Jesus is Condemned to Death
1. Pilate was neither wicked nor cruel. He was a weak opportunist who
placed his position as Governor of Judea and his own personal interests
above everything else in life. He was prepared, moreover, to adopt the
meanest of compromises. He had acquitted Jesus because he believed Him
to be innocent. But he panicked as soon as he heard the crowd shouting
and the Jewish priests accusing him of
being no friend of the Emperor. Then he had recourse to an expedient.
When he saw Jesus covered with blood, crowned with thorns and clothed in
purple rags, he showed Him to the crowd in the hope that their frenzied
hearts would be touched with compassion. He said only a few simple
words. "Behold the man!" He wished them to see the condition to which
this man had been reduced who had been accused and mocked by them.
Looking like a trampled worm, He would stir up pity in every heart. In
the crowd there were people who had been enchanted by the glory of His
heavenly teaching. Some of them had listened to Him in Jerusalem only a
few days previously when He was greeted by tumults of applause. Others
had received favours and miracles from Him. But the good folk remained
silent, for they could not summon up the courage to express any
sentiments of gratitude or of humanity in that gathering. A roar drowned
the words of Pilate. "Let Him be crucified!"
Sometimes when we
see what is good and just, a rebellious impulse suddenly rises up
inside us. Unfortunately, we may yield to it on occasion and stifle the
higher inspirations which we receive. Let us resolve never to be guilty
of weak or unworthy conduct towards Jesus and to obey at all costs the
dictates of a sound conscience.
2. Pilate now tried another
manoeuvre to save Jesus without endangering his own position. It was a
custom amongst the Jews to pardon a condemned criminal during the
Paschal period. There was a notorious robber in prison at this time who
had been guilty of sedition and murder. His name was Barabbas. Pilate
hoped that the people would choose to release Jesus when they heard Him
compared with Barabbas. But once again a ferocious outcry drowned
Pilate's words. “Release to us Barabbas!” (Luke 23:18) They shouted out
that Barabbas should be set free and that Jesus should be crucified. Let
us be ashamed in the face of such wickedness. For we also yield many
times to the onslaught of our passions and prefer Barabbas to Jesus. We
prefer sin to innocence, and the satisfaction of our selfish nature to
the sacred law of God. We do this in spite of the fact that we are aware
that Jesus is our Redeemer and our God. We know well that by serving
Him we shall conquer and that by placing all our confidence in Him our
souls will find peace. We know that we can be happy only by loving Him
and that we can be saved only by living and dying for Him. Nevertheless,
we do not always choose Jesus.
3. Pilate's reply to the
demands of the enraged mob was as weak as ever. “Why,” he asked, “what
evil has he done?” (Mt. 27:23) The crowd continued to cry: “Let him be
crucified!” Then, as if he believed that he was making an honourable
escape from his predicament, the Procurator washed his hands in public.
“I am innocent of the blood of this just man,” he said. “See to it
yourselves.” (Mt. 27:24) Jesus was condemned to death. When we are
confronted by injustice or by sin of any kind, do we act with Christian
strength of character or do we waver like Pilate in an effort to serve
two masters, the devil and God? Let us remember that virtue demands
sacrifice and, if necessary, even death. Woe to those who wash their
hands in a despicable attempt to evade their strict obligations to their
fellow-men and fellow-Christians.
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