The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 407

yet John Ima glvon olesr proof that he wae selves to the lnronio recital of the ohnrgo as woll 11wnre of Iha oonfeaeion, and reoorde bore rce,orcled. The silence of Jesus is very the still more strildng faot th11t this speoial impressive, and we, in our ignor11nce, can only olaim of enpremo prerogRtive Mtnally oame vaguely lfflY what it mee.nt. Vury numernns to tho eara and bofore the judgment-se11t of explanations a.re nffored. Lnthardt's idea, Rome. thnt Christ would nnt give 11n answer which Vera. 8-11.-(/) [Within tho Prrotorium.J wonl<I have the effect of preventing Pi111t,P,, The/car n/ Pilnte, and the apportionment of in his ogitntorl state, from giving the order lhe meowre8 of auilt by the mnjeetio Sufferer. for his crucifixion, is str,gey and unreal. Ver. 8.-Whon therofore Pilate heard Moreover, it is bound up with very rp1esti ,n- this word ho waa more afraid, implying a.hle ethic, oncl suggests that.Jesus is 11nswcr- th11t John hod seen 1111 along thBt some able for the 11wful sin of Pile.ta, from which, element of "feo.r" had moved Pilate, nnd by a. wor,l, he might have saved him. We tho.t now it was augmented. Superstition admit that at a.ny moment the Lord conlrl, goes lmnd in hand with scepticism. In- if ho had chosen, have smitten his foes with stead of this being (as Keim says) con- blindness, or delivered himself frnm their trary to psychologio Inws, the history of ma.lice by passing through them (cf. eh. scepticism is constantly presenting the same xii. 59). 'rhey would all have fallen to features (of. Herod Antipas the B1tddncee, the earth if he had glanced at them as he who would dogmatically hove repudiated had done upon the Uoman guarrl. in Geth- the ide11 of resm·rection, crying out concern- semane-upon that very bancl of men wlw ing Jeans," It is John the Baptist, whom were now so busy in wiping out the stain of I behe11ded : he is risen from the dead," eto. ). their momentary panic. On other occasions, We need not suppose tho.t Pilato was sud- when hfa hour of self-deliverance and self- denly affected by the truth of JewiBh mono- devotion to the Father's will had not arrived, theism; but he may readily have believed he discomfited his enemies ; but now hi• ho1£r that the wondrous Being before him was had come, o.nrl he did not ~brink. All thfa is enshrouded in a mystery of supernatural true, but it does not a.ccount for the refusal portent and pretension that he conl<.1 not to a.newer a question like this. Doubtless fathom, and before which he trembled. The the silence was e.s expressive as speech, ancl ideo. of Divine energy enshrined in and even less likely to be misnnderstood. Ho wielded by human beings was not altogether could not ha.ve denied tha.t he was "Son of foreign to heathen thought-and one cen- God." He conlcl not have a.flirmed it with- turion, at leo.st, who w11s probably present on out leading Pilato to put human and heathen this very occasion, exolaimerl that Jesus was notions into it. But could not he, who iJ o. Son of God (Ma.tt. uvii. 54). infinite wisdom inca.rnate, ha.ve given en Ver. 9.-And he entered the Pnetorium answer which would ha.ve avoided both dan- again (Jesus following him), and he saith to gers? That, however, is practically what ho leans, Whenoe art thou 1 but leSllB gave him did effect. The prophetic picture ha.d fore- no answer. Almost all commentators rejeot told of him, that "like a. sheep before its the old explanation of the question of Pilate shearers ia dumb, so he opened not hi.! given by Paulus, that he simply asked Jesus mouth;" and the previous silences of Jesus of his birthplace or his home. The governor before Annas, and before the false witnesses, was disturbed, and ready to suspect that he before Caia.phas, and Pilate himself, ancl ·had on his ,ha.nds some supernatural Deing before Herod, are all governed by the same whom no cross could destroy-some mysteri- rule-e. refusal to save himself from malig• ous half-human, ha.If-Divine oree.ture, such nant falsity, or tricky design, or conspicu- a.a filled the popula.r literature; and, without ously lying charges; bnt when cho.l.lenged a.ny spiritua.l insight on his own side, he en- to say whether he was the Christ, whether he ticed Jesus to give him his confidence, and wastheSonofGod, whether hewasa King,he entrust to his keeping some of tho secret of his ga.ve the answers needed. There was some origin, and the source of the bitter antago- likeness between the spirit of Herod, Caia.- nism to his claims. There was fear, ouriosity, phas, and the false witnesses, o.nd of Pilate's and great desire for his own sake to s8'.ve the "Whonce a.rt thou?" which did not deserve suffering Man from the olntches of his ene- an affirmative answer. The governor, who mies. " Whence art thou 'i Hast thou indeed ha.d soourged and insulted ou apparently made this claim ? Dost thou call thyself defenceless man, at the very moment when Son of God? that God is thy proper Father; he was proclaimed innocent, and now was that thou a.rt coming in the glory of heaven; afraid of what he had done. cwue into the that thou, in thy purple robe and bleeding category of the sloyers of the silent Lamb. form, art already seated on thy throne of But to the next inquiry, which went down judgmeut?" Snrely e.11 this was really to the depths of his bee.rt, and revell.led the conveyed by the question, for we oannot utter unspiritU11.lity and self-ignorance which 11uppose that "the Jews" confined them- needed response, 11, wondrous reply wos given. 4-20 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN. [ou. x1x. 1-4.2.