The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 386

lieaded n11d maligue.nt priesbi and eldere, semi-superstitious feare, and he maundered who tbue eocurcd, not wiihont some diffi- in a feeble fBBhiou, " Whe.t ehe.11 I do with culty, e. popular oonfirme.tion of their me.- J88U8 that is oalled Ohriat P"-" with him ligtrnnt echeme. "NoT THIS MAN, BUT BARADBAS ! " we.e ihe repeated cry of e. whom ye BBY is (aooueed of being) King or stupefic•J crowd. 'l'he memory of all the tho Jews?" and for the first time the otni• grucioue wor,ls and life-gi,·ing actions of nous e.ud terrible cry is rcturnod, "01rn- J<'rns did not subdue the raging pAeeion of CIFY 11111 I " They do not BBk that he bo their lust; they could neither soo with their speared or behee.ded, or treated like e. con. c)·ei;, nor hear with their ears, nor under- sl.ano. "ith their hearts. The light that victod e.epirant or usurper; nay, they will was in them was darkened. They preferred not be pacified until the doom of o. common that a mnrd<'rer should be granted to them. malefactor, the shameful death of o. criminal •· Not this Man, but B&rabbBS 1" is their slave, is meted out to him. Pilato is verdict. Iluman powor and popular feeling emazecl, e.nd even horrified, by the intensity Rnd curporute oonscience rco.ched the bot- of their spite and the cruelty of their hotred. tomless abyss of degradation. Joruaa.lem that killed the prophets would have none Once and age.in Pile.ta said," Why, whot of him. Even humnn nature itself must evil hllB he done? I found in him no proved bear the she.me which by this cry for ven- occasion of any kind of tleoth." The tu• gcan(',e ago.inst goodness wne branded upon mult woe ri.siug every moment, and Pila.ta its brow for ever. Through this dmmonic would he.ve been glad to compromise the ha trcd of the noblest and the best, mani- fested by the world, the world is itself con- matter by sending Barabbo.e to the croBS; demned. "'Who is he," said John afler- and before he took the course dictated by """rds, " that overcomcth the world? Even the angry mob, he washed his hands in e. l,c who belieYeth that Jesus is the Son of be.sin of wo.ter, and proclaimed the fa.et God." The world he.e me.de its Sesostrie, that he had, and would take, no responsi- it.; Tiberius, its Nero, its A.ntiuoiis, into bility for the judicie.l murder to which sons of God ; the world ha.s ever cried, "Not this Man "-not Jesus of Nazareth-but they would hound him. •• I am guiltless of "Jesus Ba.ra.bba..s is son of God." It will the blood of this Man : see you to it " (Matt. find out its mistake too le.te. x:uii. 24, 25). Many commentators refer this proceeding of Pilate to the moment The synoptic narrative (Matt. IXVii. 19-- when he fine.Uy uttered the cursed verdict: 23; Mark xv. 12-14; Luke :niii 20-23) Ibis ad crucem. Me.tthew's account is much had already made the Church familiar with more concise e.t this point than John's, other details more or less connected with Heathen writers had repeatedly scoffed at this incident, 1LI1d which preceded the fiuel the notion of water wa.shing a.way the guilt sentence. John, who followed his Mester of blood. We can hardly suppose that Pilate as closely es pollllible, wes acquainted with meant more thau e. disde.inful repudiation of some interesting fa.cts, full of BUggestion, any sympe.thy with the infuriated crowd (see which throw additianal light upon the con- Steinmeyer). Thie act, instead ofappeasing, r.uct of Pilate, and bring forth some sublime served to matlden the fury of the populace, trait.. in theche.racterand bearing of our Lord. who shouted in bitter eamest, " His blood From the synoptists we learn that Pile.te be upon us, and npon our children "-a struggled for some considerable time to get sentence of their own, which re.nkled in his own way, e.ud be remonstrated repeatedly their memories, and ea.me bu.ck a. few months with the people concerniD.g I.heir choice of afterwards with gri,m earnestness (Acts v. Ibrabbes, the murderer and brigand, and 28). "Then." says St. lle.tthew, "Pilate tLeir refusal to recall their malignant de- relee.eed Bare.bbe.s to them." To do this, liverance of Jesus to him as e. malefactor. the governor would return to the Prmtorium, The bare idea thll.t this gentle, silent, mag- and Jesus was thus once more face to fa.ea nanitn0118 Sufferer, bereft of bis friends, with him. Probably the gorgeous robe mocked by Herod, deeerled by his disciples, which Herod had thrown over his fettered should have the faintest shadow of a claim to limbs ho.d been ta.ken from him ; and then sovereignty in the only sense in which Pilate Pile.ta, bewildered, weak, with some ulterior could understand such an idea, revolted his motive of staving oft' the madness of the commou sense. The message from bis wife Jews, o.nd satiating their inhuman thirst (J\fatt. :u viL 19) ho.d furthermore excited his for blood, adopted another expedient. oa. xvm. 1-40.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 399