53) all the high-priests, elders, and scribes had assembled. The whole Sanhedrim (Council) sought false testimony against him in order to put him to death. After many unsuccessful efforts, 60, 61, they at last succeeded in getting two witnesses, who, by perverting both the words and the application of an expression which he had used a long time before (John ii. 19), gave some color of excuse for the charge of blasphemy. Whereupon the high-priest asked Jesus what explanation he could make in regard to the accusation. Jesus, knowing that they were only seeking to compass his death, made no reply. Then the high-priest said, "I adjure thee by the living God to tell me whether thou art the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus replied, "Thou hast said" ("I am," Mark xiv. 62.) Then addressing himself to the assembled representatives of the Jewish people, in language more impressive to them from its resemblance to a remarkable passage in one of their prophets (Dan. vii. 13, 14), he continued, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming upon the clouds of heaven." This was enough. The high-priest, as an expression of his horror at such blasphemy, rent his garments; when, catching his spirit, the attendants who held Jesus (Luke xxii. 63, 64) spit in his face, and, having blindfolded him, smote him with the palms of their hands and with sticks, saying in derision, "Prophesy to us now, thou Christ, who it is that is striking thee.” 6975. PETER'S DENIAL. While these things were taking place, another series of incidents was occurring, which is recorded, though with slight differences, by all the Evangelists. In order to understand the narratives, it is necessary to understand something of the architecture of a Jewish palace. It was "usually built round a quadrangular interior court; into which there is a passage (sometimes arched) through the front part of the house, closed next to the street by a heavy folding gate, with a small wicket for single persons, kept by a porter." (Robinson's Harmony, 225.) This interior court is sometimes called avλý, or the hall, and the passage from the street to it, πроaúdiov or πvλwv, the porch or gateway. When Jesus was first brought to the high-priest, Peter followed him at a distance as far as to the hall, 58, (not palace, but hall, or open court), into which he was brought by a disciple (John) who was known to the high-priest. There in the hall he sat by a fire which had been made (John xviii. 16, 18), to see what was passing in the room in which Jesus was, and which would be open on the side next to the court. While he was sitting out here, 69, i. e. outside of the room where Jesus was, he was recognized by a damsel as one of those who had been with Jesus, and charged with having been with him. But he denied the charge. In order to withdraw himself from observation, he then went out into the passage-way or porch, 71, and there being recognized very soon, he denied his Master the second time. After about an hour, during which time he had probably returned to the court, he was recognized a third time, when with vehement imprecations he denied all knowledge of the man. At that moment the cock crew, and Jesus, who was in a room that was open on the side towards the court, turned and looked upon him, and he, remembering the prediction, rushed out through the passage-way and wept bitterly. It is possible that the third denial took place just as they had bound Jesus and were leading him away to Pilate. For "the morning," spoken of Matt. xxvii. 1, began with the cock-crowing, or at three o'clock. NOTES. AND it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these say2 ings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover; and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. 3 Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high-priest, 4 who was called Caiaphas; and consulted that they might take 5 Jesus by subtilty and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast-day, lest there be an uproar among the people. 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the 7 leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he sat 8 at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, 9 saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment 10 might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the 11 woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did 13 it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the 15 chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I 14 2. after two days is the feast of the Passover] i. e. on the next day. 3. the chief priests] or high-priests. This office was originally for life, and was received by right of inheritance. But Herod the Great changed the high-priest at his pleasure, and the Roman Procurators or governors followed his example in this respect. Valerius Gratus, who appointed Caiaphas to the office, had, according to Josephus (Ant. XVIII. 2. 2), appointed and displaced five or six high-priests within a few years. who was called] surnamed, i. e. being called in addition to his real name. Josephus calls him “Jo- 12. she did it for my burial] rather, she did it to prepare me for burial. Sometimes a long period intervened between the preparation of a body for burial and the burial itself. The preparing of Jacob's body for burial (Gen. 1. 2) took place in Egypt, his sepulture in will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportu- 16 nity to betray him. Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disci- 17 ples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into 18 Canaan. 15. And they covenanted with him for] or paid to him thirty pieces of silver, — thirty silverlings it has been translated, or shekels of silver, about fifteen or twenty dollars. As the thirty shekels were the estimated value of a slave's life (Ex. xxi. 32), that sum may have been fixed upon as a mark of contempt towards Jesus. 17. the passover] was instituted for the purpose of preserving among the Hebrews the memory of their liberation from Egyptian servitude, and of the safety of their first-born on that night when the first-born of the Egyptians perished. (Exod. xii.) It was celebrated for seven days (Lev. xxiii. 4-8), during the whole of which time the people ate unleavened bread. On the eve of the 14th day of the month Abib the leaven was removed. On the 10th of the month the master of a family separated a ram or a goat of a year old. It was taken to the appointed court of the temple, and there slain and prepared in the presence of a priest, that he might see that it was free from defect or disease, and sprinkle its blood on the altar. It was slain on the 14th day of the month, between the two evenings. "The Pharisees and Rabbinists, according to the Mishna (Pesach 5. 3) held the first evening to commence with the declining sun; and the second evening with the setting sun. This latter view was the prevailing one in the time of our Lord; the hour of evening sacrifice and prayer being then the ninth hour, or 3 P. M. (Acts iii. 1); and the paschal lamb being regularly killed between the ninth and eleventh hours. (Josephus, Jewish Wars, VI. 9. 3.)" Robinson's Lexicon. It was roasted whole, with two spits thrust through it, the one lengthwise, the other transversely, so that the animal was in a manner crucified. Its flesh was divided, and served to those who partook, with a salad of wild and bitter herbs. Not fewer than ten nor more than twenty persons assembled in one place to observe the feast. At first the Passover was eaten by them standing, with the loins girt about, and with shoes on the feet. But this was not the case at the time of our Saviour, when the Greek and Roman custom of reclining at the table prevailed. "It is the custom of slaves," says the Jerusalem Talmud, "to to eat standing; standing; but now Israelites eat reclining, to denote that they passed from servitude into freedom." Jahn's Archæology. "The paschal supper, 1. began with the first cup of wine, before drinking which the master of the household offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the gift of wine. Then was put on the table, 2. a supply of bitter herbs, commemorative of the bitter life led in Egypt: of these, dipped in an acid and salt liquid, each partook amid songs of praise. Then followed, 3. the serving of the unleavened bread, of the highlyseasoned kharoset, or broth of the paschal lamb, and the peace-offerings (Lev. iii. 3; x. 14). There upon, 4. the master, after blessing Him who made heaven and earth, dipped a portion of the bitter herbs, about the size of an olive, into the kharoset, and ate the sop. In this act he was imitated by all at the table. 5. The second cup was made ready; and this was the point at which the father of the family, asked or unasked by his son, explained the import of the feast in all its parts.' After singing, 6. the first part of the series of Psalms the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with 19 my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed 20 them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the 21 even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall 22 betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began 23 every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the 24 dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth, as it is written of him; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not 25 been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. 26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, 27 eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, 28 and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the re29 mission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink hence 24. it had been good for that man if he had not been born] "This phrase does not necessarily imply the interminable eternity of perdition: for it is a proverbial” expression. Cf. Luke xxiii. 29, Ecclesiasticus xxiii. 14. Judas obtains a situation of exclusively pre-eminent misery amongst the souls of the damned. For so long a time he accompanied our Lord, not without sharing the sorrows connected therewith; a little before the joyful pentecost he died." that man] "The words, that man, might seem a predicate. That is the designation of one who is con sidered already far off." Bengel. We find in the Gospel narratives no ground for sympathy with those who would excuse or palliate the conduct of Judas. He who could be so long a time with Jesus, and yet gain nothing of his moral and spiritual power, must have closed his heart against all that was high or holy. The very terms of his proposal to the rulers, 15, "What will ye give me if I will deliver him to you?" show how base and shameless his motives were, and are entirely inconsistent with the view sometimes entertained, that Judas took this step only that he might urge Jesus on to announce his real purpose and to assume the royal authority which belonged to him as the Messiah. His subsequent remorse, ending in death, shows indeed strong sensibilities, but this only aggravates his guilt. For it indicates what he had to struggle against in his own heart before he could bring himself to betray his Lord for the price at which a DD |