The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 581

(.,,p,crcr..,, r1ep11(ov, they kept slw,it.ing oot e:i:- lightly undertaken, terribly vindicated, deedingly). 'rhe very eight of the governor'& Ria blood be on ua, and on our ohildren, pre.Jileotion, oombined with hie indecision, The ooneequenoes of this oondemne.tion, be excited them to more vehement clamour; they what they may, we ure willing to suffer. they BllW that he would end by yielding to Let God visit it, if he will, upon us nnd our their violence. J eromo refers, in illustra- chil,lren; wo and they will cheerrully bear tion, to Isa.. v. 7, " He looked for judgmcnt, t::c penalty. A mad anti impious improoa- but behold oppression; for right.eousnoss, tion, the fulfilment of which quickly oom- bui behohl a cry." menccd, and hne continued unto this day. Ver. 24.-Re oould prevail nothing (ob~!v The torriblo events connected with the ui<f>•>..•i, he pr6Mil.ed nothing). Nanght th~t destruction of Jerusalem, the overthrow of he did altered tbe determination of the the thcocraoy, and the eighteou ceuturiee multitude. But that rather a tumult was of exile and dispersion, beo.r witness to the made (-ylvFT"", is arising). The present reality of the vengeance thus wnntonly tense gives a graphic fouch to the narrative. invoked. "As for the bend of those that The delay and hesitation of the governor compase me about, let the mischief of their exasperated the people, and there were own lips cover them" (Ps. oxl. 9). ominous signs of a riot, which must be sup- Ver. 26.-Relee.sed he Ba.rabbas-" him pressed at any soorifiC'e of principle or equity. that for sedition and murder was cast into He feared that a report might reach Rome prison, whom they bad desired" (Luke). of his having occasioned dangerous excite- When he hadecourgedJesus. This was the ment at ti,e Passover by refusing to punish usual preliminary to crucifixion, espeoio.Hy n pretender to the Jewish throne. He enb- in the ce.se of slaves, and wea e. punishment m1ts to the popular will, but endeavours to of a most severe and cruel nature. The eave himself from the guilt of an accomplice verb here used, r/)p11-y,J>.>..o.,, is formed from in a most atrocious murder. Took water, the Latin flagellum, and denotes the employ- and washed his h&nds before the multitude. ment of that terrible implement the Roman '.!.'his symbolica.l action would appeal to the scourge. Thie was no ordinary whip, but Jewish sentiment, as it wae a mode of assert- commonly e. number of leather thongs loaded ing innocence prescribed in the Mosaic Law with lee.d or armed with sharp bones and (Dent. x:xi. 6 ; Ps. xxvi. 6). Pilate thu spikes, eo that every blow .cat deeply into publicly, in the sight of all the multitude the B.esh, oe.UBing intense po.in. The o'Ulprit who might not have been able to hear his was stripped of his clothes, pinioned, and words, attested his opinion of the innooenoe bound to e. stake or pillar, and thus on his of Christ, and weakly cast the guilt upon be.re back sutfe1'ed this inhame.n che.stise- the people, as if the administration ofjllBtioe ment, To think that the blessed Son -of lay with them and not with him. Such God was subject to such torture and indig- lastratione were not exclusively Jewish, but nity is indeed e. lesson for us written in ...-ere practised both among Greeks and blood. When "he gave his be.ck to the Roma!IB in expiation of guilt (eee Wetstein, smiters " (Isa. L 6), he we.s taking - the ad loc.; and Kainoel, ad cap. iii. 6). I am punishment of oar sin upon his sacred m.nooent of the blood of this just Person. should.era. " He was wounded for our trans- Some manuscripts, followed by Aliord, gressions, he was braised for pur iniq uitice: Tischcndorf, and Westcott and Hort, omit the chaeiisement of oar peaoe was upon "jUBt Person (liucalov )." IT the word is him ; and with his stripes we a.re healed" genuine, it wust be reg,i.rded as an echo of (Isa. liii. 5). Possibly Pilate thought that the wife's message to Pilate (ver. 19). The the eight of Christ's suffering might arouse cowardly governor thUB shakes off the re- at this last moment the pity of the Jews sponsiLility of the perversion of justice which (John xix. 1-16). But he was mistaken. he allows. See ye to it ( vµ,••• ti,jmr8,, 'IIOB The appetite of the bloodthirsty crowd we.a ,,;idcriliB, e.e ver. 4). Yon will take all the only whetted by this anticive.tory taste; reepuusibility of the act; the blame will uot tliey insisted on the whole programme being be u,in:;. Ve.in hope! Pilate may wash his carried out, and Pile.ta yielded to tho ha;;cls, Le c,rnnot purify bee.rt or conecience drmand, giving up the useleBB straggle. from the stain of this foul murder. As Re delivered him to be crucified. Pilo.te long as the Church lasts BO long will the delivered Jesus to the will of the people, Creed announce that Jesus "suffered under dil'Ccting the soldiers to carry out the ordered Pontius Pilate." execution. On the view taken by the Ver. 25.-Then &D11wered all the people. Romans themselves of crucifixion, commen- lnsLige.ted by the Sanhedrisls working tators quote Cicero, • In Verr.,' ii. 5, 66, in.Biiliously among lb.em, th~ multitude, " It is e. crime to bind e. Boman citizen ; to now very numerous, respond with fiendish scourge him is an e.ct of wickedness ; to put e.lacrily to Pilata'e dtprecation. It was a him to death is almost pe.rrioido: whtLt shall llllWlllnOlll!, a ne.tioual e.SBWlipiion of guilt, I say of crucifying him? Au a.et so o.bomi- cu. xxvu. 1-66.J THE GOSPEL ACCO!tDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 687