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THE KING’ S BUSINESS
Him as their King. They are piercing not His hands and feet, but His heart by slan dering His mother and Him by denying the Virgin birth. Again Pilate testifies to His sinlessness, but the Jews demanded His death on the charge that He was a blasphemer by claiming to be the Son o f God. And if He were not the Son o f God, by Jewish law He ought to die, for He was a blasphemer, and every one who denies His Deity prac tically, sanctions His death. Now a new fear takes possession of the heart o f Pilate, and he comes back with an earnestness he had not shown before, exclaims, “Whence art thou?” It was an important question,: but Jesus gave no answer; for Pilate would not have obeyed the truth if it had been made known to him. He had made his choice and he was left to it and its conse quences. Saturday, August 31. John 19:10-16. Pilate was both surprised and piqued at Jesus’ silence. He thought Jesus did not realize the dignity o f his position, nor the largeness o f his power, “ Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee?” A h ! he thought he had, but he had not. * He had only such pow et'as God permitted him to exercise. And there was an Unwillingness in his exercise o f it that made the sin o f those -who had deliberately and with full purpose o f heart delivered Him info his hands greater than his own. Pilate was deeply moved and made a real effort to release Him, but he was not willing to pay the price o f obeying his conscience. The deter mination o f the Jews to kill Him was stronger than his resolution tq release Him, and they were cunning, they insinuated that the release o f the man would be an act o f treachery to the Emperor. Pilate knew that it would not, but he also, knew that some o f his own acts had been so questionable that they would not bear exam ination at the court o f Caesar, and»that he would be likely to lose his position if com plaint was taken to Rome, and he sur rendered himself to be a party to the worst
instead o f Jesus, Satan instead o f the Son o f God. Oh, what are the depths o f iniq uity o f the human heart? Truly “the mind o f the flesh is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). Friday, August 30. John 19:1-9. - Here we have in detail the story o f the indignities to which our Lord was sub jected. They call for little comment, ,but we should often read them and try to get them pictured vividly before our minds in order that we may realize what the Son o f God suffered for us. First, our Lord was scourged. All His garments were stripped from His back and He was tied to a post where the cruel scourge was laid upon -His back until it was all torn and bleeding, and then they made a crown of thorns, long, hard thorns, and put it on His head, and in another gospel we are told that one struck the- crown of thorns and thus.the thorns pierced His brow. Then they arrayed Him in a purple garment, mocking His claim to be king, then they saluted Him in mockery as king o f the Jews, and then they struck Him with their hands. And all of this was for us, “He was wounded for my transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities, the chastise ment o f my peace was laid upon, him” (Isa. 53:5), Oh, how our hearts ought to go 'ou t toward Him in gratitude and love. Then Pilate brought Him out, hoping that a sight o f Him after B e had thus suf fered, would touch the hard hearts of the Jews. There Jesus stands before them, . wearing the crown of thorns and the pur ple garment, and Pilate points to Him and says, “ Behold, the man!” Would they not relent? No, they would not. “ The chief priests and the officers saw Him,” but there was not the slightest touch of pity. No, rather, “they cried out, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him.” Oh, t’o what depths of bitter hate will not men go in their deter mination not to yield to Christ and have Him rule over them. There are many today who are deliberately taking their own part in His crucifixion by refusing to accept
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