Nineteenth Day.
Then the soldiers came up, and bound the Lord's hands as He willingly offers them. He makes no opposition whatsoever. He might have continued the exhibition of His power by which they fell back three times, and He might have walked away. But the time of the Passion had come, and He allows the soldiers to have the mastery over Him. Christ has dissolved our bonds, and He is bound Himself; in fact, by that binding Christ has merited to loosen us from the slavery of Satan. But Christ was also bound that we, too, may bind ourselves in [pg 152] the law of God, and be faithful to its observance all the days of our life. Tie your will to the chains of the Lord Jesus; honor those chains, yes, even love them, as they are the bonds of the union between you and Him. Make up your mind to follow Christ, to be united to Him, and never desire to be freed from this close friendship.
Prayer.
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.
Twentieth Day.
The priests, the high priests and the Pharisees, the great enemies of the Lord, had held a meeting in expectation of bringing the prisoner for accusation and condemnation. This was the court to which the innocent Jesus was dragged; these were all His enemies. They all tried to destroy Him, and now the opportunity seems to present itself, and they are going to make the best of it. They are going to condemn Jesus; they encourage false witnesses, that they may make a show, at least, of the justice of the condemnation. It is considered necessary to put Jesus out of the way. “It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.”—John xii. 50. In all this Our Lord is silent; not a word does Jesus utter in self-defence. How easily could the divine wisdom confound human ingenuity, the skill of the lawyers, and the malice of the high priests. But Jesus held a mysterious silence, in which we must adore Him.
Prayer.
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.