King of the Jews Part 23

Caiaphas said unto him, "The people will not go away from this place until thou hast p.r.o.nounced sentence of death upon the enemy of Caesar."

"Yes," cried the mult.i.tude, "we will not go from this place until sentence is p.r.o.nounced."

Then said Pilate sorrowfully, "Your violence compels me to yield to your desire. Take him hence and crucify him. But see," said he as he washed his hands in the basin which had been brought at his command.

"I wash my hands; I am innocent of the blood of this just man. See ye to it."

Then arose from the excited mult.i.tude a great and awful cry, in which priests and people joined, speaking as with one voice, "We take it upon ourselves! His blood be upon us and upon our children!"

Then said Pilate, "Let Barabbas be set free at the demand of the people. Lead him outside the city gate and let him never tread this ground again." The soldiers then led Barabbas away.

The priests and people cried: "Now hast thou justly judged."

Pilate said unto them, "I have given way to your violent demands in order to avoid a great evil. But in the blood-guiltiness I will have no share. Let it fall upon you and your children as you have so loudly cried."

Then again the priests and people cried, "It is good; let it fall upon us and upon our children."

Annas said, "We and our children will bless this day and with thankful joy cry, 'Health and wealth to the governor!'"

"Long live our governor," cried the crowd. "Long live Pontius Pilate!"

Then said Pilate, "Bring hither the two murderers who are kept in gaol.

Let the chief lictor give them over without delay to the guard. They have deserved death much more than the accused."

But the priests and people cried, "He has deserved death more than any."

Pilate said, "The sentence of death must be written out and will be read publicly before all the people."

The scribe began to write, and as he wrote, from the street were heard the voices of the soldiers who were bringing the thieves, driving them forward: "Will you not move on, you wretches? Have you not long ago deserved your fate? Thrust them on, these outcasts of mankind." When the thieves driven by the soldiers came to the foot of the balcony they were halted on the other side of the steps to that where Jesus stood.

Then said the rabbi, pointing to the thieves, "That is worthy company for the false Messiah on his last journey."

Pilate said to the thieves, "Of you and your misdeeds the earth shall today be free. You shall die upon the cross. Let the sentence of death be now read."

Then the scribe stood forward and read thus: "I, Pontius Pilate, viceroy in Judea of the mighty Caesar Claudius Tiberius, p.r.o.nounce at the desire of the high priests and the Sanhedrin and the people of the Jews, the sentence of death upon a certain Jesus of Nazareth, who is accused of having stirred up the people to revolt, of having forbidden to pay tribute to Caesar, and of having proclaimed himself king of the Jews. The same shall be crucified outside the city between two malefactors who have been likewise condemned to death for many robberies and murders, and be brought from life to death. Given at Jerusalem on the eve of the Pa.s.sover."

When the scribe had read the sentence Pilate broke a staff, flung it among the people, saying in tones of great bitterness, "Now take him hence and crucify him!" and went rapidly into the house, leaving Jesus in the hands of the Jews.

"Triumph!" cried Caiaphas in wild exultation. "The victory is ours!

The enemy of the synagogue is destroyed!"

The priests and people shouted, "Away with him to Golgotha! Long live the synagogue! Long live the nation!"

Then said Annas, "Hasten, that we may come home in time to eat the Pa.s.sover."

The priests and Pharisees said, "We will keep this Pa.s.sover with joy, as did our fathers in Egypt."

"Now," said Caiaphas, "let our triumphal procession go through the midst of Jerusalem."

"Where," asked the rabbi, "are his disciples? They are invited to cry Hosanna!"

Then rushed the mult.i.tude away, crying, "Up and away off to Golgotha!

Come and see him perish on the cross! O delightful day, the enemy of Moses is overthrown! Ha! now he has his reward! So be it done to everyone who despises the law! He deserves the death on the cross! O happy Pa.s.sover! Now joy will return to Israel! There is an end of the Galilean!" And so crying, with wild and savage clamor, they swept back to the street of the Sanhedrin.

[Transcriber's note: A line seems to be missing from the book at this point. All that appears is a blank line followed by the single word:]

"me?"

CHAPTER IX.

THE CRUCIFIXION.

Ye pious souls rise up and go, With grateful penitence aglow With me to Golgotha, and see What shall be done your souls to free See how the Mediator dies The atoning death of sacrifice.

O, who can know the love that lives In this heart now laid bare, That kindness back for hatred gives And saves us from despair?

Offer this love of His Your heart's best impulses, His cross before, For evermore.

Thus they took Jesus and led him away, and a great mult.i.tude followed him. And when Jesus, bearing the cross, with the thieves also bearing their cross, was entering the street of Annas, Mary, the mother of Jesus, with Mary Magdalene and John and Joseph of Arimathea, came down the street by Pilate's house.

And Mary said to John, "O beloved disciple, how will it have gone with Jesus since thou didst last see him in the house of Caiaphas?"

Then answered John, "If the priests could do as they wish, then sure enough he would be already among the dead. But they could not carry out the sentence without permission of the governor. But Pilate, I hope, will not condemn him, as he has never done anything bad, but only what is good."

Then prayed Mary Magdalene, "O Almighty G.o.d, incline the ruler's heart to justice, that he may protect the innocent against the wiles of the wicked."

Then said Mary, the mother of Jesus, "Whither shall we go, O friends, oh, whither, that I may but once more see my beloved son? I must see him, but where can I find him? Perhaps, O perhaps, he lies buried in the deepest dungeon."

Mary Magdalene said, "Alas! the most loving of teachers in prison!"

Joseph answered, "There is one to be seen from whom we can inquire."

John said, "The best thing will be to go to Nicodemus; he surely knows what is happening to our dear Master."

"Yes, let us go," said Mary. "Every moment increases my grief in this uncertainty about the fate of my son."

"Be strong in faith, dear mother," said John. "Whatever happens it is G.o.d's will." Suddenly a horrible noise of confused voices and tramping feet was heard in the distance. From the tumult could be heard the words: "On, on with him!" Mary started and they all stood listening while the noise came nearer and nearer.

"What terrible noise is that?" said Joseph. Then stood they all still listening to hear what it might signify.

Salome said, "As if of a thousand voices. What can it be?"

As they listened the procession to Golgotha was already half way down the street of Annas. In front marched the centurion holding in one hand the staff of authority, followed by Jesus, staggering painfully under the burden of his cross. Around Jesus stood four executioners who brutally goaded him forward. Behind Jesus came the thieves, each bearing his own cross. Behind them came soldiers carrying spears, in the midst of whom on a white horse rode a horseman carrying the Roman banner on which were the letters S. P. Q. R. By the side of the soldiery walked Annas and Caiaphas followed by all the council of the Sanhedrin. All around crowded a numerous mult.i.tude, whose shouts were heard almost without intermission. "Let him die!" they cried, "and all who hold with him." Jesus, who had already fallen under the cross, walked slowly and with difficulty.

One of the executioners said unto him, "Is the burden already too heavy?" and the people shouted, "Drive him with violence, that we may get to Golgotha."

The second executioner cried, "Take care, or he will be down."