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Show Who Murdered Christ? U L BY DP. WILLIAM E BAR JON This iiiestlon has rarely. If ever, been I asked. There was no official Invcstlsa- , a tlon. the madness, of moti-psychology , but thr crime ofthe mob was not the chl. f sin. Who were the men higher up?J The flrvl Is JudOS. who for BOrdtd lust of geld, and perhapa for some other rea-, sons, betrayed his Lord. The next was Pilate, who gave the of-' fi.inl decree, knowing that lie was consenting con-senting to an unjust decision, and vain I ly trying to waah the guilt of It .from' his hands. "If ..u !.. this man n ihou , are not Caesar's friend.' died the mob. Pilate consented t.. the murder of Jesus for fear of losing his Job. It was the cowardice of politics that moved him The n- xi was Calaphas the high priest "He that delivered me to thee hath the I rrr.-ater sin. " siiid JesuS to lilnte. The sin of Ihe prlesl was greater than the, sin of II. e politician I The next is Herod. Pllale. In His Ineffectual In-effectual attempt to shift responsibility, sent Jesus to Herod Herod had no real Jurisdiction, but was pleased with Pi-I Pi-I late's recognition. From that day these in., guilty m.-n wer. friends If JJercl. i who had alread) murdered John tn.-i Baptist, had tried, he could have saved Jesus. lie could have sent Illm bade to Pllale with this message: "I thank you for vnur courtesy, and wish. Indeed, that this case cam- undl r 'my Jurisdiction, for I would iaiiy re-lease re-lease this prisoner. And now. slnct 'OU hare done mc the horior of sending Him to me, bear me, 0 Pilate, and count Ihls Ihe word Of n friend. Stmre Ills life, and save vourself such r.-morse as 1 feel, put of a troubled spirit do 1 send this message; l"r'r I have murdered this man's friend to please a wanton woman, and have nad no hour of peace since then. ' Pilate, with his wife unlike Herodlasl and Salome, pleading for the release of Jesus, would have been glad of that pre- I text; and would have saved Jesus. Bull Herod was vexed because Jesus would not perform to gratify Herod nnd sent Illm back to Pilate an.l to death. When we consider these matters, we SCS how thoroughly nvslern were all the motives mo-tives that murdered Jesus Christ. Lull for money, greed of political power, reunion re-union considered as an end and not a means to righteousness, and readlnens to evade unpl asant responsibility these very common nnd ordinary motives com paased the world's greatest tragedy. The solemn lesson of U all Is that these are not the ;dns of exceptionally wicked men. but f those whom we know t and meet every dOJ oO |