Think Well On't/Day 27
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY.
Our Saviour is brought before Pilate and Herod.
CONSIDER how early in the morning, notwithstanding their late sitting up, the high-priest, and his fellows in iniquity, convene a more numerous assembly of the Sanhedrim, and there again put the question to our Saviour, whether he was the Son of God; and receiving the same answer, confirm their former sentence. Yet as they did not think it safe for themselves, being subject to the Roman empire, to put this sentence into execution without the consent of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, they determined to carry him to Pilate, and by his authority to have him crucified; a kind of execution which their malice made choice of, because it was at the same time most ignominious, as being only for vile slaves and notorious criminals; and most cruel, as being a long and lingering death, under the sharpest and most sensible torments. Come now, christian soul, and contemplate thy Saviour, as he is hurried along the streets with his hands bound, from the house of the high-priest to the court of Pilate, attended by the whole council, and their wicked ministers publishing aloud as they go, that now all his impostures were laid open, his hypocrisy discovered, and himself. convicted of blasphemy.
See how the giddy mob, who a little while before reverenced him as a prophet, now all on a sudden join with his enemies, following him with opprobrious shouts, insulting him all the way that he goes, and discharging a thousand kind of injuries and affronts upon him.
2. Consider and view the Judge of the living and the dead, standing with his hands bound as a criminal before a petty governor; and behold the process. The chief priests and princes of the people having delivered him up, and Pilate demanding what particulars they had to allege against him, they made no scruple of inventing new calumnies; that he was a factious and seditious man, a traitor and a rebel to the government, who forbad tribute to be paid to Caesar, and set himself up for king of the Jews. Once more take notice of the invincible patience of thy Saviour, in hearing with silence such notorious falsities as they laid to his charge; so that the governor was astonished that a man could hold his peace under such accusations, which aimed at nothing less than procuring his condemnation to the worst of deaths. However, as he plainly saw through all the disguise of the high-priest and scribes, he interpreted his silence in favour of our Saviour, only boggling a little at the word king, and having received full satisfaction upon that head, by being made to understand that the kingdom of our Saviour was not of this world, and therefore not dangerous to Caesar's government, he determined to set him at liberty. Admire the force of innocence, which could even move a heathen, and one of the worst of men, such as Pilate was, and assure thyself, that generally speaking, patience and silence are a thousand times better proofs of thy innocence, than returning injury for injury, and making an opprobrious and clamorous defence.
3. Consider how Pilate being convinced of our Saviour's innocence, and desirous of setting him at liberty, met with an obstinate resistance from the malicious princes and deluded people; and therefore understanding that our Saviour, as being an inhabitant of Galilee, belonged to the jurisdiction of Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee, he took occasion from thence to rid himself of their importunity by sending him to Herod. Accompany thy Lord, O my soul, in this new stage, and take notice of of his incomparable meekness, whilst he passes through the streets, lined on all sides with an insulting multitude, and echoing with their reproaches and clamours. Herod was most glad of his coming, in hopes to see some miracle, and therefore put a thousand questions to him; whilst the princes of the Jews, with untired malice were repeating all their false accusations against him: but our Lord was silent still, nor would he satisfy the curiosity of Herod, nor do any thing by which he might incline this prince to free him from that death, which he so ardently desired, as being by the decrees of heaven, the only means of our redemption. Blessed by all his creatures be his goodness for ever!
4. Consider how Herod, provoked by our Saviour's not consenting to gratify his inclinations of seeing a miracle, sought to revenge himself by treating him with mockery and scorn, exposing him to the scoffs of all his guards, and ordering him to be clothed in contempt with a white garment as with a fool's coat, or perhaps as a mock king; and in this dress sent him back again to Pilate, attended in the same manner as he came, with an insulting mob, headed by the scribes and pharisees. Stand amazed, my soul, to see the wisdom of the eternal Father treated thus as a fool; and learn from hence not to repine, nor be solicitous about the judgment of the world.
5. Consider how Pilate, seeing our Saviour brought back again to his tribunal, contrived another way to bring him off, so as to give at the same time as little offence as might be to the high-priest and the chief of the Jews. It was the custom of that nation on the day of their paschal solemnity, (which was celebrated that very day) in memory of their delivery from the Egyptian bondage, to have one criminal set at liberty, whom the people should petition for: wherefore Pilate, taking advantage of this opportunity, proposed to their choice our Saviour, on the one hand, and Barabbas, a notorious malefactor, robber and murderer, on the other; making sure that they would rather choose to have the innocent Lamb of God released, than Barabbas, the worst of criminals, to escape due punishment. Ah! Pilate, what an outrageous affront dost thou here put upon the Son of God, whilst thou pretendest to favour him! What! must the Lord of life and immortality, the King of heaven, stand in competition with the vilest of men, with the most notorious criminal that could be pitched upon? Must it be put to the votes of the mob, which of the two is the better man, and which the more worthy of death? O the unparalleled injury! o! the unparalleled humility of my Saviour! o! King of glory, how low hast thou stooped to raise me up from the dunghill !
6. Consider, if it was an intolerable affront to compare our Saviour with Barabbas, what idea must we frame, or what name must we give to that blind people's choice, when they preferred Barabbas to Christ, and desired that the latter might be crucified, and the former acquitted ? O ! see, my soul, in this wonderful humiliation of thy Lord, how deep, how dangerous was the wound of pride, which could not be cured but by such and so great humility : O! see if thine be yet cured. Examine also thyself, if thou hast not often been guilty, like these blind Jews, of preferring Barabbas to thy Saviour ; by turning thy back to him for some petty interest, or filthy plea sure ? If so, thou art more inexcusable than they, because thou knowest him to be the Lord of glory, at the same time as thou persecutest him by sin : whereas if they had known him to be so, they would never have preferred a Barabbas before him.