THE prophets enter very minutely into the subject of Christ's sufferings, in order that, instead of being- led by them to doubt the truth of his Messiahship, we might see in them a demonstration that he was the very person to whom the prophecies referred. But it is not in this view only that we should dwell upon this mysterious subject : many other, and most important, ends are to be answered by the contem- plation of his sufferings. We see in them his un- paralleled love to us : we see also the desert of sin : and the trials which all his followers must, in a greater or less degree, be called to endure. That part of them which we are now to consider is, his condemnation at the bar of Pilate. Let us notice,
I. The circumstances of his condemnation —
There are three mentioned in our text ; and to these we will confine our attention :
1. Pilate's testimony respecting him —
[God so ordered it, that every person who was active in putting our Lord to death, should either directly or indirectly attest his innocence. We forbear to adduce other instances ; such as that of Judas, or the Dying Thief, or the Centurion ; because in the passage before us we have ample scope for illustrating the observation. Pilate here tells the whole assembly of the Jews, that he had examined Jesus, that he had examined him in their presence, and had inquired into all their allegations against him ; and that, after the most careful investigation, he could not find that Jesus had been guilty of any one of those things laid to his charge. He then tells them, that he had sent both the prisoner and his accusers to Herod, who being governor of Galilee, where the crimes were said to have been committed, had the greater right to take cognizance of them ; and, being a Jew, must be supposed to be more competent to judge of them, as being more conversant with the Jewish laws and customs than he could pretend to be : but that neither could Herod find in him any crime worthy of death. When he found that these united attestations did not satisfy them, he repeated a second and a third time his decla- rations, that Jesus was innocent : and he appealed to the whole multitude of his accusers, whether any of them could substantiate so much as one single charge against him. This they answered only by clamours : and thus unwittingly confessed, that they were unable in any single instance to prove their point Thus all, both accusers and judges,