hold his crime! or, to speak more accurately, behold his transgression, in the estimation of these proud men, who saw with no other feeling than vexation the ascendancy that such astounding works gave him over the public mind, and the diminution of their own credit, being the inevitable result of the former! This it is which makes them add: "If we let him alone so, all will believe in him." They saw themselves on the point of being abandoned, and left to an ignominious solitude. This was the humiliating inference which they drew in the depth of their hearts; but they would have shrunk from expressing it by word of mouth. Here we have the reason why, instead of this personal interest which they did not dare to avow, they alleged the interest of the public, and the state threatened with impending ruin, if an opposition were not organized against the progress of so dangerous a man, "and the Romans [they say] will come and take away our place and nation (24)." It remained to be said that they must get rid of him, and immolate him for the public safety; but this would have pointed too distinctly to the crime which they meditated, and on this account they could hardly pronounce it. The crime was desirable; but it was further desirable to be enabled to say, after it had been committed, that another was the author thereof, and to cast all the odium on him, whilst sharing with him the profits. Wherefore it seems that they exchanged glances, and that by these looks they mutually asked each other for the fatal word, which no one had the boldness to utter; when, setting aside all delicacy, and deriding, as it were, the inconsistency of this latter scruple, "one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest for that year, said to them: You know nothing, neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." (24) This is the prophecy of what really occurred to them for not having believed in Jesus Christ, and for having put him to death. The just man does not always succeed: the wicked fail much oftener. But the first, who only employed legitimate means, has in his favor the testimony of his conscience, and, instead of earthly goods, the hope of heavenly treasures. What a source of consolation! The others add to the sense of their misfortune, remorse for the crimes which have brought on their woe, and the prospect of the eternal chastisement which these crimes have earned for them; what an accumulation of despair! The mind of this wicked man was utterly engrossed by the evil meaning conveyed in his own words, viz., that we should make no scruple of sacrificing an innocent victim to self-interest: a false and abominable maxim, even if the interest of a whole people were at stake. But his words also contained a mysterious and profound meaning which he did not comprehend, and of which he had not even any notion, viz., that the world could not be saved otherwise than by the death of Jesus Christ. The first of these two meanings was his own; the second was that of the Holy Ghost, who had made him utter such words as announced this great truth, at the same time that they expressed the perverse meaning which Caiphas had then in his mind. Now, it is with reference to this second meaning that it is said that "this he spoke not of himself; but being the high priest of that year (25), he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God that were dispersed (26)." But the murderous meaning, which was the only one then understood, was universally adopted. "From that day, therefore, they devised to put Jesus to death." We see by that in what estimation we should hold the judicial formality which they appeared to observe when they had him in their power. If they called witnesses, and listened to them; if they subjected the Saviour to a species of interrogatory, it was all for the purpose of blindfolding the world, and in order that it might be reported that evidence had been heard, and that the pretended criminal had been judicially examined; for, in reality, he was already judged and condemned to death: the sen (25) Prophecy, the gift of pronouncing oracles in religious matters, is attached to dignity, and not to merit. It became the wisdom of God that such should be the case, because we always know where dignity exists, and we can never have any assurance of the existence of virtue. The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts.-Malachi, ii. 7. (26) In order to gather from all parts of the earth into one and the same Church all the children of God, that is to say, all those who were to constitute it; for they were not as yet the children of God, and they only became such when they received the character by baptism. Jesus Christ was also to die for those who did not receive him, since he was to die for all men. But allusion is made here to those only to whom the fruits of his death were applied. tence had anticipated the trial, and all the subsequent deliberations only turned upon the means of putting it into execution. The hour was approaching, but had not yet come. Jesus, who, in order to exhibit his power, had just braved the fury of his enemies, wished also to give his disciples the example of a wise timidity and a prudent flight. Thus were alternately seen the divinity piercing the veil of humanity, and humanity shrouding with its weakness the lustre of the divinity. "Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but he went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem, and there he abode with his disciples. And the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the pasch to purify themselves. They sought, therefore, for Jesus, and they discoursed one with another, standing in the temple: What think you that he is not come to the festival-day? And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that if any man knew where he was, he should tell, that they might apprehend him." CHAPTER XLIX. RETURN TO JERUSALEM.-ZEAL OF THE TWO DISCIPLES REPRESSED. THE PASSION (a) "IT came to pass when the days of his assumption were accomplishing, that Jesus," surmounting, by a generous effort, all the repugnance of nature, "steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He sent messengers before his face" to announce his arrival in the places through which he should pass. "Going, they entered into a city of the Samaritans, to prepare for him" what was necessary. But "they received him not, because his face was of one going to Jerusalem!" Now, journeying towards Jerusalem, during the time of the Passover, (a) St. Luke, ix. 51–56. was a marked declaration of being a Jew and an anti-Samaritan. "When his disciples, James and John, had seen this," unable to endure the affront cast upon their Master, and burning with the desire to avenge him: "Lord, they said, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?" This sally has given rise to the suspicion that the two disciples were amongst the number of the deputation sent, and that some personal anger may have been mixed up with their resentment. But their zeal, even supposing that it had no other object than the glory of the Saviour, did not meet his approbation. "Jesus turning, rebuked them, saying: You know not of what spirit you are (1). The Son of man came not to destroy souls (2), but to save; and they went into another town." (a) "They were in the way going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went before them, and they were astonished, and following, were afraid." The animosity of the Jews made the disciples always tremble for their Master and for themselves. The conspiracies, hitherto abortive, might at length succeed; and what security had they that they might not also become the victims? Such was the subject of their apprehensions, which Jesus Christ made no attempt to dispel. He was rather inclined to change apprehension into certainty, at least as far as regarded himself, personally, had they been capable of understanding him. For, (b) "taking unto him the twelve, he began to tell them the things that should befall him: Behold, he said to them, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man. (a) St. Mark, x. 32. (b) St. Matthew, xx. 17; St. Mark, x. 32-34; St. Luke, xviii. 31. He (1) They did not as yet know the spirit of the Gospel, which is a spirit of meekness, and they speak in accordance with the spirit of the old law, which was a spirit of rigor. However, we behold instances of severity under the Gospel, and of meekness under the old law. Peter, by virtue of his word, strikes Ananias and Sapphira dead at his feet. Eliseus, far from allowing harm to be inflicted upon the Syrians who came to take him, orders them to be sent back safe and sound, after providing them with food. This evinces that meekness is only the predominant quality of the new law, as rigor was that of the old law, and that here the general rule is not without exception. (2) We have in the text: to destroy souls. stood to refer to bodily as well as spiritual life. good to souls or bodies, spoke it here in both these significations. This expression, in Scripture, is under- shall be betrayed to the chief priests, to the scribes, and ancients. They shall condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles. They shall mock him (3), and spit on him, and scourge him, and kill him, and the third day he shall rise again." We have, in this prophecy, the detailed history of the passion of the Saviour, from the betrayal of Judas until the resurrection. The terms thereof are clear and precise, and it seems that it is impossible to misunderstand them. Yet the disciples, to whom Jesus Christ repeated, for the third time, this prediction, (a) “understood none of these things; this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said." So true it is that nothing is more unintelligible than what we do not wish to understand, nor more incredi ble than that which we are not disposed to believe. But, although they were not then understood, these prophecies were not without their use. They were serviceable in diminishing at least the surprise and dejection of the disciples when the event occurred, and who knows but it was this which sustained, or revived, the courage of the well-beloved disciple? Moreover, the prediction of his death, with so many circumstances which the human mind could not foresee, was a certain proof that, on the Saviour's part, his death was perfectly free and voluntary, and it concerned his glory to place the matter beyond all doubt. What proves that the disciples had no conception of the meaning of their Master's discourse, is the request which two of the most cherished had the boldness to make. Even at this very juncture, when he had just closed the detail of his future humiliations, in a manner so affecting, and so capable of curing them of all ambition, (b) "the sons of Zebedee, James and John, come to him, saying: Master, we desire that whatsoever we shall ask thou wouldst do it for us. He (a) St. Luke, xviii. 34. (b) St. Mark, x. 35-37; St. Matthew, xx. 20-21. (3) They. The Gentiles who committed the greater part of these cruelties, although in the text this may equally refer to the Jews, and with reason; for we may say that they did all the evil which they caused to be done. It was they who scourged the Saviour, and who crucified him by the hands of the Gentiles. They delivered him over to the Gentiles solely with this intention. The crime of the executioner is simple; he is only guilty of the execution. That of the author is double; he is guilty of the crime which he commits and of that which he causes to be committed. ⚫ |