still very considerable power. And the Sadducean
minority possessed a predominating influence in its consultations. What
political power could be wielded in a subject state of the Empire was in
their hands. Incidentally, a large and flourishing business was
conducted under their control and management in the very Temple Courts,
in "the booths of the sons of Hanan." Our Lord struck a blow at their
financial interests when He drove out these traders in sacrificial
victims and other requisites. But, much more, and this was the head and
front of His offence, by His influence with certain classes of the
people, and by the danger thus presented of a popular movement which
might arouse the suspicion of the imperial authorities, and lead to very
decisive action on their part, He threatened the political position of
the Sadducean aristocracy. So with complete absence of scruples, but
with great political sagacity, Caiaphas uttered the momentous words, an
unconscious prophecy, as St. John points out, at that meeting of the
Sanhedrin when the death of Jesus was finally resolved upon.

Thus the main historical causes of the Crucifixion were these three,
prejudice on the part of the people, a dead religion on the part of the
Pharisees, love of gain and political ambition on the part of the
Sadducees.

We may see then how absolutely true St. Peter was to the facts of the
case. "Him . . . through the hand of lawless men, ye affixed to a cross
and slew." God was not the cause of the death of Jesus Christ, as in
popular and ditheistic theory, forgetting "I am in the Father, and the
Father in Me." The real causes of His Death were the definite sins of
lawless, of wicked men. God's part was a purely negative one. He held
His hand, and allowed sin to work out to its fatal issue. The
Resurrection, indeed, is the sublime act of God's interference, at the
most critical point in all human history, at the one point supremely
worthy of such Divine interposition, in order to finally and completely
vindicate the cause of moral goodness. But up till then, sin was allowed
to have its own way, to display fully its malign character, to reach its
ultimate result in the Death of the Sinless One.

But behind the historical causes of our Lord's death, were deeper and
spiritual causes. "Him being by the determined counsel and foreknowledge
of God delivered up. . . ." God foreknew the result. There is no
difficulty here. But in what sense