The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 229

recognizC's his innooenee by a white robe; before a Romnn tribunal, to &8k for death the flonrnn soldiery his royalty by the to be inflicted ou e. Je IV beccmso he had sceptre nnd the erown of thorns, and thnt injured the m~jesty of Rome, wns e. deep hu become the highest of all crowns, as degradation; but the Sanhedrin well knew was :fitting, being the most meritorious." the temper of the Roman judge with whom It. wns then and thus that Pila.to led Jesus they hnd to deal, and they rightly calculated out before the Sanbedrists and the people, that his fears for himself, if properly aroused, as they shouted in their unreasoning fury, would turn the sonle o.nd eeou1·e the oon- " Crucify him! " while the Roman, partly demnation of JesUB. They were right. sadly, partly scornfully, partly pitifully, as Ver. 2-1.-And Pilate gave sentence that lie pointed to the silent Sufferer by his side, it shonld be as they required. This sums up pronounced "Ecce Homo!" the result of the lBSt charge of the Sanhe- But the enemies of Jesus were pitiless. drin. Pilate's selfish fears fo1· himself over- They kept on crying, " Crucify him ! " and powered all sense of reverence, awe, and when Pilate still demurred carrying out justice. There ,vas no further discussion, Bar-Abbas was 1·eleased, and Jesus was de- their bloody purporn, they added that "by livered up to the will of his enemies. their Law he ought to die, because he made Vers, 26-82.-0n the way to Calvary. himself the Son of God." Simon the Cyrenian., The daughters of All through that morning's exciting scenes Jerusalem, had Pilate seen that something strange and Ver. 26.-A.nd as they led him away. Plutarch tells us that every criminal con- mysterious belonged to that solitary Man demned to crucifixion carried his own cross. accused before him. His demeo.nour, his , '£here was borne in front of him, or else hung words, his very look, had impressed the round his own neck, a white tablet, on whic11 Roman with a singular awe. Then came the criwe for which he suffered wa.s inscribed. his wife'• message, telling him of her dream, Possibly this was what was afterwards affixed to the cross itself. Simon, a Cyrenian. warning her husbo.nd to hn.ve nothing to do Cyrene was au important city in North with that just Man. Everything seemed to Africa, with a large colony of resident Jews. whisper to him," Do not let thn.t strange, in- These Cyrenia.n Jews hod a synagogue of nocent Prisoner be done to death: he is not their own iu Jerusalem. It is probable that what he seems." And now the fact, openly Simon was e. Passover pilgrim. St. Mark tells us he wns the father of "Alexander published Ly the furior..s Jews, that the poor and Rufus;" evidently, from his mention of Accused claimed a Divine origin, deepened them, these were notable persons in the the awe. Who, then, had he been scourg- early Christian Church. Very likely their ing? connection with the followers of Jesus dated Once more Pilate returns to hisjudgment- from this incident on the road to Calvary. Coming ont of the country. He was pro- hall, and he says to Jesus, again staniling bably one of the pilgrims lodged in a village before him, "Whence a.rt thon?" near Jerusalem, nnd met the sad procession The result of this last interrogatory St. as he was entering the city on his way to John (x.ix.. 12) briefly summarizes in the the temple. On him they laid the cross. words, " From thenceforth Pila.ta sought to Our Lord was weakened by the trouble and agitation of the past sleepless night, and release him." 'l'l'BS, of colll'ae, faint and utterly exhausted The Sanhedriste, and their blind instru- from the effects of the terrible scourging. ments, the fickle, wavering multitude, when The cross used for this mode of execution they perceived the Roman governor's in- was (l) eilhcr the Cruz decussata X, what tention to release their Victim, changed their is usually known as St. Andrew's cross; or (2) the Cru:z, commissa -r, St. .Anthony's tactics. They forbore any longer to press cross ; or (3) the ordinary Roman cross +, the old charges of blasphemy and of in- Crin immissa. Our Lord suffered on the definite wrong-doing, and they appealed only third description, the Roman cross. Thie to Pilate'e owu dastardly fear ... '£he Prisoner cons;atedoftwo pieces, the one perpendicular claimed to be a King. If the lieutenant of (staticulum), the other horizontal (antenna). About the middle of the first was fastened tl,e emperor let such a traitor go free, why, e. piece of wood (sedile), on which tho con- thut lieuteuant emphatically was uot Cmsat'd demned rested. This was necesstiry, else, friend I during tho Jong torture, the weight of the F.cch " 11lea for the Sanhedrin to use body would have torn the hands, e.nd the ou. xxm.1-56.) 'fHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE.