Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 13.djvu/698

6(58 JESUS and ashes. In the cool of evening they walked to Bethany, perhaps at the very time that Judas was arranging with the priests the final details of His betrayal and arrest. The Wednesday was spent in deep retirement at Bethany, and not a single word or incident is recorded on that day. On the Thursday morning He woke never to sleep again. (7) On the evening of Thursday Jesus went with His disciples to Jerusalem to keep that quasi-paschal feast at which He instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. Even then the apostles had jealousies about precedence, and it was to cure them of their fatal tendency to selfish pride and ambition that He washed the disciples feet. During the supper He first indicated to John, and through him to Peter, that He knew who the traitor was. He clearly told them that this was the last meal which He should eat with them, and bade them henceforth "eat bread and drink wine " in sacramental memory of Him. It was after Judas had gone forth into the night that He began those last discourses preserved for us by St John alone, which are so " rarely mixed of sadness and joys, and studded with mysteries as with emeralds." There is a matchless beauty and tenderness in the records of His gentle words of warn ing and help to Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Jude, and of that familiar intercourse with his dearest followers, whose sinking spirits He sustained by the promise of the Com forter. Then they sang a liymu, probably the Psalm known to the Jews as the Great Hallel, and in the darkness walked to the olive garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus passed through His hour of mysterious agony and passion, while even His most beloved apostles could not watch with Him. Then torches suddenly flashed upon the night as the traitor, accompanied by priests and their servants, and Levites of the temple guard, and Uoman soldiers, made their way across the valley of the Kidron to the slope of Olivet on which the garden lay. There Judas betrayed Him with a kiss ; and, in spite of the supernatural awe which His presence inspired even into His enemies, He resigned Himself into their hands, rebuked the rash blow of Peter, and by one last act of mercy healed the slight wound of Malchus. " Then all His disciples forsook Him and fled." (a) He was taken first to the astute and aged Annas, who was regarded as high priest de jure, though not de facto. From this time forward it was the priestly party the Sidducees, not the Pharisees who were almost exclusively responsible for His death. On His refusal to plead before this disorderly midnight tribunal, He was struck on the mouth ; and, failing to extort anything from Him, Annas sent Him bound across the courtyard to his sori-in-law Caiaphas, the d?, facto high priest. (/3) It was still night, and here took place the second irregular and illegal trial, before His worst enemies among the priests and Sadducees. The false witnesses who endeavoured to convict Him of having threatened to destroy the temple failed, and He preserved unbroken silence until Caiaphas adjured Him by the living God to tell them whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God. In answer to this appeal He said " I am, " and told them that they should see His return hereafter in the clouds. Then Caiaphas rent his robes with the cry of blasphemy, and this committee of the Sanhedrin declared Him "guilty of death." (y) After this second examination Jesus was remanded to the guardroom until break of day, before which time the whole Sanhedrin could not meet. As He was led past the brazier in the courtyard, His one glance broke into penitence the heart of His backsliding apostle, who had just denied Him with oaths. As He waited, He was insulted by the coarse derision and brutal violence of the priestly menials. When the Sanhedrin met, they once more entirely failed to fix any charge upon Him, until He renewed in their presence Hi.s claim to ba the Son of God. He was then formally condemned to death, and underwent a second derision at the hands of the assembled elders. It was after this condemnation that remorse seized the dark soul of Judas. He flung down the blood-money before his tempters, and with an agonized confession of guilt rushed out to his terrible suicide. At this period the Jews had lost all legal right to put any one to death, and they were further anxious to avoid personal responsibility, and danger of vengeance from the followers of Jesus, by handing Him over for execution to the Roman procurator. Accordingly they led Him bound to Pilate in imposing procession. They were, how ever, mistaken in supposing that Pilate would crucify Jesus at their bare word without seeing whether He was guilty ; and, as they could not enter the Herodian palace, in vhich the Gentile ruler lived, without pollution, which would have prevented them from partaking in the passover that evening, Pilate went out to them. In every line of the brief colloquy which ensued we trace the haughty con tempt of the Roman, and the burning hatred of the Jews. Failing to arrive at any definite charge, Pilate questioned Jesus alone inside the pnetorium, and after a brief exami nation came out to the Jews with the declaration of com plete acquittil. In the wild clamour which ensued he caught the word Galilee, and, understanding that Jesus had chiefly taught in Galilee, eagerly seized the opportunity of getting rid of the matter by sending Him to Herod. But before Herod as before Pilate Jesus retained His majestic silence, and, unable to condemn Him, Herod contented himself with arraying Him in a white festive robe, setting Him at nought with his myrmidons, and sending Him back with a second practical acquittal to the procurator. Then, in three stages, began the third and most agoniz ing phase of the public trial. Pilate, seated on his bema upon the marble pavement, declared that, as His innocence was now certain, He would merely scourge and dismiss Him. It was a disgraceful proposal, due partly to his desire to save the life of one whom he saw to be innocent, but dictated by fear of a new riot. Further than this, the warning of his wife, and the awful majesty of the sufferer, had created a strong presentiment in Pilate s mind. But his actions were practically controlled by the past guilt which made him tremble at the thought of the complaints which Jews, Samaritans, and Galileans could alike prefer against him. He did not therefore venture to refuse the cry of the mob hounded on as they were by the priests and Sanhedrists for the passover boon of having a prisoner liberated to them ;.and he vainly tried to induce them to ask for the liberation of Jesus. They demanded the rebel and murderer Bar Abbas, and began to shout for the cruci fixion of Jesus. Bar Abbas was set free, and Jesus under went the horrible Roman scourging, which was followed by the ruthless mockery of the soldiers, who arrayed Him in an old crimson robe and placed a crown of thorns on His head, and a reed in his hand as a sceptre, and so paid Him mock homage as a king of the Jews. When He came forth after this hour of agony, Pilate made one more appeal to their compassion in the words " Behold the man ! " and on hearing that He claimed to be " a Son of God " for since the charge of treason had broken down, the priests now substituted for it a charge of blasphemy he became still more alarmed, and once more questioned Jesus in a private interview. For some time Jesus would not speak. When He did, it was to say that He regarded Pilate as less guilty than the Jews. As Pilate led Him forth, and saw Him stand before that shameful yelling multitude in His majesty of solemn woe, he broke forth into the involuntary exclamation, " Behold your Kii!^ ! " That word raised among the multitude some