The Story

Early in the morning the priests took the Lord from the palace of the high priest to Pilate's palace. It was probably the great palace which the old king Herod had built on Mount Zion. They made their charge against Him. What was it? That the Lord claimed to be a king and forbade giving tribute to Caesar. Look back to chapter 20:21-25, and see exactly what He said. The Lord was a King, and when He answered, "Thou sayest it," to Pilate's question, it meant that it was true. But did the Lord's kingdom interfere with Caesar's? Pilate knew that the Lord had done nothing wrong, but he was afraid of the angry priests and what report they might send to Caesar about him.

Herod was in Jerusalem at the time, and Pilate sent the Lord to him. Who was this Herod? Not the old king Herod who had died long before, but the younger Herod who was ruler of Galilee and of the country east of the Jordan. His home was in Tiberias, the city which he had built by the Sea of Galilee. What have we learned about Herod, in connection with John the Baptist? (Matthew 14:3-11) Had Herod heard of the Lord? (Matthew 14:1, 2) But we do not read of the Lord's ever going to Tiberias, or of Herod's ever seeing Him in Galilee. He had wanted to see the Lord; he did not want to learn from Him; but was curious to see some miracle. So Herod was glad when the Lord was sent to him by Pilate. But would the Lord speak and do signs for one who did not want to learn and to do better? How sad it sounds that Pilate and Herod were made friends that day, when they had been at enmity before! They agreed in one thing, in despising the Lord.

The Lord was brought back to Pilate's palace and the priests came together again. Pilate made another feeble attempt to let the Lord go, for it was the custom to release some person at the Passover, but they chose Barabbas who was a robber and murderer, and cried out that the Lord should be crucified. The priests urged the people on. So Pilate weakly yielded to their will and the Lord was led away. It had been said long before by the prophet, "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth." (Isaiah 53: 7.)

1. Who was Pilate? Who was Herod? Who was Barabbas?

2. What accusation did the priests make against the Lord? What had the Lord said about paying tribute to Caesar ?

3. When am I a king? How was the Lord a King?

4. Who were most to blame, the people or the priests or Pilate?

5. When do we choose Barabbas, and say that the Lord shall be crucified?

Spiritual Study

The Lord is a King. May we be subjects of the Lord's kingdom while we live in this world? We say in the prayer "Thy kingdom come"; when does it come? It comes when we recognize our obligation to the Lord and keep His laws. Who was most truly a king, the priests who were carried away by angry passion, Pilate who was afraid to do right, or the Lord who conquered every selfish feeling and stood before them in perfect strength? The Lord will give us something of this same strength if we make His commandments our laws of life, and rule all our acts and words and thoughts and feelings by them. Everyone may be a king. (John 18:37; E. 31; R. 20)

Pilate and Herod. The Holy Land represents heaven and a heavenly state of life. The two kingdoms of Judah and Israel into which the land was divided after the days of Solomon, represent the two kingdoms of the mind, the will and the understanding, Judah the will, and Israel the understanding. Nearly the same were represented by Judea and Galilee in Gospel days. Pilate and Herod as rulers of these districts represent these faculties in a wicked mind. Herod imprisoned and killed John the Baptist who stands for the literal Divine truth of right and wrong. The Lord also called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32), which suggests deceit. Evil and false things may quarrel among themselves, but they unite in opposing the Lord and His kingdom of truth and love. (A. 4292, 4750; E. 433; R. 96)

The Lord and Barabbas. Every choice that we have to make between right and wrong is a choice between the Lord and Barabbas; for all good things are the Lord's and Barabbas a robber and murderer stands for all that is evil. Remember that if we are not faithful to conscience, but choose what is wrong, it is as if we were shouting with the crowd for Barabbas, asking to have him set free to do his evil deeds. And what then becomes of the Lord who stands patiently by? We are saying, "Let him be crucified"; for we are destroying His presence from our hearts.

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