BIBLE STUDY: February 19th

The meeting opened with prayer.
After a short introduction, we proceeded to consider the fifth & sixth Stations.

The Fifth Station: Jesus is judged by Pilate.

John 18:28-40

See also Matthew 27:11-26, Mark 15:1-15 and Luke 22:2-7 7 13-25.

We noted two apparent discepancies in verse 30. We saw, when we were considering Christ's betrayal in the first week of our studies, that a company of soldiers with their tribune came with the chief priests and elders to arrest Jesus. This could happen only if the Roman authorities had given approval which strongly suggests that Pilate knew what was going on. It seemed to us unlikely that he was not aware that a meeting of the Sanhedrin had already taken place in order to judge Jesus according to Jewish law. Indeed, Pilate's very first question to Jesus "Are you the King of the Jews?", surely shows prior knowledge on his part. It also points the way to the question of treason against the Roman state.

The other discrepancy seemed to be the Jews' saying "We do not have the right to execute anyone." We recalled that there was no problem when they stoned Stephen (Acts 7:55-60). Indeed, there is no clear evidence that what the Jewish leaders were saying was true. What they could not do, however, was to crucify a person. It must have been clear to Pilate what they were getting at with this remark: they wanted Jesus to suffer the most humiliating death of all. Crucifixion was a painful, gruesome and public method of execution, reserved for slaves, rebels, pirates and especially despised criminals. Crucifixion was, in short, the most shameful and disgraceful way to die.

There was then some discussion about Pilate himself. We noted that Pilate is often portayed as a weak governor who was pressured, against his will, and gave in to the crowd's demand for crucifixion. The main problem with that view is that it simply does not accord with what we know of Pilate from other sources such as the historian Josephus. Pilate appears to have been a determined governor who would use force to have his own way. We know that in 63 AD he put down what he perceived to be a Samaritan rebellion (probably only a religious procession in arms) with such severity that even the Roman authorities of the time were shocked. After complaints to the Roman legate in Syria, Pilate was recalled to Rome. This hardly accords with the notion of a weak governor.

It was noted that when Pilate was recalled in 63 AD, Caiaphas was also relieved of his post as High Priest and a new High Priest, Jonathan ben Ananus, appointed in his place. It would seem that Caiaphas was too closely connected with Pilate and that when Pilate was recalled, he was dismissed also. We had noticed the collusion with Roman authorities in the arrest of Jesus, and we suspect that this trial was a cynical charade acted out by Caiaphas and Pilate. The Sanhedrin had convicted Jesus of blasphemy; that would carry no weight with the Romans. The crowd are pushed until the accusation of treason can be laid at Jesus. John, in the passage we shall read below, reports that the Jewish crowd cried out: "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar."

In the synoptic Gospels, when Pilate asks Jesus if he is the King of the Jews, we are given the simple reply "You have said so", in other words, 'What you say is correct, but I am not a king in the sense you mean.' John, however, avoids this ambiguity and gives us a full report of Jesus' answer which makes it clear that his kingdom is not a political one; his kingdom "does not belong to this worlld."

At the point when Pilate offers to release a prisoner at the Passover, Matthew records that: "While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.'" (Matthew 27:19). Many legends have grown up around this single verse. Although Pilate's wife is not named here and there is no external evidence about his wife's name, later accounts name her variously as Procula, Pepertua, Claudia or Claudia Procula. Some maintain that the 'Claudia' named by Paul in his second latter to Timothy - "Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, 11 Claudia, and all the brothers send greetings" (2 Tim. 4:21) - is Pilate's wife. There is no reason, however, to suppose that is so.

The simple truth is that we do not know her name nor have any reliable evidence what happened to her or, indeed, to her husband after his recall to Rome in 63 AD. Nevertheless, the Eastern Church holds that she became a Christian and they honour her as 'Saint Procula', assigning 27th October as her feast day (The Ethiopian Church even holds that Pilate himself later converted and they honour 'Saints Pilate & Procula' on 25th June).

One of our group reminded as that some early manuscripts of Matthew's Gospel give Barabbas' name as 'Jesus Barabbas'. It is true that 'Barabbas' is clearly a surname, being a Greek form of the Aramaic 'bar-Abbâ' (son-father, i.e. "Fatherson"). His full name may well have been Jesus Barabbas (Yêshua bar-Abbâ) as Jesus (Yêshua) was a common name at the time. It is also understandable why later versions of Matthew might leave out the name 'Jesus' and simply call the brigand Barabbas, and why the other evangelists name him simply as 'Barabbas'. But if those early manuscripts of Matthew do indeed record the name in full, then there is an irony in Pilate asking the crowds if they want Jesus Barabbas ('Jesus Fatherson') or Jesus [son of the Father].

The Sixth Station: Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns.

John 19:1-16a

See also Matthew 27:27-31 and Mark 15:16-20.

It was noted that John, just like Matthew and Mark, merely state that Pilate had Jesus scourged (Luke does not even mention the scourging, though he does have Pilate saying "I shall have him flogged..."). Scourging was the normal preliminary to a crucifixion. The two criminals crucified with Jesus would also have been scourged.

Such scourging was cruel; it was done with whips, rather like a 'cat-o-nine-tails', with small pieces of bone or metal at the tips. Whipping was done on the back, from kneck down to ankles. That all four evangelists make no other comment than that Jesus was scourged (or going to be flogged) must surely mean that Jesus was not scourged any more (nor any less) viciously than any other condemned criminal. We all considered the portayal in the film "The Passion of the Christ" was unnecessarily exaggerated and unwarranted from the Gospel accounts.

John places the scourging and mocking of Jesus in the middle of the trial; Matthew and Mark put it at the end (probably because they knew scourging was a normal prelude to crucifixion). Luke also puts the mocking of Jesus during the trial, placing it in an interlude in which Pilate sends Jesus to Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Indeed, it is much more likely that such mocking would be done by Herod's soldiers rather than the by Pilate's disciplined Roman soldiers (The latter, however, would have carried out the scourging).

The other three evangelists probably leave out the appearance before Herod as Jesus remained silent and nothing was achieved; they merely record the mocking by soldiers together with the scourging. It is likely, therefore, that the mocking did take place in the middle of the trial before Pilate, i.e. when Pilate had him sent to Herod's place (probably close by); but it is not entirely clear at exactly what point the scourging took place.

We noted, however, that this was the beginning of Christ's utter humiliation. Not only was he cruelly mocked by Herod's soldiers, he endured the cruel scourging given to convicted slaves and to common criminals.

Indeed, with Pilate's permitting Jesus to be crucified, we may say that Jesus began his prepartion for his sacrifice on the cross. That is why John thinks it worth noting the time in verse 14. A more literal translation would is: "It was Prepartion [day] of the Passover, and it was the sixth hour." 'Preparation' (Παρασευή Parascevê) was the name given to 'Friday', the day of preparation for the Sabbath. The Greeks still call Friday Παρασευή. The feast of the Passover began on the 14th day of Nisan and continued for a week. This is the Friday of Passover week, and the next day, the Sabbath, would of course be a particularly holy one. But more significant is the time of day: the sixth hour [from dawn], i.e. noon. It was the tiime when the Temple priests began slaughtering the Passover lambs. It coincided with the beginning of the slaughter of the Lamb of God.

We also noted that before Pilate had Jesus scourged and crucified, Matthew records :

Matt. 27:24-25

Three points we wished to make;

• If Pilate had wanted to he would have quelled any riot. He had allowed the crowd to work itself up;
• His washing his hands did not make Pilate innocent of Jesus' blood. There is no way that Jesus could have been crucified without Pilate's permission. Even if he said, "Look to it yourselves", it was Pilate's own soldiers that crucified Jesus and the two crminals. The hand-washng had all the appearance of a cyncical public relations stunt;
• Even if though the crowd shouted "His blood be upon us and upon our children," it could not in any way have taken the sole guilt on itself and its descendants. All involved, including Pilate, shared the guilt. We thought it very regrettable that this text had been used as an excuse for anti-Semiticism in the past.

We recalled that in his first letter, Peter tells us that: Jesus "himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24). In other words, we are also responsible for Christ's death. As we read in the Compendium of the Catechism:

Amen.

 
For next week
Those present were reminded that next week shall be considering Stations 7 & 8: Jesus takes up his cross; Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenaean to carry his cross. It was suggested that members look at the scriptural passages concerned beforehand.
 

Conclusion
(Payer of St Alphonsus Liguori)

I love you Jesus, my Love, above all things;
I repent with my whole heart for having offended you.
Never permit me to separate myself from you again.
Grant that I may love you always,
then do with me what you will.
Amen.
 
Our Lady - pray for us.
St Peter - pray for us.

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Most of the scripture texts on this page are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C.