King of the Jews

"Now," said Caiaphas, as they approached the house of Pilate, "let us demand the sentence with uproar and threaten him with universal revolt!"

Then cried the whole mult.i.tude tumultuously, "We demand the blood of our enemy!"

So loud was the cry, so savage the emphasis, that two servants of Pilate started out of the house and looking down on the turbulent throng cried out, "Uproar! Insurrection!"

And the people answered, "The Nazarene shall die!"

Caiaphas, hastening hither and thither in the crowd to excite them to still further violence, said, "Show courage. Stand out undismayed. A righteous cause defends us."

Then the people called out clamorously; "Pilate--p.r.o.nounce the sentence of death!"

Pilate"s servant from the balcony said, "Silence! be quiet!" but the crowd shouted at him louder than before, "No, we will not be quiet until Pilate consents."

Then said the servant, "Pilate will come out immediately."

Then cried all once more, "We demand the death of the Nazarene."

And Caiaphas, listening to the shouts of the people, said to the priests, "Now let Pilate, as he wished, learn the opinion of the people."

Then came Pilate with his followers out upon the balcony, and with them came Jesus, led by two soldiers, with the crown of thorns upon his head and the scarlet robe about him. The crowd instead of shouting, "Hail, all hail," as before, shouted violently, "Give judgment! Pa.s.s sentence upon him!"

Then Pilate spoke, pointing to Jesus, who, with bound hands and the scarlet robe upon his bleeding shoulders, stood between the soldiers, "Behold the man!"

The priests and Pharisees answered, "To the cross with him."

Pilate pleaded, "Cannot even this pitiful sight awake any compa.s.sion in your hearts?"

But the mult.i.tude answered, "Let him die! To the cross with him!"

Then Pilate said, "Take him and crucify him at your own risk--I will have nothing to do with it, for I find no fault in him."

Then Caiaphas said with a loud voice, "Hear, O governor, the voice of the people. It concurs in our complaint and demands his death."

"Yes," shouted the crowd again, "we demand his death."

Then said Pilate to his soldiers, "Lead him down and let Barabbas be brought out of prison. The jailer must at once deliver him up to the chief lictor."

When Annas heard Pilate"s commands he cried, "Let Barabbas live.

p.r.o.nounce the death sentence on the Nazarene!"

Then the people cried, "To death with the Nazarene!"

Then said Pilate, "I do not understand this, people. Only a few days ago with rejoicing and joyful clamor you accompanied this man through the streets of Jerusalem. Is it possible that the same people this day call for death and destruction upon him? That is indeed contemptible fickleness."

"The good people," said Caiaphas, "have at last learned that they have been deceived by an adventurer who pretended to be the Messiah, the king of Israel!"

"And now," said Nathanael, "the eyes of this people are fully opened, and they see that he cannot help himself--he who promised to bring freedom and blessing to the nation."

"Israel," said Ezekiel, "will recognize no Messiah who allows himself to be taken and bound and treated with scorn."

"Let him die, the false Messiah, the deceiver," cried the crowd.

Then Pilate spoke unto the people and said: "Men of Judea, it is customary that I liberate to you a prisoner at the feast. Look upon these two. One with mild countenance and dignified demeanor, the ideal of a wise teacher, whom you have long honored as such, convicted of no single evil deed and already humiliated by the severest chastis.e.m.e.nt.

The other, a vicious, savage man, convicted of robbery and murder, a horrible image of a perfect scoundrel. I appeal to your reason, to your human feelings--choose! Which will ye that I shall release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, who is called the Christ?"

Then the priests and people cried out together, "Let Barabbas go free."

"Will ye not that I release unto you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.

Then the priests and people cried, "Away with him, release unto us, Barabbas."

Then said Caiaphas, "Thou hast promised to release him whom the people demand."

Pilate answered shortly to Caiaphas, "I am accustomed to keep my promise without needing a reminder." Then said he to the people, "What shall I do with the king of the Jews?"

And the priests and the people cried, "Crucify him!"

"What," said Pilate, "shall I crucify your king?"

And the people cried, "We have no king but Caesar."

Pilate said, "I cannot condemn this man, for I find no fault in him.

He has been sufficiently chastised; I will let him go free."

Then said the priests, "If thou let him go free thou art no friend of Caesar"s."

Caiaphas added, "He has proclaimed himself king"; and the priests said, "Who proclaims himself king is a rebel against Caesar."

And Nathanael said, "And is this rebel still to remain unpunished, still to scatter abroad the seed of revolt?"

Then cried the people, "It is the duty of the governor to put him out of the way."

Caiaphas seeing that Pilate answered not, pressed more vehemently upon him, saying, "We have done our duty as subjects of Caesar and delivered this rebel to thee. If thou payest no attention to our accusation and the desire of the people, then are we free from guilt. Thou alone, O Governor, art responsible to Caesar for the consequences."

And Annas said, "If on account of this man universal disorder and revolt ensues, then we know who must bear this guilt, and," he added significantly, "Caesar shall know it also."

Then cried the people again, "The matter must be brought before Caesar."

Then Ezekiel said to Pilate, "They will be astonished when they hear at Rome that Caesar"s viceroy has taken under his protection a traitor whose death the whole people desired."

And the crowd cried, "Thou must execute him, or otherwise there would be no peace in the land."

Then said Pilate, "Why, what evil hath he done? I cannot, I dare not, condemn the innocent to death."

Then said Caiaphas, "Permit me to ask one question. Why shouldst thou judge this man so carefully when quite recently thou hast allowed thy soldiers to ma.s.sacre hundreds without judgment or sentence, merely on account of some rebellious outcries?"

As Pilate heard the question of Caiaphas he was dismayed, and the crowd shouted: "Thou canst not show favor to this man; if thou wilt be a faithful servant to Caesar."

Then Pilate"s resolution forsook him, and turning to his servants he said, "Bring water."