of leaven there, and
the mere suspicion of such a thing would have disqualified them from
participating in the feast. Remember that these men had just broken
every principle of justice in their treatment of Jesus, and now they
palter over minute points of Rabbinical casuistry. So Philip of Spain
abetted the massacres of Alva, but rigorously performed all the rites
of the Church; and the Italian bandit will carefully honor priest, and
host, and church. How well our Lord's sharp sword cut to the dividing
of soul and spirit, in such cases as these: "Ye pay tithe of mint, and
cummin, and anise, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law."
It is an evil day when religion and morality are divorced.

Pilate knew too well the character of the men with whom he had to do,
to attempt to force their scruples, and went out to them; so that for
most of the time his intercourse with Jesus was apart from their
interference and scrutiny. Without much interchange of formalities,
the Governor asked, "What accusation bring ye against this man?"

It was not a little disappointing to their pride to be obliged to
adduce and substantiate capital charges against Jesus, so they replied
in general terms, and with the air of injured innocence, "If He were
not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him unto thee." It was
as though they said, "There is no need for thee to enter into the
details of this case; we have thoroughly investigated it, and are
satisfied with the conclusive evidence of our prisoner's guilt; you may
be sure that men like ourselves would never come to thee at such an
hour, on such an errand, unless there were ample grounds for it."

But Pilate was in no mood to be talked with thus. He saw their
eagerness to ward off inquiry, and this was quite enough to arouse his
proud spirit to thwart and disappoint them. He knew well enough that
they wanted him to pronounce the death sentence; but he pretended not
to, and said, in effect, "If your judgment, and yours only, is to
settle the case, take ye Him and judge Him according to your law,
inflicting such penalty as it directs."

The Jewish notables at once saw that they must adopt a more
conciliatory tone, or they would lose their case; they therefore
explained that they wanted a severer sentence than they had the right
to inflict. "It is not lawful," they said, "for us to put any man to
death."

Pilate again asked for a statement of the crime of which Jesus was