Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 30
Doctrine and fruite.
HEre in Pilate we learne, how hurtful it is, when eueryevery one in his office and vocation looketh not diligently about him, but ſlenderly letteth the thing ſlippe and paſſe, that he earneſtly ought to bring to effect. Pilate was the deputie of a countrey, and knew that Chriſt had wrong, wherof he himſelf alſo many times beareth him witneſſe with his owne mouth. Seeing then that he was a Iudge, it appertaineth to his office, to iudg right, & not to ſuffer the innocent to die. For though Pilate doth, as if he would diſcharge Chriſt, yet he mindeth it not earneſtly. Hee goeth about to let Chriſt looſe, neuertheles ſo farre as hee diſpleaſe not the Iewes, and the Emperour, ſo farre as hee looſe not the fauour and friendſhippe of men.
While Pilate now fainteth, in the righteouſneſſe that hee knoweth and is ſure of, and holdeth not on ſtoutly, as he ſhould, to deliuer Chriſt, God ſuffereth him ſtill to fall, till he come to this point, that he condemneth the innocent to death againſt his own conſcience. Thus goeth it with al thoſe, that for the grace of GOD lent vntounto them, are vnthankfull & vnfaithfull in the little. It is the part of a righteous Iudge, to maintaine iuſtice, and to defend the innocent, thogh it ſhould coſt him, body, honour, and goods.
The pride alſo of Pilate, that preſumed by reaſon of his authoritie, is brought downe with the wordes of the Lorde: there is no power but from aboue, & therefore ſhould it bee godly vſed: the higher powers are Goddes Miniſters. In the which wordes of Chriſt, the faithfull beleeuers that bee in aduerſitie, are comforted: knowing that no man hath authoritie nor power ouer them, except it bee giuen him of God.
Chriſt is bound to deliuer vsus from the bandes of our ſinnes, and to place vsus in eternall freedome. Hee is ſcourged to take from vsus the ſtripes that we ſhould ſuffer by reaſon of our ſins: yea to heale our wounds, is hee ſore wounded himſelfe. Altogether ſuffereth hee for our ſakes: thorow his ſtripes are wee made whole. His backe (as Eſay ſaith, Eſay. 50.) offereth he to the ſmiters, and his cheeks to the nippers, to purge vsus from all filthineſſe of ſinne. Hee became without beautie, as a leper deſpiſed, ſpitted vppon and mocked, to deliuer vsus from eternall ſhame & puniſhment. Wee had deſerued all this, hee did nothing worthie thereof: wee are the cauſe of his martyrdome. Oh the great burthen of our ſinnes, that the Sonne of the eternall GOD muſt ſuffer ſo ſore ſtripes and cruell payne for vsus, to reconcile vsus with his Father! Oh the exceeding great louelove which he declareth vntounto vsus, in that hee taketh all rebuke vppon himſelfe for vsus! Oh that wee conſidered this with true deuotion, ſo that wee might ſay with Chriſt and Dauid: I am readie to bee ſcourged, and my plague is alwaies before mee.
O Ieſu, kindle vsus with the fire of thy exceeding louelove, which thou in ſo much aduerſitie haſt well tryed towardes vsus. Graunt vsus the helpe of thy grace to the ſtrengthening of our weakeneſſe, when the heauie burdens of aduerſities fall vppon vsus: that thorow the terrible ouercharge of them, wee be not oppreſt and throwne downe. GiueGive vsus grace, ſo to chaſten and ſubdue our body and fleſh, that it maye bee ſubiect vntounto the ſpirite, and obedient vntounto thy will in all things.
WHen Pilate heard that ſaying, he brought forth Ieſus, and ſate downe to giuegive ſentence in the place that is called the Pauement, but in the Hebrue tong Gabatha. It was the preparing of the Easter about the ſixt houre. And he ſaith vntounto the Iewes: Behold your king. They cried: away with him, away with him, crucifie him. Pilate ſaith vntounto them: ſhall I crucifie your king? The high Prieſts aunſwered: We hauehave no king but the Emperour. And the high Priestes with the Elders of the people, accuſed him in many things, but he gaue no anſwere. Pilate asked him further, and ſaid: makeſt thou no anſwere? Seeſt thou not in how many and great thinges they accuſe thee? But Ieſus moreouer gaue no anſwer, ſo that the deputie maruelled ſore at it. At the feaſt he had a custome, to let one vntounto them looſe, whom they would deſire. Now while the people preſ…ed on, Pilate began to aske them (as hee alwaies did) & ſaid: Whom will yee that I let looſe vntounto you: Barabas, or Ieſus who is called Chriſt?
While Pilate ſate in iudgement, his wife ſent to him, & ſaid: HaueHave thou nothing to doo with that iuſt man, for this night in ſleepe hauehave I ſuffered much for him. But the high Prieſts & the Elders perſwaded the people, & inticed them, that they ſhould aske Barrabas, & require Ieſus vntounto death. Then anſwered Pilate, and ſaid vntounto them: whom will ye of theſe two, that I ſhall let go looſe vntounto you? They ſaid Barrabas. Then ſaid Pilate vntounto them: What ſhall I then do with Ieſus, who is called Chriſt? Then ſaid they al: let him be crucified. The deputie ſaid: What euill then hath he done? Neuertheles they cried yet more: let him be crucified
When Pilate ſaw that he profited nothing, but that the vprore was greater, he tooke water and waſhed his hands before the people, and ſaid: I am vnguiltie from the bloud of this iust man: looke ye to it. Then anſwered all the people & ſaid: His bloud be vponupon vsus and vponupon our children. So Pilat, according to theyr deſire, let Barrabas looſe vntounto them: And Ieſus (whome hee ſcourged) gaue he ouer vntounto them to be crucified.