THE KING’ S BUSINESS
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hath been done by Him.” Pilate here was paving the Way for his next , suggestion, “ I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him.” If Jesus was innocent He ought not to have been even chastised, but released, but Pilate was a typical politician and compromised. The answer o f the Jews to Pilate’s suggestion is appalling. With wonderful unanimity “ they cried out all together, away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.” They deliber ately denied the Holy and Just One and desired a murderer to be released unto them (cf. Acts 3:14). What a choice, a marvellously strange choice it seems to us, and yet it is not stranger than the choice many are making today : Men and women, young and old, have their choice between ther“ Prince o f Life” and him who “was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44), between Jesus and Satan, and the vast majority are crying, “ Give us Barab bas, we will not have this man Jesus to rule over us, give us Satan.” What further proof need we o f thè deceitfulness and desperate wickedness o f the human heart (cf. Jer. 17:9), o f the enmity o f the nat ural heart against God (cf. Rom. 8 :7) than that given in this incident? Wednesday, March 15 . Luke 23 : 20 - 25 . Pilate was still unwilling to crucify the One whom he knew to be innocent. He shrank from bringing upon his own head the guilt o f innocent blood. He took Jesus and scourged Him and brought Him forth bleeding and weak, wearing the crow n 'of thorns and robe o f mockery, hoping this would satisfy their hate and touch their pity (cf. John 19:1-6), but no, their hate is implacable, and there goes up an awful yell, “ Crucify Him, crucify Him.” This time not only the leaders but all the people joined in the cry (Matt. 27:20-23). Pilate does not altogether give in even yet. He puts to them a very pertinent question, “Why, what evil hath this man done?” They had no good answer to that question so they simply yelled the louder. O f course “ their voices prevailed,” the voices o f the God-hating mob always do prevail with a
world was from religious people. The 'ftiost unscrupulous people in the world are always people who have an external relig ion that has not changed the heart. Relig ionists o f that kind will stoop to lower deeds than utterly careless and worldly people will. Jesus received the same brutal treatment at the hands o f Herod and His men that He had received at both the other trials. Everywhere He went He was despised, rejected, robbed o f every form of justice, mocked and abused. Herein we see it revealed what man is at heart when not transformed by the grace o f God in Christ. It was abundantly proven that this was a Christ-hating world. Neither eccles iastical nor civil courts could do anything with Jesus but treat Him shamefully, and He suffered all this for us. - Tuesday, March 14 . Luke 23 : 13 - 19 . Pilate had found no fault in Jesus. Herod, to whom Pilate had sent Jesus, also found no fault in Him. Jesus is now a second time before Pilate, so this is really His fifth trial. Before the assembled chief priests, and rulers and people Pilate again declares his firm conviction o f the entire innocence o f Jesus o f charges preferred against Him. I f Pilate was so clearly- convinced o f JHis innocence there was but one thing for him to do, and that was to let Him go, but he wished to do it in a way that would offend the Jewish leaders as little as possible, so he delayed and compro mised. He gained nothing by his compro mise, the delay simply made it more and more difficult for him to do the right thing (cf. Acts 3:13). But Pilate’s pur pose to do the right thing with Jesus was not as strong as the purpose o f His enemies to do the wrong thing with Him. When a man begins by delaying and compromising he will always end by doing the wrong thing in all its fulness. A fter having twice made the unqualified statement that he had “ found no fault’’ at all in Jesus (vs. 4, 14) concerning the things whereof He was charged, and that Herod had not, Pilate now compromisingly tones down his state ment and says “nothing worthy o f death
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