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The Desire of Ages
Christ’s appearance made a favorable impression upon Pilate. His
better nature was roused. He had heard of Jesus and His works. His
wife had told him something of the wonderful deeds performed by the
Galilean prophet, who cured the sick and raised the dead. Now this
revived as a dream in Pilate’s mind. He recalled rumors that he had
heard from several sources. He resolved to demand of the Jews their
charges against the prisoner.
Who is this Man, and wherefore have ye brought Him? he said.
What accusation bring ye against Him? The Jews were disconcerted.
Knowing that they could not substantiate their charges against Christ,
they did not desire a public examination. They answered that He was
a deceiver called Jesus of Nazareth.
Again Pilate asked, “What accusation bring ye against this Man?”
The priests did not answer his question, but in words that showed their
irritation, they said, “If He were not a malefactor, we would not have
delivered Him up unto thee.” When those composing the Sanhedrin,
the first men of the nation, bring to you a man they deem worthy of
death, is there need to ask for an accusation against him? They hoped
to impress Pilate with a sense of their importance, and thus lead him
to accede to their request without going through many preliminaries.
They were eager to have their sentence ratified; for they knew that
the people who had witnessed Christ’s marvelous works could tell a
story very different from the fabrication they themselves were now
rehearsing.
The priests thought that with the weak and vacillating Pilate they
could carry through their plans without trouble. Before this he had
signed the death warrant hastily, condemning to death men they knew
were not worthy of death. In his estimation the life of a prisoner was
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of little account; whether he were innocent or guilty was of no special
consequence. The priests hoped that Pilate would now inflict the death
penalty on Jesus without giving Him a hearing. This they besought as
a favor on the occasion of their great national festival.
But there was something in the prisoner that held Pilate back from
this. He dared not do it. He read the purposes of the priests. He
remembered how, not long before, Jesus had raised Lazarus, a man
that had been dead four days; and he determined to know, before
signing the sentence of condemnation, what were the charges against
Him, and whether they could be proved.