The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 406

Ho-uo ! Thi• '\'l'Re, doubtleee, said t.o mlt.i- of' Mqnitfal (soe <'h. xviit. 91). At thla ~Rte or nllny their ferocity. "Let hie moment the eo-oallod triC\l might have •imple hnmnnity plend with yon! After euded, so for e.s Pilnte was conoorned with this 1rnrely you <'an desire no more." 1 a fre.nk e.ud immediate relcC\se, It ;ould "Th<' Man," rather the.n "the King." Ae Beem e.s though tho governor bad decided CRiRphe.a did not know the enormous Bigni- e.nd there oould be no more discussion: fim,nce of hie own diotum (oh. xi. 50), BO But- Pile.ta, from hie purely ~ecnlRr position, did Ver. 7.-The lewa anewered him I rcC\dy not e.ppl't'OiRte ~e world-wide me11.ning of with e.n expedient which hithort.o they lutd his own worde. He did not know tbe.t he not ventured to try upon the Roman official. hRd Rt his Bide the M11.n of men, the perroot It might have met with tho kind of recep- veritRble M1111, the nnatte.ine.ble Ideal of all tion which Gallio gnve t.o the accusers of humanity rmlizod. Ho did not antioipat.e Sosthenos in the CorinthiilD court. Ho might tbRt thRt crown of thorns, the.t robe of he.ve driven them at point of spear or whip ,imu!Rtod royalty, the.t sign of bloody from the judgment-seat. "The Jews" bore e.gony, e.nd these inBlllts borne with BUblime mentioned, rather than "the ohief prioets patience e.nd ineffable love, were even then and officers" of the previons verse, for lifting Jeeue t.o the throne of eternal memory the multitude-by some other spokesmen e.nd univereal dominion; nor bow hie own than they-exclaim, We have a law, and words would be enshrined iu art, and con- e.ooording to that (the) law• he ought to tinue t.o the end of time a oryeta.llization die; whatever yon me.y have made of the of the deepest emotion of the Church of God. che.rgo of political treBSon. In full session The hymn of Gerhe.rd expresses in thrilling of our Sanhedrin, he made himself, repre- t.ones the universal and perpetna.l feeling of eonted himself, as something more than all Christi&IIJ!- Clllear, nay, more than man, as Son of God. .. 0 Haupt -voll Blut und Wunden " King of J ewe " was a. usurpation of the Voll scbwerz und voller Hohn I Meeeianio dignity; but he bad claimed, in 0 Haupt znm Spott gebunden their very hee.riog, t.o be more than a Mit einer Dornerkron I " national leader. He raised himself to the position of being" Jebovab's King upon his But the e.ppeal to humanity we.a ve.in, and holy hill," to whom Jehovah had ewom, Pilate's momentary sentiment failed of ita " Thou e.rt my Son; this day have I begotten end. Not a voioe in his favour broke the thee; " " Son of God" as well as "King of silenoe ; but-- Israel." Pile.ta would not and could not Ver. 6.-When then the ohief priests and understand this strange " teetimony to the the oflioen saw him, they stifled every move- truth ; " and the people were now in a more ment of possible sympathy by "loud he.reh angry and exoited etat.e than ever, and cries" (ircpCW'J'UO'IU'). They o.-iedout, Cruoify, appealed t.o the law of their own oode (Lev. oruoify him 1 2 Soomging and mockery do :uiv. 16), which denounced death upon the not meet the CBSe, nor exhauet the curse and blasphemer. This charge was juet uulees the verdict they have already pronounced. the claim was true. If Christ had not been He must dMJ the doom of the vilest. He to his own inmoet consciousoeee what he must be done to death as a slave. l'ilate eaid be was, the Sanhedrin was in the right; -.itb. 11I1.to them, certaillly not granting to and. according t.o law, be was guilty of them permission to ta.ke the le.w into their death. It is here vastly int.eresting to see hands, irrespective of the PrEt.orian court a.nother indication of relation between the e.nd age.inst his will, bot in e.ngry earcasm, synoptic narrative and the Fourth Goepel. e.nd with an nnconcee.led threat, Te.ke him, '!'hough John passed over the scenes before ye y01U'88lvea, and orumfy ; that is, if you the Sanhedrin, and the circumstance that dare. Go, do_ yom deed of blood by your Christ bad been actually there doomed be- own bands, take all the responsibility; for I caUEe be bad made there no seoret of his find IID arime in him. Pilate thns derides DimruJ claims, and declared himself to be a their powerleemess, and repeats his verdict king in a higher sense the.n Pilate dreamed ; • The B.T. here reads tliE, with A. D, r, 1 T.B., B.T., Tregelles, and Westcott and Lachmann, et.c. ; but Tregelles, Tischendorf Hort introduce a.~Tcp, with A, B, D, L, X, (8th edit.), and Westcott and Hort read and oursives; but Tieohendorf (8th edit.) ioo/i, with te, B, L, X, etc., I, and 33. and Ba.le Revisers omit it, with ~ and I. • Griesbach, Leebroe.nn, and Tregelles • T.R. here introduces 71µiilv, "our." There (margin) introduce ab-r611, and there is the is coneidere.ble authority both for addition 6uthority of K, A, D•, X, and severe.I other and omission. Tischendorf (8tb edit.), Tre• uncials, and numerous authorities. Tischen- gelles, R. T., and Westcott and Hort omit it, dorf (8th edit.), B.T., Wenoott and Hort, with K, B, D', L, A, with ltalio, Vnlgate, with ll, L, omit it. and other versiona. OH. x1x. 1-42.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO RT. ,JOHN. 419