(6) The Crucified But Living Christ. Fear, hatred and vengeance drove the Jewish leaders to swift action against Jesus. Once in their power, by the betrayal of Judas as they supposed, but in fact by his own voluntary surrender of himself to his enemies, the form of a trial before the Sanhe drin was hastily gone through. Prejudged and precondemned, the sentence of death for blas phemy was soon pronounced. The career of this violator of sacred things, this traitor to Judaism, this pretender to Divine honors, this turbulent revolutionist, would now be closed. But the San hedrin could only pass, not execute, the death sentence. Jesus, therefore, was hurried before the Roman procurator, Pilate, who alone had the power of capital punishment. Now the charge against Jesus was changed. What cared Pilate for the wrangling of the Jews over their religious superstitions? But if Jesus were an insurrection ist against the Roman government, Pilate would be concerned. This the Jewish leaders tried. but the procurator was not convinced. Indeed, the man was innocent—Pilate would not order his execu tion. But the Sanhedrists were insistent. If he refused them, they could secure his recall (as a few years later they did) by reporting his mis deeds to the Emperor. \Vhy should Pilate sacri fice himself for this hunted Jew ? Throwing the responsibility of the whole affair upon Jesus' Jew ish accusers, he gave permission that their demand be carried out. Crucifixion was the common Roman method of executing rebels, and Jesus was put to death as such. With a cry of deep significance he expired upon the cross. It was, indeed, finished; lie had been obedient even unto death ; lie had fulfilled his God-given mission to mankind.
Jesus had seen clearly the necessary outcome of this journey to Jerusalem. Even from the en trance upon his public ministry it must have seemed to him probable that he would ultimately be rejected and put to death (Matt. xxiii :29-37; Luke xiii :31-34). The Pharisees opposed him from the first, but when the Galileans gave up their hope and withdrew from him, Jesus saw his work nearing its end. He set about preparing his -disciples for his departure. He determined upon a martyrdom for his cause at Jerusalem. He told them that he was going to be put to death by- his enemies (Mark x :32-34; Luke xiii :31-34). Deliberately he planned the Jerusalem visit, and calmly he placed himself into the hands of those who sought his life. His teaching would thus be consummated and glorified. But on the other hand, it was an acknowledgment of defeat with his own nation. It was their final rejection of their Messiah (Matt. xxiii :37, 38). The heritage of the Jews was repudiated by them; it must, therefore, bc taken from them and given to others (Matt. xxi :28-31, 33-41; Mark xi :t2-14)• God's chosen people to bear to the world his true and pure re ligion thus refused to perform their mission. Na tional pride and self-seeking had unfitted them for a universal brotherhood and self-abnegating service, This was the agony of his self-sacri fice.
And yet Jesus realized that his own death at the hands of the Jews did not mean the destruction of his work nor the failure of his cause. Truth, right and goodness cannot fail because men are recreant to their opportunities and trusts. The Kingdom of God would live and triumph, not withstanding his death—indeed, in a measure be cause of his death. Jesus' death became the most effective attestation of the truth of his message, and the cross which symbolized his martyrdom be came the emblem of his followers. That which was written later (Tertullian, about A. D. zoo) of the Christians who died for their faith was prim arily and peculiarly true of Jesus himself, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Nor vvould he by that experience which men call death lay down the work of his life. He knew that shortly, in God's own good time, he would re sume it (Matt. xvi :21, 25 ; comp. Hos. vi :2). The
soul which draws its life from God forever lives. "There is no death : what seems so is transition." The crucifixion was an incident in the life of an immortal being. What we term death is but the point at which the relation of the living soul to the physical body changes from that to which we are accustomed. Jesus lived and Jesus lives. He did not die. Shall we deny immortality to him, when we hold to it for ourselves? The Christian does not die: he rises to a larger, better life. Jesus "brought life and immortality to light." He taught us that there is no death, but only transi tion to a higher sphere of existence.. And so Jesus entered through his crucifixion into the life beyond.
The gospels transmit to us the tccount of his disciples that for a brief time again after the crucifixion Jesus was seen by them as of old. The empty sepulcher supports their statements, while the many evidences of this miracle of the ages are beyond any reasonable dispute and stand incon trovertible. God in his providence gave them to see in familiar outline the risen Christ. This may have been necessary on account of their imperfect apprehension of spiritual truth. Not yet have we reached the stage where we at all fully realize that the surest and best realities are the spiritual re alities. How much more did the first disciples need an objective vision of their risen Master, to give them confidence and courage to carry on his work. It was a living cause; their leader still led on; they found, when they could see again through tear-dimmed eyes, Jesus' presence and power were , still with them. Physical vision of him passed into spiritual vision. Invisibly now, but no less really, they felt him near. And in this assurance his disciples set about the spread and upbuilding of the kingdom which he had established, and of which they were now the visible representatives. And Jesus had given them at his departure a memorial of himself, to comfort them, to strength en them, and to bind them together in love and service. The simple repast of bread and wine, which he had often and now for the last time shared with his disciples, was to call to their re membrance, as often as they ate it together, his own life and death (so called) that men might have religious truth, and truth expressed not only in words, btit also in acts and in character. And so the Christ is ever with us, the inspiration and the guide of all who are continuing his work on earth, who are endeavoring to realize in themselves and in this great world the Kingdom of God which he came to make known and to establish among men, which lie proclaimed to men in his utterances, and in his deeds, and in his life and death. One is our teacher, leader and example the Jesus of history, and the living, exalted Christ of faith. C. W. V.
(7) Literatifre. Robinson. Harmony of the Gospels; Salmon. Historical Introduction to the Ncw Tcstanzent, 1891; Harman, Introduction to theScriptures;Westcott.Introduction to the Study of the Gospels; Gregory, Why Four Gospels! Keim, C. T., The History of Jesus of Nazara,1883; Schfirer, E., The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, 189r ; Strauss, D. F., The Life of Jesus, 1892; Weiss, B., The Life of Christ, 1883; Watkins, Modern Criticism of the Four Gospels, r890; Barrows, The Gospels ore True Histories; Geikie, Lifc and Words of Christ, 1878; Neander, Life of Christ; Farrar, Lifc of Christ; Andrew, Life of Christ; Pressense, Jesus Christ, His Life and Tinics; Edersheim, Prophecy and History of the Alessiali, vol. i, 1885; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, vol. i., r884; Edersheim. Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 2 VOIS., 1884 Cairn, Christ the Central Evidence of Christianity; Bruce, Training of the Twelve; The Place of Christ in Mod. Theo!. Fairhairn, 1897; The Christology of Jesus. Stalker, 1890; Dale, Livinz Christ and the Four Gospels, 189o; Genting, Fourfold Story; Thompson, Four Evizngelists.