John 19:6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate said to them… I. THE CLAMOUR. "Crucify Him!" 1. Its occasion: the presentation of Christ "therefore." One would have expected, as Pilate doubtless did, that revenge would be satiated by the bleeding form of One who had offended them by His teaching, and by the humiliation of One whom they had charged with kingly ambition. Here surely was an end of His prestige — the people would never listen to Him again, or shout hosannahs any more. Instead of this, these human tigers having tasted bleed, only thirsted for more. 2. Its nature. (1) Cowardly, inasmuch as its object was an innocent defenceless prisoner. (2) Ferocious, for it called for a death, of all deaths the most humiliating and cruel. To have cried "Drown!" "Behead!" "Pelson!" would have argued some relic of pity; for these would have been comparatively painless means of putting their victim out of His misery. 3. Its accordance with the Divine plans. This was the form of death deliberately chosen and predicted by Jesus. Hence the clamour was an unconscious means of helping to fulfil His prophecies of being "lifted up." "He causeth the wrath of man to praise Him." II. PILATE'S RESPONSE TO THE CLAMOUR. "Take ye Him," &c. A response — 1. Contemptuous: showing the governor's repugnance to being the dirty tool of an unscrupulous and fanatical mob. All the Roman's sense of right and pride of race come out here. 2. With a merciful design. It meant "I have nothing to crucify Him for; crucify ye Him if ye dare!" It was something like the reply of a British officer in India to a Brahmin who consulted him with reference to a Sutee. It was represented that the burning of a certain widow was in conformity with the laws of their religion. "Very good," said the officer, "you carry out your laws and I will execute mine. According to mine, to burn a widow is murder, and I will hang every man connected with the murder." Pilate doubtless thought that this would be an end to the matter. He little knew, apparently, those with whom he had to deal. III. THE GROUND FOR PILATE'S RESPONSE, "I find no fault in Him." This is the third time that Pilate made this confession. It should go for something, for it came from an experienced Roman judge — after a personal examination; after a trial, when all the odds were against the prisoner; after excruciating torture; and was made to a people whom Pilate had every reason to desire to propitiate. The only inference that can be drawn is that there was no fault in Jesus. And if Pilate found no fault in Him can we? (J. W. Burn.) Parallel Verses KJV: When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. |
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