JESUS IS LED TO THE HIGH PRIEST'S PALACE. PETER DENIES HIS MASTER. JESUS IS BROUGHT BEFORE THE COUNCIL AND BEFORE PILATE. HE IS SCOURGED AND CONDEMNED TO DEATH. JUDAS HANGS HIMSELF. JESUS IS CRUCIFIED WITH TWO THIEVES.
AND the men that took Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year. In the high priest's palace were gathered together all the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, and they brought. Jesus before them. Now Peter had followed Jesus, a good way off, hoping that no one would know him, and he came into the high- priest's palace and sat down among the servants to see what would be done.
And a young woman came to him, and said, Thou wast with Jesus of Galilee. But Peter denied it, and said he was not. And he went out on the porch, and the cock crew. There another maid saw him, and said to those who stood by, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth. And again Peter denied it, saying, I do not know the man. After a while, one of the servants of the high priest, that was a relation of him whose ear Peter had cut off, said, Did not I see thee with him in the garden? Then Peter denied it again: and the second time the cock crew. And Jesus turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the words which Jesus had spoken to him, saying, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt three times deny that thou knowest me. And when he thought of it, he went out and wept bitterly.
Then the high priest asked Jesus about his disciples, and about the gospel that he preached. Jesus answered, I taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where the Jews always go, and in secret have I taught nothing. Why askest thou me? ask those who heard me what I said to them; they know what I said. When he had spoken these words, one of the officers that stood by, struck him with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus said to him, If I have spoken evil, tell those who should punish me; but if I have spoken well, why strikest thou me?
Now the chief court of the Jews, which tried persons who disobeyed the law, used to meet in a room near the temple. It was called the Court, or Council, of the Sanhedrim, and was made up of seventy men. The high priest was among them, and the chief priests, and many of the scribes and elders. These men were the rulers of the Jews, and they punished in different ways, those persons who had disobeyed the law of Moses. But whenever they wanted to punish any one by putting him to death, they had to ask permission of the Roman governor; for since the Jews had been servants to the Romans, they were not allowed to put any one to death without the governor's consent.
As soon as it was morning, the men who had taken Jesus, brought him before the council. There the chief priests and scribes and elders, tried to find false witnesses to speak against him. At last two false witnesses came, who said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple and build it up again in three days. But Jesus did not answer them. Then the high priest arose, saying, Answerest thou nothing? But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said, I ask thee to tell us whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus answered, I am. And I say unto you, Hereafter you shall sec me sitting on the right hand of God, and coming back to earth again in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes and said, What need have we of any more witnesses against him? You have heard the wicked blasphemy he speaks. What do you say his punishment should be? And all the men in the council said, he should be put to death. Then they did spit in his face, and mock him; and when they had blindfolded him, they struck him with the palms of their hands, and asked him, saying, Tell us, thou Christ, who it is that struck thee?
And after they had bound him, all the council arose and led Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. When they brought him into Pilate's house, they began to accuse him before the governor, saying, We found this fellow teaching the Jews to rebel against the Romans, and forbidding them to pay tribute to the emperor, and saying that he himself is Christ a king. Pilate asked him, Art thou a king? Jesus answered, I am; but my kingdom is not of this world, for then would my servants fight to save me from the Jews.
And Pilate said to the chief priests and to the Jews who had brought him, I find no fault in this man. But they were the more fierce, and cried out, saying, He stirs up the people to do wrong throughout all Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem. When Pilate heard them speak of Galilee, he asked if Jesus came from there; and after they told him that he had come out of Galilee, he sent him to Herod, who was governor over that part of the land; for Herod was in Jerusalem at this time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was glad, for he had long wanted to see him because he had heard many things of him. He hoped also, to see some miracle done by him. And Herod asked Jesus many questions; but Jesus answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood by and bitterly accused him. Then Herod with his soldiers made sport of him and mocked him, and put on him a splendid robe, because he had said he was a king; for kings were dressed in this way. Afterward Herod sent him back to Pilate again. Then Pilate called together the Jews, with the chief priests and rulers, and said to them, You have brought this man to me as one that stirs up the people to do wrong; but I, having questioned him before you, have found no fault in him. Neither has Herod; for I sent you to him; but nothing for which he ought to die, has been proved against him.
Now every year, when the feast of the passover was held in Jerusalem, if any of the Jews were shut up in prison for disobeying the Romans, the Roman governor used to set one of them free, and he allowed the Jews to say which prisoner it should be. He did this to please them, and make them more willing to let him rule over them. There was at this time in prison, a Jew, named Barabbas, who had been put there for murder. And the people began to ask the governor that he would do for them as he had always done before, and set one of the prisoners free. Then Pilate said, Which one shall it be? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew they had brought Jesus to be punished only because they hated him. While Pilate was speaking with them, his wife sent word to him, saying, Do no harm to that just man, for I have been much troubled this day in a dream concerning him.
But the chief priests persuaded the Jews to ask that Barabbas might be set free. Pilate answered, What then shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said, Let him be crucified. Pilate said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more with loud voices, Crucify him! When Pilate saw that he could not persuade them to ask for Jesus, he took some water and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am not to blame for the death of this just man; see you to it. Then, answered all the Jews, Let the blame be on us and on our children. But washing his hands did not take the blame from Pilate; the sin was in his heart, because when he knew that Jesus was innocent, he would not let him go, but gave him up to be crucified, for fear the Jews might be offended and want some one else for their governor.
Now the Romans, before they crucified a man, used to scourge him. He was stripped to the waist, his hands were bound to a low post, or pillar, which made him stoop forward; and while he stood in this way, he was cruelly beaten on the bare back with rods or cords. Pilate, therefore, took Jesus and scourged him.
Then the soldiers, who were to put him to death, led him into a room in the governor's palace, and called together the whole band of soldiers to which they belonged. There they took off his outer garment, and, to mock him, as Herod had done before, they put on him a purple robe. And when they had plaited a wreath of thorns, they put it on his head instead of a crown; and instead of a golden sceptre, such as kings held, they put a reed, or stick, in his right hand. Then they bowed down before him pretending he was a king, and saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spat upon him, and took the reed, and struck him upon the head, and smote him with their hands.
And now, after he had suffered all these things, Pilate hoped that the Jews might be willing to let him go. Therefore he spoke to them again, saying, I bring him out to you, to tell you once more that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus out before the multitude wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, Behold the man! But when the chief priests and officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves, then, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he said that he was the Son of God.
When Pilate heard them say this, he was the more afraid to put Jesus to death, and he said to him, From what place didst thou come? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then said Pilate, Wilt thou not speak to me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and power to let thee go? Jesus answered, Thou canst do only that to me which God will let. thee do. From that time Pilate tried to set him free. Now, the emperor of Rome was named Cæsar. He was a jealous and cruel man, and Pilate feared him. When the Jews saw that Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, they cried out, If thou let this man go thou art not Cæsar's friend, because he said he was king instead of Cæsar. After they said this, Pilate was afraid to let Jesus go, lest the Jews might tell Cæsar. Therefore he gave him to them to be crucified.
And Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus must die, was afraid at what he had done, and he brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned, because I have betrayed one who is innocent. They answered, What is that to us? see thou to that. Then Judas threw down the thirty pieces of silver in the court of the temple, and went away and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said to one another, It is against the law to put them into the treasury at the temple, because they were paid for a man who is to be put to death. Therefore they bought with them the potter's field to bury strangers in.
And the soldiers took off the purple robe from Jesus, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to put him to death. They made a man named Simon, whom they met coming out of the country, help him to carry the cross. And there followed him a great multitude of people and of women, who mourned and wept for him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, that they should not weep for him, but for themselves and for their children, because of the sorrows that were coming on the Jews.
And they brought him to a place called Calvary, which was a little way outside of the gates of Jerusalem. There they nailed his hands and his feet to the cross and crucified him. While they were crucifying him, Jesus prayed for them, saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do! He meant, that they did not know they were committing the great sin of crucifying the Son of God. And they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall. This mixture was given to persons who were crucified, to make them sleep and feel their pains less. But when Jesus had tasted it, he would not drink, because he was suffering those pains for us, that we might be forgiven, and he was willing to bear them all. And with him they crucified two thieves, one on his right hand and the other on his left.
Now persons who were crucified did not die at once; they lived for many hours, hanging on the cross. So Jesus, although he was crucified in the morning, hung in agony until the afternoon. And the soldiers who had crucified him, sat down and watched him there. And they took his garments and divided them among themselves; but for his coat they cast lots. And upon the cross, above his head, Pilate set up this writing, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. These words, then, read many of the Jews, for the place where he was crucified was near the city. And those that passed by, shook their heads at him, saying. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. The chief priests and the scribes also mocked him, and said, He trusted in God, let God help him now if he will have him.
And one of the thieves who were crucified with him, spoke wickedly to Jesus, saying, If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us. But the other thief answered him, and said, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou also art soon to die? And we deserve to die for our wicked acts, but this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Jesus answered him, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Jesus meant that his sins were forgiven, and that as soon as he should die, even on that very day, his soul would go to the happy place where Jesus himself was going. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and the apostle whom Jesus loved, who leaned on his breast at the table while they were eating the feast of the passover. And because he was going to die and leave her, Jesus wanted that apostle to take care of his mother. Therefore he told him to let her be the same to him, from that time, as if she were his own mother. And he told his mother to let that apostle be to her, as if he were her son. And from that hour that apostle, whose name was John, took her to his own home to take care of her and give her all that she needed.
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land till the ninth hour; that is, from twelve until three o'clock, when the sun shines brightest on other days, it was dark over all the land on that day. God made it so because his Son was dying on the cross. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? He said this, because, as we believe, God seemed then to turn away from him, displeased, as our father turns away displeased from us when we have disobeyed him. Yet Jesus had not disobeyed God. But we have done so, and he was taking the blame upon himself. Therefore God turned away from him as though Jesus himself had sinned. And when Jesus saw this, it grieved him more than all his sufferings, and he cried out.
And one of the men who were standing near, when he heard him cry, ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and lifted it up on a reed to his mouth and gave him to drink. When Jesus, therefore, had taken the vinegar, he said, It is finished. He meant that the work which he had come to do, and the punishment which he had come to bear, for us—were finished. And he bowed his head and died. Then the curtain, called the veil, which hung in the temple, was torn in two from the top to the bottom; the earth shook, the rocks were broken in pieces, and the graves were opened, and many of those persons who, while they lived, had served the Lord, arose and came out of their graves, after Jesus himself had risen from the dead; and they went into Jerusalem, and were seen by many there.
When the Roman soldiers who were watching Jesus, saw these things that were done, they feared greatly, and said, Surely this man was the Son of God.