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| 1 And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. |
In the morning – Friday, 14th Nisan. R4212:4*
With sunrise, the Sanhedrin met officially. R3368:1
A consolation – To ratify the illegal trial of the night previous. R3367:5, 1809:3
Respecting how they should present the matter before Pilate. R3368:1
The whole council – To make sure their purpose should be accomplished. (Luke 23:1) R1809:3
Delivered him – Israel rejected Jesus in the flesh. R251
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| 2 And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.
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Art thou – It is possible that some of the Lord's people may be branded as blasphemers and hailed before governments on the charges of preaching Christ as another King. R3369:6
The King of the Jews – Blasphemy being no crime under Roman law, they made the charge treason against the Roman government. R3368:1, 1809:6
The Roman governor cared nothing for the Sanhedrin's religious ideas. R1809:6
Thou sayest it – Not quite equivalent to yes, yet it intimated that he did not wish to dispute the charge. R3368:4
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| 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. |
Accused him – Before the Sanhedrin, the charge was blasphemy for its effect upon the people; here an entirely different equally false set of charges involving treason, more likely to arouse the wrath of the Roman rulers. R1809:6
Of many things – Treason against the Roman government; that he declared that there was another King besides Caesar, namely, himself, the Messiah; and that he had forbidden to pay taxes to Caesar's government. R3368:2, 1810:1
They evasively answered that of course he was a wicked man, worthy of punishment; else they would not be there at all accusing him. R5570:2
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| 4 And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. |
Pilate asked him again – Not readily accepting the charges of the Pharisees. He knew them to be hypocritical. R3368:3
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| 5 But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. |
Yet answered nothing – "As a sheep before her shearer is dumb." (Isa. 53:7) R3368:4, 1815:6, 1359:5
Pilate marvelled – That any one could be so indifferent to the results of his trial. R3368:4
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| 6 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. |
He released – As a matter of clemency and favor. R3368:5
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| 7 And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection. |
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| 8 And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them. |
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| 9 But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? |
Will ye – His thought evidently was to arouse in them, to some extent, an enthusiasm in favor of his liberation of Jesus. R3368:5
Release unto you – Thinking this a favorable opportunity to dispose of Jesus and get him out of the hands of the chief priests and leaders of the people. R5571:1
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| 10 For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. |
For he knew – Pilate perceived that something in Jesus' teachings appealed to the people more than did the teachings of these religious rulers, and that he was being asked to perform a mean and unjust act for persons who sought to shirk their own responsibility. R5570:3
For envy – As Joseph, a type of Jesus, was rejected by his brethren for envy. R3971:3
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| 11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. |
The chief priests – Annas, the high priest, was subsequently dragged through the streets, scourged and murdered. R3369:3
Barabbas – The world's natural choice is for one of murderous spirit rather than a saint. R3896:2
Religious fanaticism is the deepest, wickedest and most conscienceless of hatreds. R2313:2
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| 12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? |
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| 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. |
They cried out – At the close of Jesus' ministry only about five hundred worthy ones had been found. Israel was not ready to be used of God in the blessing of the other nations. R4593:5
Crucify him – The most ignominious and cruel method, so that his memory should ever be covered with infamy. R1810:4
When they rejected the King they rejected the kingdom. R4557:2
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| 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. |
Then Pilate – Neither a Jew nor a Christian, but a heathen man. R3368:2, 3895:6
The persecutions under Pagan Rome were not worthy of comparison with those under Papal Rome. Under Pagan Rome the charges against Christians were frequently dismissed with contempt (as Pilate and Herod attempted to do). B330
Crucify him – The common people furnished not only multitudes to cry Hosanna, but also later, multitudes to cry, "Crucify him, crucify him," under the influence of their leaders. NS630:3
The voice of the people can be relied upon in some matters, but as respects religious things the voice of the people is far from being the voice of God. R3369:5
It must not prejudice our judgments to find the popular voice against us also. R3369:5
The closing scenes of the Church's experience may resemble that of our Redeemer, accused of blasphemy and treason. R3369:5
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| 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. |
And so Pilate – Shortly afterwards, he lost his commission as governor and, in despondency, committed suicide. R3369:3
Willing to content – Influenced more by considerations of policy than of principle, willing to satisfy the people, yet protesting the innocence of the prisoner and washing his hands in token of his own innocence. R1810:4
While recognizing that he failed to take the noble part, we are far from sharing with the majority in their very ignominious view of this governor. R3368:2
And delivered Jesus – Not amenable to our God, for he knew him not; but merely to Caesar, and Caesar only expected him to preserve the peace and quiet of the city and maintain the dignity and authority of Rome. R3368:3
Scourged him – Perhaps hoping that the scourging would satisfy his adversaries' thirst for blood. R3369:1, 3896:1
"Yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." (Heb. 5:8) E51
To be crucified – Our Lord's death was the first in which the victim was entirely innocent. The only one, therefore, whose dying was wholly voluntary. R3369:3
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| 16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. |
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| 17 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, |
With purple – Robed him as a King and had some sport with him. R3369:1
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| 18 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! |
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| 19 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. |
They smote him – It would seem that this would have exhausted the forces of nature; but our Lord, as a perfect man, had extraordinary powers of endurance. R1815:3
"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair." (Isa. 50:6) E52
Similarly, in the end of this age, we may expect that the Body of Christ will also suffer violence. R5577:5
Did spit upon – "I hid not my face from shame and spitting." (Isa. 50:6) E52
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| 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. |
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| 21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. |
Simon, a Cyrenian – Tradition has it that the Cyrenian became one of the followers of the Nazarene, through having the truth of the Savior's message borne upon his heart by the experiences of that hour. R5577:2, 4171:6
Where were Peter, John, James, Thomas and the other apostles, that they did not volunteer assistance? Doubtless they were deterred by fear. R5577:2, 3369:6
Out of the country – A passing farmer. R5577:2
Alexander and Rufus – The mention of their names is strong corroboration of the tradition that Simon was known to the apostle and that he ultimately became a Christian. R4172:1
To bear his cross – Carrying the hinder part which usually dragged. (Luke 23:26) R3369:6, 2787:1
Whether by carrying the cross entirely or by walking behind Jesus and carrying a portion of the weight is not made very clear by the original text. R5577:2, 4171:6, 3369:6, 2787:1
Greatly weakened by three years of ministry, giving his vitality freely in healing of diseases; and being in a constant strain, without sleep, from the time he had sent his disciples to prepare the Passover. R5577:2, 3370:1
He took the infirmities of humanity until much weakened. E125
The opportunity is with us now to take up the cross and follow after him. R2787:1
If disposed to envy Simon his privilege, let us reflect that many of the Lord's brethren are daily bearing symbolic crosses and that it is our privilege to assist them. R3370:1, 2473:2
If no brother sees his privilege, the Lord will send the aid necessary, even though it be impressed and that because of the sympathy of the worldly. R3370:1
As the wooden cross was not his heaviest burden, so his followers have crosses which the world sees not, but which the "brethren" should understand. R3370:1
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| 22 And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. |
They bring him – Each of the three prisoners being under the guard of four Roman soldiers, with a centurion in command, sixteen persons in all. R2787:1, 3369:6
Foremost went one who bore a white board on which was written the crime for which the prisoner was to be executed. R2473:5
The place of a skull – Because the slope of the hill closely resembled a skull in shape and color, dark crevices in the face of the rock corresponding to the eye sockets and nose cavity. R3370:2, 2473:3
About three-quarters of a mile from Pilate's Judgment Hall. R3370:1
The significance of the Hebrew word; the Latin name for a skull being Calvary. R2473:3
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| 23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. |
They gave him – Not an indignity, but an act of kindness. R3370:2
Mingled with myrrh – Sour wine with bitter narcotics, to deaden sensibility to pain and reduce suffering. R3370:2, 1815:3
A society of women customarily undertook this act of mercy for victims of Roman crucifixion. R3370:2, 1815:3
Received it not – Preferring to have his mind awake and clear to the last. R1815:3
Matthew informs us he tasted it, as a token of appreciation, but he refused to drink of it, preferring to experience the full measure of pain and suffering the Father's wisdom, love and justice had prepared for him. R3370:2, 2473:3, 1815:3
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| 24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. |
Crucified him – The cross was laid on the ground. The victim was stretched upon it. Nails were driven through the feet and hands. A still more trying moment came when the cross, lifted by sturdy men, was allowed to drop into the socket prepared for it in the rock. R3370:2
Parted his garments – Indicating the stony-heartedness of the Roman soldiers. R5578:1
His outer robe, his head dress, sandals and girdle--enough to give one piece to each. R3370:3
Hence, the clothing in which Jesus appeared after his resurrection was as specially created for the occasion as was the body in which he appeared. B128
Casting lots – "For his vesture they did cast lots." (Psa. 22:18) R3370:3
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| 25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. |
The third hour – Jewish reckoning; or nine o'clock, Friday morning, our reckoning. R3370:3, 1815:3
They crucified him – The death-warrant was signed by Pilate about nine o'clock in the morning--the trial of Jesus and Pilate's various attempts to secure his release having occupied three hours. R2473:2
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| 26 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. |
Was written – In three languages: Hebrew, the language of the country; Greek, the language of the visitors and the educated; and Latin, the language of the empire and of the soldiers. R2473:5
Latin, the official or governmental language of Rome; Greek, the classical language of that period; and Hebrew, the language of the Jews. R3370:3, 2493:5
JEWS – The term "Jew" had come to be synonymous with the term "Israel." R2085:1, 1341:1
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| 27 And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. |
And with him – "He was numbered with the transgressors." (Isa. 53:12) R3561:5, 3370:4, 1815:6
Crucify two thieves – The chief priests may have thus tried to detract from the injustice of their course, or perhaps to demean Jesus. R3370:4
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| 28 And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. |
The scripture was fulfilled – Isaiah 53:12. R1815:6, 3561:5, 3370:4
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| 29 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, |
That passed by – Golgotha was on a frequented route. R3370:4
Railed on him – Now satisfied that his claims were false, that probably his miracles were deceptions wrought, as the Pharisees said, by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. R3370:4
"As he is so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) R2316:5
Wagging their heads – "We did esteem him smitten and afflicted of God." (Isa. 53:4) R2316:5
Thou that destroyest – He had not spoken of destroying their Temple, but had said that if they destroyed the Temple, it would be reared again within three (antitypical) days. R3370:5
To a sensitive mind like our Lord's, such a charge of misrepresentation would be a burden upon his heart, yet he bore it patiently. R3370:6
The temple – The true Church. R3081:1; T70
In three days – The last of the fifth, all of the sixth, and the early part of the seventh thousand-year day. R3375:2
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| 30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
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Save thyself – It never occurred to them that any one would voluntarily lay down his life for his friend. Neither did they conceive of the necessity or object of the Lord's death. R3370:5
Come down from the cross – We are so glad that Jesus did not come down from the cross, and thus leave us in our sins and the whole world unredeemed. R3370:6
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| 31 Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. |
The chief priests – Neglecting, doubtless, important matters, in their eagerness to make sure that he did not escape them. R3370:4
He saved others – A singular admission of the truth. R3370:6
Himself he cannot save – A deeper significance than they realized. Only by the sacrifice of himself could he hope to save others. R1815:6
He could have saved himself. (Matt. 26:53) R5195:4
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| 32 Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. |
The King of Israel – All Israel, the twelve tribes. C293; R1341:1
Pilate called him "King of the Jews" (verse 26); proving that the term Jew and Israelite were synonymous. R2085:1
That we may see – Eventually those who crucified the Lord shall look upon him whom they pierced and mourn because of him. R3370:6
They that were crucified – Perhaps both, but probably only one--the other for a time keeping silent, but afterward speaking in defense of Jesus, as related in another Gospel. R3371:1
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| 33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. |
There was darkness – Seems to have been a supernatural darkness, for an eclipse of the sun was impossible during the full moon of the Passover time. R1816:4
Doubtless an expression of divine wrath and as typical of the darkness of alienation from God into which that long-favored nation had plunged by this act. R1816:4
Picturing the temporary triumph of the power of darkness over him who is the Light of the world. R3902:6
God hung the world in mourning when the creature crucified the Creator. It was God's miracle, calling the attention of the world, at that time assembled in Jerusalem, to the depth of the crime committed. R4394:4*
Until the ninth hour – 3 o'clock PM--the time for the daily evening sacrifice, the time Christ died. R2316:6, 3371:1, 1815:6
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| 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?
which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? |
A loud voice – Indicating considerable vitality still. R3371:1
My God, my God – Attests to us the fact that he did not claim to be the Heavenly Father, but the Son of God. R5578:5
Why hast thou forsaken – The penalty of sin was not merely to die, but also to be cut off from fellowship with God. Jesus, in taking the sinner's place, must for a moment at least have the full experience of the sinner's alienation. R5578:5, 2474:4
Jehovah's sustaining power must necessarily be withdrawn to make the sacrifice complete. R1816:4
Evidently it had been hidden from him up to this time that he must suffer this phase of the punishment of Adam's transgression. R2474:5
Now he must sink beneath the rod and be cut off from the favor of God, that so, by his stripes, we might be healed. R1816:4
Because Adam as a sinner was cut off from fellowship with God, his substitute was obliged to have a similar experience. R3371:6, 2474:4; F143
The language of real, not pro forma, agony. E94
He bore the sinner's penalty in all its particulars. E128; R5578:5
Such a dark moment might be permitted even the most worthy follower of the Lamb. F143
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| 35 And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elijah. |
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| 36 And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down. |
Filled a spunge – From it he sucked refreshing moisture for by this time, under such circumstances, he must have developed a raging fever. R3371:2
Let alone – Our Lord's last prayer was heard even by his enemies. R2252:1
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| 37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and expired. |
And Jesus cried – Exhausting all his remaining vitality, the last triumph of victorious faith. R1816:4
What he said is not recorded in Mark's account, but Luke gives it as, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit"--my life. (Luke 23:46) R3371:2
Gave up the ghost – An old English term. He died. R2788:5
Breathed out his last breath, let go his hold upon life. R3903:4
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| 38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. |
Veil of the temple – 60 ft. long, 30 ft. wide, 4 inches think. R3371:2
Separating the Holy and Most Holy. R3371:2
The Jew might well stand awe-struck at the rending of the heavy veil and the throwing open to the gaze of all that which for centuries was regarded as too sacred a place to be entered but once in the year. R4394:4*
Was rent in twain – Christ has opened a new and living way through the veil, that is to say, through the sacrifice of his flesh. R3371:2
Representing the opening of the way between heaven itself and the heavenly condition of true believers still in the world. R3371:2, 2788:5
Top to the bottom – Not from the bottom toward the top, as if it were the result of wear, but from the top to the bottom, indicating a manifestation of divine power. R3371:2
Implying the work was God's. R2788:5
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| 39 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and expired, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. |
Gave up the ghost – The centurion was convinced of our Lord's death and so reported to Pilate. R2476:2
The death of Christ was so important that its proofs should be indubitable. R2476:2
The Son of God – The closing scenes of the drama evidently were very awe-inspiring, to his friends and enemies. R2788:5
Many were willing at last to admit that the occurrences were remarkable, and corroborated to some extent the Master's claims. R2788:6
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| 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; |
Salome – The wife of Cleophas. R2473:4
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| 41 (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem. |
Ministered unto him – Provided for the physical wants of Jesus and the twelve. Not by soliciting alms, but out of their abundance. F286
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| 42 And now when the evening was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, |
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| 43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. |
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| 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. |
Pilate marvelled – Evidence that Jesus' death was not the direct result of crucifixion. He lived only six hours on the cross. Men who were crucified usually lived much longer, even for days. Christ's death was a voluntary act in the divine administration. R198:1*
Were already dead – He died sooner than usual, not because blemished, but because weakened by his healing ministry: "Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." (Matt. 8:17) F123, F124
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| 45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. |
He knew it of the centurion – The centurion charged with the execution was convinced of his death, and so reported to Pilate, the Governor. R3903:2
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| 46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. |
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| 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. |
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