’clock in the morning, according to our reckoning) in the judgment seat, in the place called _Lithostratos_, and in Hebrew, _Gabbatha_, a paved elevation in Jerusalem; and there, though quite against his conscience, pronounced the sentence of death upon Christ.
Thereupon the soldiers again very dreadfully mocked him, laid his cross upon him, and drove him out through the gate up to Mount Calvary, where they, after having stripped him of his garments, nailed him to a cross, and raised him up between two murderers, John 19:18; which was done, according to our reckoning, at about nine o’clock in the morning.
In the meantime they gave him vinegar and gall to drink, parted his garments, and again derided him most shamefully and above measure, till a great darkness came, continuing for about three hours; and then the Lord cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt. 27:46.
Then, having fulfilled all, he commended his soul into his Father’s hands, saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46.
Thereupon he bowed his head and expired, having suffered excruciatingly six hours on the cross, from nine o’clock in the morning till three in the afternoon.[83]
[83] That the Lord lived six hours, yea, more than six hours on the cross, before he gave up the ghost, appears from the account of Mark, chap. 15; for in verse 25 it says: “And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.” That is, according to our reckoning, nine o’clock in the morning. Then, in verse 33, we are told that when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour; which, according to our reckoning, was twelve o’clock noon. Then, in verse 34, we read: “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” which, according to our way of reckoning time, is three o’clock in the afternoon. Again in verse 37, we read: “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost;” which, as it appears, happened after the expiration of the ninth hour, so that the Lord lived on the cross from nine o’clock in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon, that is, fully six hours, and not before then did he give up the ghost, as has been shown from the account of Mark.
Then the earth began to quake, the rocks were rent, the graves were opened, the vail of the temple was rent in twain, and many miracles happened, as a sign that he who died there was more than a common man, yea, that he was the Son of the living God.
This, then, was the end, not of a martyr, but of the Head of all the holy martyrs, through whom they and we all must be saved.
JOHN THE BAPTIST, SON OF ZACHARIAS AND ELISABETH, BEHEADED IN THE CASTLE OF MACHÆRUS, AT THE COMMAND OF HEROD ANTIPAS, A. D. 32.