#33.    The Evangelist tells us that following his terrible flogging at the hands of the Romans, Jesus is given a crown of thorns and a purple robe.

#34.    The Roman soldiers who had beaten him mercilessly now ridicule him by "paying homage" to the "King of the Jews" in a jaunty chorus, accompanied by those two flutes and two oboes playing a whirling, ornamental theme in a mocking parody of regal pomp.  Their contempt for anything Jewish is obvious.   In Measure #6, the basses in the chorus sing a trilled note, suggesting derisive laughter at the Jews as well as at Jesus, and they spit out (in staccato fashion) "Jew-dah!!" at the end of their song. 

#35.  Pilate, possibly stunned by what he has seen, brings Jesus out to where the people are gathered, perhaps to invoke some pity for Him, and he says, "Behold the man!," as if to say, "Just look at this poor fellow."  But his attempt fails.  In the use of the word "shrieked," we know that the fury of the crowd has no limits.

#36. A howling, chanting mob demands crucifixion.  The ugly dissonances from #23 and #25 are back, but more vehemently.  Only those two oboes and flutes are still suggesting that many in this crowd are just having a good time.  In this translation, the howling is done with half- and quarter-notes singing "Crucify!," while 1/8 and 1/16 notes in short three-note phrases are singing "Off with him!"  But, starting with Measure #12, everyone sings "Crucify!" to emphasize the howling sounds "CRU-cify!"

#37. Pilate sneers, "Do it yourselves!" (He knows they can't.)  "I find no fault in him."  The throng wants the death penalty, but the only man who can order it is Pilate, who has found this accused innocent.

#38.  But the mob has an ace up its collective sleeve.  The priests tell Pilate that there is a sacred law:  When a person claims to be God's son, he has committed blasphemy, and Caiaphas, the Chief Priest, charged Jesus with that.  (Matthew, Mark, and Luke all refer to that; John does not, curiously).  And the penalty for blasphemy is death.  That's what the choir sings now.  What a strange chorus!  It is not a frenzied-mob sound.  Rather, it is matter-of-fact, and quite confident.  The tune, begun somewhat solemnly by the bass section (the Priests?), becomes jauntier as more people join along.  Now we know that the subject-people are not allowed to execute anyone.  But they are about to play their winning card.

#39. Pilate is by now fearful.  He goes back inside to ask Jesus about this Son of God business.  As a Roman, if he has a religion, it is a polytheistic one, but a pagan like Pilate likely has fear of the supernatural.  If this is the son of a god, you don't want to anger this god, even if he is but a local deity!  But Jesus won't answer, and Pilate, becoming rattled, reminds Jesus that he has the power of life and death over him.  Jesus tells him that His power is "from above," and Pilate has no power at all over Him.  Pilate, by now, is becoming unhinged.  He wants to find a way out to release him, perhaps to wash his hands of the whole affair.

#40. In this beautiful Chorale, the Christian community now acknowledges that it owes its freedom and liberty to Jesus, who was imprisoned and suffered duress to atone for our sins.  Had he not chosen to be a sacrifice, mankind would have been enslaved forever.

 

Index

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10