The twelve months amongst the Jews had not the same fixed number of days every year, because they reckoned the month to begin when the new moon first appeared. This practice often led to mistakes, so that what ought to have been the 14th day of any month was frequently called the 15th, or the 13th. Something of this kind seems to have taken place at this time: so that whilst Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover on the evening of the right day, the 14th of Nisan or Abib (answering to the end of March with us), many of the Jews celebrated the feast on the next day, calling that the 14th, though it was, in reality, the 15th. Chapter XXXVIII.--JESUS SENT BY PILATE TO HEROD. Whatever might be the cause, it is plain that the Priests and elders were preparing to keep the Passover, on the evening _after_ that on which Jesus had eaten it with His disciples: and that lest they should be defiled and rendered unclean according to the Law, they would not enter the Judgment Hall, which was full of Roman soldiers. Any Jew who (in one of the many ways) became unclean, could not partake of the Feast of the Passover: and it was even held, that upon occasions of such peculiar holiness, mixing with the Gentiles or heathens, made a Jew unclean; therefore, to avoid all risk, they went not in. They did not consider that all the laws about purity and uncleanness, were only meant to show the necessity of being pure and holy in thought, word, and deed; and that their persecution of an innocent being, rendered them far more unclean in the sight of God, than any ceremonial defilement could possibly do. But it was ever so; they paid more attention to outward forms than to real holiness and goodness. Let us beware never to fall into the like fatal sin. As the Jews would not go into the Judgment Hall, "Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?" Instead of naming any crime of which their prisoner had been guilty, the Jews merely answered, "If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law." This was not at all what the Jews wanted, and they "therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." Some writers think that the Jews were _not_ deprived of the power of putting to death criminals found guilty according to their law; but that at the time of this holy feast, it was _not lawful_ for them to put any man to death. In any case, in all this we see the hand of God; "that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die." "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he himself is Christ a king."