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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
the world to bear witness to the truth. Pilate had heard many voices
cry, Here is the truth! I have the truth! But this man, arraigned as
a criminal, who claimed to have the truth, stirred his heart with a
great longing to know what it was, and how it could be obtained. He
inquired of Jesus, “What is truth?” But he did not wait for a reply; the
tumult of the excited crowd was continually increasing; their impatient
cries jarred upon his ears, and recalled him to his judicial position.
He went out to the Jews, who stood beyond the door of the hall, and
declared in an emphatic voice, “I find in him no fault at all.”
Those words, traced by the pen of inspiration, will forever stand as
a proof to the world of the base perfidy and falsehood of the Jews in
their charges against Jesus. Even the heathen magistrate pronounced
him innocent. As Pilate thus spoke, the rage and disappointment of
the priests and elders knew no bounds. They had made great efforts
to accomplish the death of Jesus, and now that there appeared to be
a prospect of his release they seemed ready to tear him in pieces.
They lost all reason and self-control, and gave vent to curses and
maledictions against him, behaving more like demons than men. They
were loud in their censures of Pilate, and threatened the vengeance of
the Roman law against him if he refused to condemn one who, they
affirmed, had set himself up against Caesar.
During all this uproar, Jesus stood unmoved, uttering no word
in answer to the abuse that was heaped upon him. He had spoken
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freely to Pilate when alone with him, that the light of his truth might
illuminate the darkened understanding of the Roman governor; and
now he could say nothing more to prevent him from committing the
fearful act of condemning to death the Son of God. Pilate turned again
to Jesus and inquired, “Hearest thou not how many things they witness
against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that
the governor marveled greatly.”
Angry voices were now heard, declaring that the seditious influence
of Jesus was well known throughout all the country. Said they, “He
stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from
Galilee to this place.” Pilate at this time had no thought of condemning
Jesus, because he was certain that he was the victim of the envious and
designing priests. As he afterward stated to Jesus, he had the power to
condemn or to release him; but he dreaded the ill-will of the people; so
when he heard that Jesus was a Galilean and was under the jurisdiction