HOMILY LXXXIV.

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or,

or,

JOHN Xviii. 37.

To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My Voice.

A MARVELLOUS thing is long-suffering; it places the soul as in a quiet harbour, freeing it from tossings' and evil 'waves,' spirits. And this every where Christ hath taught us, but winds.' especially now, when He is judged, and dragged, and led about. For when He was brought to Annas, He answered with great gentleness, and, to the servant who smote Him, said what had power to bring down all his insolence; thence having gone to Caiaphas, then to Pilate, and having spent the whole night in these scenes, He all through exhibiteth His own mildness; and when they said that He was a malefactor, and were not able to prove it, He stood silent; but when He was questioned concerning the Kingdom, then He spake to Pilate, instructing him, and leading him in to2 higher matters. But why was it that Pilate made the enquiry not in their presence, but apart, having gone into the judgment hall? He suspected something great respecting Him, and wished, without being troubled by the Jews, to learn all accurately. Then when he said, What hast thou done? on this point Jesus made no answer; but concerning that of which Pilate most desired to hear, namely, His Kingdom, He answered, saying, My Kingdom is not of this world. That is, “I am indeed a King, yet not such an one as thou suspectest, but

2 Sav.

conj. up.'

Barabbas preferred to Christ.

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XVIII.

'hint

far more glorious," declaring by these words and those JOHN which follow, that no evil had been done by Him. For One 38-40. Who saith, To this end was I born, and for this cause came1 al. I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth, sheweth, that no evil hath been done by Him. Then when He saith, Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice, He draweth him on by these means, and persuadeth him to become a listener to the words. "For if," saith He," any one is true, and desireth these things, he will certainly hear i. e. the Me." And, in fact, He so took him by these short words, of truth. things that he said,

Ver. 38. What is truth?

But for the present he applieth himself to what was pressing, for he knew that this question needed time, and desired to rescue Him from the violence of the Jews. Wherefore he went out, and what said he? I find no fault in him".

Consider how prudently he acted.

He said not, "Since

he hath sinned, and is deserving of death, forgive him on account of the Feast3;" but having first acquitted Him of all 3 lit. guilt, he asks them over and above, if they were not minded grant to dismiss Him as innocent, yet as guilty to forgive Him on the account of the time. Wherefore he added,

Ver. 39, 40. Ye have a custom that I should release unto you one at the Passover; then in a persuasory way, Will ye therefore that I release the king of the Jews? Then cried they all, Not this man, but Barabbas".

O accursed decision! They demand those like mannered with themselves, and let the guilty go; but bid him punish the innocent. For this was their custom from old time. But do thou all through observe the lovingkindness of the Lord in these circumstances. Pilate scourged Him, perhaps desiring to exhaust and to soothe the fury of the Jews. For when he had not been able to deliver Him by his

a And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. N. T.

b Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. N. T.

therefore took Jesus, and scourged
Him. And the soldiers platted a
crown of thorns, and put it on His
head, and they put on Him a purple
robe, and said, Hail, King of the
Jews! and they smote Him with their

e Chap. xix. 1-3. Then Pilate hands.

him to

feast.'

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Our Lord's forbearance to be imitated.

LXXXIV.

v. 5.

1 i. e.

to the

HOMIL. former measures, being anxious to stay the evil at this point, he scourged Him, and permitted to be done what was done, the robe and crown, to be put on Him, so as to relax their anger. Wherefore also he led Him forth to them crowned, that, seeing the insult which had been done to Him, they might recover a little from their passion, and vomit their venom. "And how would the soldiers have done this, had it not been the command of their ruler?" To gratify the Jews. Since it was not by his command that they at first went in1 garden. by night, but to please the Jews; they dared any thing for money. But He, when so many and such things were done, yet stood silent, as He had done during the enquiry, and answered nothing. And do thou not merely hear these things, but keep them continually in thy mind, and when thou beholdest the King of the world and of all Angels, mocked of the soldiers, by words and by actions, and bearing all silently, do thou imitate Him by deeds thyself. For when Pilate had called Him the King of the Jews, and they now put about Him the apparel of mockery, then Pilate having led Him out, said,

Ver. 4, 5. "I find no fault against him. He therefore went forth, wearing the crown "."

But not even so was their rage quenched, but they cried out,

Ver. 6. Crucify him, crucify him®.

Then Pilate, seeing that all was done in vain, said,

Take ye him, and crucify him.

Whence it is clear that he had permitted what had been done before, because of their madness.

For I, he saith, find no fault in him.

[2.] See in how many ways the judge makes His defence, continually acquitting Him of the charges; but none of these things shamed the dogs from their purpose. For the, Take ye him and crucify him, is the expression of one clearing himself of the guilt, and thrusting them forward to an action

d Ver. 4, 5. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple

robe, and Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man. N. T.

e Ver. 6. When the chief priests therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, Crucify Him. N. T.

XIX. 8.9.

not permitted to them. They therefore had brought Him, JOHN in order that the thing might be done by the decision of the governor; but the contrary fell out, that He was rather acquitted than condemned by the governor's decision. Then, because they were ashamed,

Ver. 7. We have, they said, a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

"How then when the judge said, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law, did ye reply, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death, while here ye fly to the law? And consider the charge, He made himself the Son of God. Tell me, is this a ground of accusation, that He Who performed the deeds of the Son of God should call Himself the Son of God?" What then doth Christ? While they held this dialogue one with the other, He held His peace, fulfilling that saying of the Prophet, that He openeth Is. 53, not His mouth: in His humiliation His judgment was taken LXX.

away.

7.8.

Then Pilate is alarmed' when he hears from them, that He made Himself the Son of God, and dreads lest the assertion may possibly be true, and he should seem to transgress; but these men who had learnt this, both by His deeds and words, did not shudder, but are putting Him to death for the very reasons for which they ought to have worshipped Him. On this account he no more asks Him, "What hast thou done?" but, shaken by fear, he begins the enquiry again, saying, "Art thou the Christ?" But He answered not. For he who had heard, To this end was I born, and for this came I, and, My Kingdom is not of this world, he, when he ought to have opposed His enemies and delivered Him, did not so, but seconded the fury of the Jews. Then they being in every way silenced, make their cry issue in a political charge, saying, He that maketh ver. 12. himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar. Pilate ought therefore to have accurately enquired, whether He had aimed at sovereignty, and set His hand to expel Cæsar from the kingdom. But he makes not an exact enquiry,

Ver. 8. 9. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judg

ment-hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence
art thou? But Jesus gave him no
answer. N. T.

LXXXIV.

HOMIL and therefore Christ answered him nothing, because He knew that he asked all the questions idly". Besides, since His works bare witness to Him, He would not prevail by word, nor compose any defence, shewing that He came voluntarily to this condition. When He was silent, Pilate saith,

Ver. 10. Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify theeh?

Seest thou how he condemned himself beforehand; for, "if the whole rests with thee, why dost not thou let Him go, when thou hast found no fault in Him?" When then Pilate had uttered the sentence against himself, then He saith,

Ver. 11. He that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Shewing that he also was guilty of sin. Then, to pull down his pride and arrogance, He saith,

Thou wouldest have no power except it were given thee'. Shewing that this did not come to pass merely in the common order of events, but that it was accomplished mystically. Then lest, when thou hearest, Except it were given thee, thou shouldest deem that Pilate was exempt from all blame, on this account therefore He said, Therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin. "And yet if it was given, neither he nor they were liable to any charge." "Thou objectest idly; for the 'given' in this place means what is allowed;' as though He had said, 'He hath permitted these things to be, yet not for that are ye clear of the wickedness."" He awed Pilate by the words, and proffered a clear defence. On which account that person sought to release Him; but they again cried out, saying',

Ver. 12. If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend.

For when they profited nothing by bringing charges drawn

6 εἰκῇ πάντα ἐρωτῶντα. Savile reads pwrŵr, with the conjecture épav. The reading rendered above best suits the sense, and is supported by Mss.

Ver. 10. Then saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? N. T.

i

no power against Me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that &c. N. T.

* τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἀκολουθίαν, al. τῶν årλwv.

1 Ver. 12. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him; but the Jews cried out, saying. N.T.