It is evident from the records, that Jesus did not hear the charge made by the Jews against him to Pilate, for he was at that time m the Judgment Hall; and when Pilate came in he called to Jesus, and said, " Art thou the King of the Jews? " Jesus answered him, " Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? " As this was the first that Jesus had heard of this charge, it is clear from the question that he desired to know whether it came from the Jews or Pilate. He was answered by Pilate's state ment that his own nation and the Chief Priests had delivered him, and asked, " What hast thou done? " Jesus answered, " My kingdom is not of this world; if my king dom were of this world, then would my ser vants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews : but now is my kingdom not from hence." Pilate therefore said unto him, "Art thou a king, then? " Jesus answered, "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." Jesus thus ex plained to Pilate his mission, and also that he disclaimed any intention to assert tem poral power; for as he says, if such had been his purpose his servants, by which he meant his followers, would have fought to prevent his delivery to the Jews. He thus satisfied Pilate that he meant no offence, had not offended the laws of Rome, and was not inimical to its interests. As to the spiritual kingdom Pilate cared nothing. Therefore Pilate went out again to the Jews and said to them, " I find in him no fault at all." Pilate in ordinary examinations acted in a quasi-judicial capacity. So far as concerned offences committed against the religion of the Jews he had no interest in the execution of the sentence, beyond seeing that its execu tion did not affect the interests of Rome. But of offences committed against Rome he stood in the position of being sole judge, independent of any action taken by the Sanhedrim. It therefore follows that the
charge of treason, which was examined by him, failed of substantiation, and his decis ion, announced to the Jews, was one of acquittal; and by Roman authority no man could be placed in jeopardy twice for the same offence. So that Jesus should have been then and there released. The law of the Jews required the same thing. As we have seen, it expressly required that a judge once announcing an opinion for acquittal was not allowed to change it to condemna tion. The charge then preferred by the Jews against Jesus before Pilate had failed, and the 'prisoner, by the law of Rome, of Judiea, and of all people since the dawn of civilization should have gone free. Had Pilate been a great man, had he been an honest man, this great crime would not have been committed. Instead of being either, he was a truckler to public favor, a fawner to present clamor; destitute of moral courage, he bowed his head and turned his course, as a weather-vane, to every wind that blew. He was afraid of his dark and bloody master, Tiberius; and when the Jews, in furtherance of the conspiracy, became more fierce, saying "He stirreth up the people, teaching through out Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place," with the cunning of a sycophant, he thinks a way opens by which he can escape the responsibility of shedding innocent blood, satisfy the Jews, and run no risk of incurring displeasure with Tiberius for failing to exe cute a person charged with treason. •We need not go back to the first century to find Pilates. They may be found in all degrees, colors, previous and present condi tion of servitude, in this year of grace, twist ing their conduct, trimming their sails to catch the breeze of public favor in even the meanest and pettiest offices of life. So Pilate, catching at Galilee, seeks to shoulder the responsibility upon Herod, whose jurisdiction extended there; but notwithstanding this cunning move of Pilate, backed by the vehemence and venom of the Chief Priests and Scribes, Herod disclaimed jurisdiction, and clothing Jesus in a gorgeous robe, mocked
