The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 389

for thy Fric~d?" . 3. It was a loolc of Messed consolaUm. "I have prayed fnr thee, that thy faith fail not," 4. It was a look that, perhaps, grw11 a timely hint to the apn,q{/e to depart at once from the scene of danger. IV. 'l'RE EFFEOTS OF PETER's FALL. 1. He went out, andweptbiUerly. (1) Solitude WM the only reRource nfter such a crisis. (2) The flow of penitential tears, so honour- ing to Jesus, would be refreshing to the apostle. 2. /Jis .fall made him humble and .,ympalliizing and consolatory in liis relations with the Ohurch. His Epistles contain traces of the effects of his fall and his restoration. Ver. 28-cb. xix. 16.-The trial before Pi1ate. This was the civil investigation following the ecclesiastical. The Sanhedrin wanted Pilate simply to ratify the sentence of death they had pronounced upon Christ. I. 'l'IIE EAllLY RESORT TO PILA TE, "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphae unto the ball of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the jndgment- hall, lest they should be defiled; that, they might eat the Passover." 1. The Sanhedrin were eager for the destruction of Jesus, and therefore sought Pilate at an unus1taUy early !tour of the rMrning, Their eagerness led them to disregard the law that did not allow sentence and execution to occur on the same day. 2. They were obliged to seelc Pilate's intervention; for the Romans had deprived the Jews of the right of inflicting capital punishment. They might sentence Jesus to death; it was for Pihte to execute the sentence. 3. Mark their hypocrisy. They feared the defilement of approaching a Gentile tribunal, but they did not shrink from the greater defilement of shedding innocent blood. II. THE FIRST PHASE 01!' THE OIV1L PROCEDURE. The Jews want their sentence on Jesus confirmed without examination. "H be were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee." They bad judged Jesus; it was for Pilate to act the part of the executioner. 1. Pilatt!s attempt to evade this demmid. "Take ye him, and judge him according to your Law." The Jews still bad the right of excom- munication and scourging, but not of inflicting capital punishment. Pilate imagined that they would be content with the exercise of such inferior punishment as remained to them. 2. The Jews parried the thrust by declaring, in effect, that nothing but the capital sentence would satisfy them. "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." This language implied their dependence on Pilate for carrying out the sentence. 3. This/act led to the fulfilment of owr Lord's OW11, prophecy. "That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death be should die." (1) Crucifixion was not a Jewish, but a Roman punishment. If the Jews bad been their own masters in Palestine, Jesus would have been stoned, and not "lifted up from the earth" (eh. xii. 32). (2) The Gentile as well as the Jew must have a share in the greatest crime in all history. This was to fulfil Christ's own words that "be should be delivered to the Gentiles, and be crucified" (Matt. x:x:. 19). III. THE SECOND PHASE OF THE CIVIL PROCEDURE. The Jews frame a political accu- sation. ".Art thou the King of the Jews?" He bad made himself a King I 1. The question of Pilate implies a charge on the part of the accusers as having given rise to it. '£be Jews said," We found him perverting the nation, BDd forbidding to give tribute nnto Cmsar, saying that be is Christ the King" (Luke x:xiii. 2). 2. It was a question which admitted of two very different answers. (1) Jesus could have repudiated the kingship in the Roman sense, (2) He could not have repudiated it in the religious sense without disclaiming the MessiBhsbip. 3. Our L<Yrd's method of answering Pilate's inquiry. "Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" Everything depended in the answer upon the fact whether it issued from Jewish or from Gentile lips, Jesus acted wisely; he neither affirms nor denies any- thing. 4. Pilate's hasty and contemptuous f'ff)'oinder. ".Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what bast thou done?" What crime have you committed? 5. Our Lord's answer is at once an admission ancl a denial of kingship, according as the standpoint of interpretation is Gentile or Jewish. " My kingdom is not of this world : if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (1) His kingdom does noi derive its origin from earth, though here it has its historical development. (2) Jesus makes no concel!Sion to the zealots who .JOllll,-II, 2D 402 'l'HE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO ST. JOHN. [cH, xviu.1--40,