looked upon Peter. And Peter | thou then the Son of God? remembered the word of the And he said unto them, Ye say Lord, how he had said unto that I am. him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we

62 And Peter went out and ourselves have heard of his own

wept bitterly.

63 And the men that held Jesus, mocked him, and smote him.

64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote

thee?

65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against

him.

66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people, and the chief priests, and the scribes came together, and led him into their council,

67 Saying, Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe.

68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

mouth.

CHAPTER XXIII.

AND the whole multitude of

them arose, and led him

unto Pilate.

2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cesar, saying, that he himself is Christ, a king.

3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it.

4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests, and to the people, I find no fault in this man.

5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man

70 Then said they all, Art were a Galilean.

63-65. See Matt. 26: 67, 68. 66-71. See Matt. 26: 57, 59-66. 70. Ye say that I am The words in the original might be thus translated Ye say it; for I am. The expression thou sayest, or ye say, was equivalent among the Hebrews to an affirmative reply. Compare Matt. 26: 64. Mark 15: 2. The reply of Jesus then amounted to this: Yes, I am.

CHAPTER XXIII. 1. See Matt. 27: 1, 2.

2-5. Compare Matt. 27: 11-14. John 18: 28-38.

4. I find no fault, &c. See John 18: 38.

5. Perverting; drawing away, that is, from obedience to Cesar, the Roman emperor, to whom the Jews were subject. This was an accusation to which Pilate, the Roman governor, might well be supposed willing to hearken. Stirreth up the people, exciteth them to revolt from Cesar. Jewry; the country of the Jews.

7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself was also at Jerusalem at that time.

:

8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.

9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him.

11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him

in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.

12 And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together; for before they were at enmity between themselves.

13 And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, and the rulers, and the people,

14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people and behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man, touching those things whereof ye accuse him;

15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him:

16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him.

to render replies either unnecessary or useless.

11. His men of war; the troops whom he had as a body-guard. Mocked him; scoffed at him. They regarded him, probably, as a poor, deluded impostor, who had at last sunk into disrepute, and whom they might safely insult. Gorgeous robe; a splendid, and probably white, garment, such as was worn by men who aspired, as candidates, to offices in the state. By throwing such a garment on Jesus, they marked him as an object of contempt, as one who had aspired to great dignity, but who was now shamefully defeated.

7. Herod's jurisdiction. See on Matt. 27: 14. Herod Antipas was at that time tetrarch of Galilee. See 13:31. As Jesus had been an inhabitant of Galilee rather than of Ju-|| dea, there was a propriety in referring his case to Herod. The Roman law gave also to the governors of the provinces the right of trying offences committed within their jurisdiction. Thus Pilate also could lawfully attend to the case of Jesus; for the accusation against him was that, from Galilee to Jerusalem, and therefore within the dominions of Pilate, he had been exciting the people to revolt. Who himself was also at Jerusalem. At the festival of the passover, people went to Jerusalem from all quarters.

8. He was desirous to see him of a long season. See Luke 9: 9.

9. Answered him nothing. Because he knew that Herod would only deride him. Herod had no real desire to understand the case, and to do justice in respect to it. His questions were doubtless of such a character as

15. Nothing worthy of death is done unto him. More accurately, nothing worthy of death has been done by him. The examination before Herod detected no crime in him worthy of death.

16. I will therefore chastise him, &c. Pilate proposed at this time to scourge Jesus, in hope that this comparatively mild punishment would appease the people, so that they would

17 (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

25 And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

26 And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon

18 And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: 19 (Who, for a certain sedi-a Cyrenian, coming out of the tion made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) 20 Pilate, therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.

21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him; I will therefore chastise him, and let

him go.

23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified: and the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.

24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

be willing to release him. Pilate saw clearly, that Jesus was an innocent man, and that the chief priests and other distinguished men were resolved on his being put to death; but he hoped that, by allowing Jesus to be scourged, he might operate on their sensibility, and prevent the extremity to which they were rushing. But his efforts were unavailing. The scourging which Jesus afterwards received was the usual one, which was administered as preliminary to crucifixion. See Matt. 27: 26.

17-25. See Matt. 27: 15-26. 26. Compare Matt. 27: 32. 29. The days are coming in the which, &c.; days of bitter distress, in 11

VOL. II.

country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

28 But Jesus, turning unto them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave

suck.

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

which mothers particularly will endure heart-rending anguish, such will be the sufferings of their children, and such the incumbrances connected with having a family. Compare Matt. 24: 19. On mothers, the sufferings connected with the siege and capture of Jerusalem must have fallen with peculiar weight.

30. Begin to say to the mountains, &c. A very vivid way of expressing the thought, Death will be chosen rather than life. The mountains and hills in and around Palestine had extensive caverns, favorable for concealment in a time of danger. The people who might flee to these caverns, are represented as there lamenting

31 For if they do these things | He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

32 And there were also two others, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

33 And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors; one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying,

the sad fate of their country, and desiring to be crushed by the falling of the mountains rather than to survive their country's ruin, and to encounter the miseries which would await

them.

31. For if they do these things in a green tree, &c. A green, flourishing tree was employed among the Hebrews as an emblem of a righteous man. See Ps. 1: 3. A dry, dead tree, on the contrary, was an emblem of a wicked, worthless man. See Ezek. 20: 47, compared with 21: 3. This use of the terms gave rise to the proverbial saying, which Jesus repeated; the meaning of which was, If a righteous man is subjected to such calamities as I am now enduring, what ought not the wicked to expect? The phrase if they do these things is equivalent to the phrase if these things be done.

32, 33. Compare Matt. 27: 38. Calvary. See on Matt. 27: 33.

36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,

37 And saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself.

38 And a superscription also was written over him, in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 And one of the malefactors, which were hanged, railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost not

accessory to his crucifixion, and wished, as far as possible, to extenuate their guilt. The Roman soldiers, who had needlessly and wantonly abused him, and the common people of the Jews, were, properly speaking, instigated by others, in their ill-treatment of Jesus. The chief priests, too, and other distinguished men of the nation, who were so resolute against Jesus, might, in an important sense, be said not to know the extent of their guilt. They had, however, no sufficient apology for any of their ill speeches and ill conduct in respect to the Saviour. Compare Acts 3: 17. 1 Cor. 2:8. All who bore any responsibili ty in the Saviour's condemnation, and who inflicted on him any indignities, were probably referred to in this pe tition. Compare Matt. 5: 44, 45. Acts 7: 60. They parted his raiment, &c. Compare Matt. 27: 35.

35-37. See Matt. 27: 39-43. If he be Christ; if he be the Messiah. 38. See Matt. 27: 37.

34. They know not what they do; they know not what a crime they are 39-43. Compare Matt. 27: 44. committing; they are acting incon- Hanged. The word used in the origisiderately. Thus the Saviour sin-nal was applied to persons who were cerely prayed for those who had been crucified. || Christ; the Messiah.