Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

LECTURE XXII.

MATTHEW xxvii.

IN the preceding chapter we faw that the chief

priests and elders had, in their fummary way, without the fhadow of justice, without any confiftent evidence, decided. the fate of Jefus, and pronounced him guilty of death. Their next care was how to get this fentence confirmed and carried into execution; for under the Roman government > they had not at this time the power of the fword, the power of life and death; they could not execute a crim-inal, though they might try and condemn him, without a warrant from the Roman governor; they determined therefore to carry him before Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judæa at that time. But then, to enfure fuccefs in that quarter, it was neceffary to give their accufations against Jefus fuch a colour and fhape, as should prevail upon the governor to put him to death. For this purpose they found it expedient to change their ground, for they had condemned him for blafphemy; but this they knew would have little weight with a pagan governor, who, like Gallio, would "care for none of those things" which related folely to religion. They therefore refolved to bring him before Pilate as a state prifoner, and to charge him with treasonable and feditious practices; with fetting himself up as a king in oppofition to Cæfar, and perfuading the people not to pay tribute to that prince. Accordingly we are told in the beginning of this chapter, that "when morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took council against Jefus to put him to death;" that is, to obtain permiffion to put him to death; "and when they had bound him they led him away, and dilivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor."

The evangelift, having brought the history of this diabolical tranfaction thus far, makes a fhort digreffion, to

inform us of the fate of that wretched traitor Judas, who had by his perfidy brought his Mafter into this fituation.

"Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he faw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of filver to the chief priests and elders, faying, I have finned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they faid. What is that to us? See thou to that. And he caft down the pieces of filver in the temple, and went and hanged himself."

From the expreflion made ufe of in the third verse, "when Judas faw that Jefus was condemned, he repented himfelf," fome commentators have thought that he did not imagine or expect that Jefus would be condemned to death; but fuppofed either that he would convey himself away from his perfecutors, or that he would prove his innocence to the fatisfaction of his judges; or that at the moft fome flight punishment would be inflicted upon him. One would not wish to load even the worst of men with more guilt than really belongs to them; but, from confidering the character of Judas, and comparing together all the circumstances of the cafe, it appears to me more probable that the acquittal or condemnation of Jefus never entered into his contemplation. All he thought of was gain. He had kept the common purse, and had robbed it; and his only object was, how to obtain a fum of money, which he determined to have at all events, and left confequences to take care of themselves. But when he faw that his divine Mafter, whom he knew to be perfectly innocent, was actually condemned to death, his confcience then flew in his face; his guilt rofe up before him in all its horrors. The innocence, the virtues, the gentledefs, the kindness of his Lord, with a thousand other circumstances, rushed at once upon his mind, and painted to him the enormity of his crime in fuch dreadful colours, that he could no longer bear the agonizing tortures that racked his foul, but went immediately and deftroyed himfelf.

The anfwer of the chief priests to Judas, when he brought back to them the thirty pieces of filver, and de

clared that he had betrayed the innocent blood, was at perfectly natural one for men of their character, "What, is that to us? See thou to that." Men who had any feeling, any fentiments of common humanity, or even of common juftice, when fo convincing a proof of the accused person's innocence had been given them, would naturally have relented, would have put an immediate stop to the proceedings, and releafed the prifoner. But this was very far from entering into their plan. With the guilt or innocence of Jefus they did not concern them-felves. This was not their affair. All they wanted was the deftruction of a man whom they hated and feared, and whofe life and doctrine were a standing reproach to them. This was their object: and as to the mercy or the juftice of the case, on this head they were at perfect ease; What is that to us? See thou to that." And yet to fee the aftonishing inconfiftence of human nature, and the ftrange contrivances by which even the most abandoned of men endeavour to fatisfy their minds and. quiet their apprehenfions; thefe very men, who had no fcruple at all in murdering an innocent perfon, yet had wonderful. qualms of confcience about putting into the treafury the money which they themselves had given as the "price of blood!" "The chief priests took the filver pieces, and said, it is not lawful for us to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury ftrangers in. Wherefore that field was called The Field of Blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, faying, And they took the thirty pieces of filver, the price of him that was val ued, whom they of the children of Ifrael did value, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me**

*It happens that this paffage in found not in Jeremiah, to which the evangelift refers, but in the eleventh chapter of Zechariah. But there are various very fatisfactory ways in which learned men have accounted for this difficulty; which after all, as the prophecy actually exists, is a matter of no moment; and in writings two or three thousand years old, it is no great wonder if, by the carelessness of tranfcribers, one name should fometimes (especially where abbreviations are used) be put for another.

I cannot pats on from this part of the chapter without obferving, that the fhort account here given us of Judas-I cariot affords us a very striking proof of the perfect innocence and integrity of our Lord's character, and of the truth of his pretentions.

Had there been any thing reprehenfible in the former, or any deceit in the latter, it must have been known to Judas Iscariot. He was one of the twelve who were the conftant companions of our Saviour's ministry, and witneffes to every thing he faid or did. If therefore his conduct had been in any refpect irregular or immoral; if his miracles had been the effect of collufion or fraud; if there had been any plan concerted between him and his difciples to impofe a falfe religion upon the world, and under the guife of piety, to gratify their love of fame, honor, wealth, or power; if, in fhort, Jefus had been either an enthusiast or an impoftor, Judas must have been in the fecret; and when he betrayed his Mafter, would immédiately have divulged it to the world. By fuch a difcovery, he would not only have juftified his own treachery, but might probably have gratified alfo his ruling paffion, his love of money. For there can be no doubt, that when the chief priefts and rulers were induftriously feeking out for evidence against Jefus, they would moft gladly have purchafed that of Judas at any price, however extravagant, that he chofe to demand. But inftead of producing any evidence against Jesus, he gives a voluntary and moft decifive evidence in his favor. have finned," fays he, in an agony of grief; "I have frined, and have betrayed the innocent blood." This teftimony of Judas is invaluable, because it is the teftimony of an unwilling witnefs; the teftimony, not of a friend but of an enemy; the teftimony, not of one defirous to favor and to befriend the accused, but of one who had actually betrayed him, After fuch an evidence as this, it feems impoffible for any ingenuous mind either to queftion the reality of our Saviour's miracles, or the di vinity to which he laid claim; becaufe, as Judas declared him innocent (which he could not be, had he in any respect. deceived his difciples) he must have been, what he affumed to be, the Son of God, and his religión the word of God.

" I

After this account of Judas Iscariot, the evangelift proceeds in the hiftory.

"And Jefus flood before the governor." Little did that governor imagine who it was that then ftood before him. Little did he fufpect that he must himself one day stand before the tribunal of that very person, whom he was then going to judge as a criminal!

It appears from the parallel place in St. Luke (and from what was ftated in the preceding Lecture,) that the charge brought againft Jefus before Pilate was not what it had been before the chief priests, blafphemy, but fedition and treafon. 66 They began to accufe him, faying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbid--` ding to give tribute to Cæfar, faying, that he himself is Christ a king*." Thefe were great crimes against the ftate, as affecting both the revenue and the fovereignty of the Roman emperor, both of which it was the duty of the governor to support and maintain. "Pilate therefore

afked him, Art thou the king of the Jews? And Jefus faid unto him, Thou fayeft." That is, I am what thou fayeft. "And when he was accufed of the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. Then faith Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things those witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word ; infomuch that the governor marvelled greatly." Our Lord's conduct on this occafion was truly dignified. When he was called upon to acknowledge what was really true, he gave a direct anfwer both to the chief priests and to Pilate. He acknowledged that he was the Chrift, the Son of God, the King of the Jews; but falfe and frivolous, and unjust accufations, he treated as they deferved, with profound and contemptuous filence.

It appears, however, from St. John, that although Jefus declared he was the King of the Jews, yet he explained to Pilate the nature of his kingdom, which he affured him was not of this world. And Pilate, fatisfied with this explanation, and feeing clearly that the whole

Luke xxiii.

« AnteriorContinuar »