Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” Matthew 27: 17-19, NKJV.
Most Holy Father God, here we are in Your presence once more, waiting to hear from You. We need You dear LORD; so please speak to us, and help us to be willing to obey You. In the name of the Righteous One, Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.
As we continue our devotionals during the last days of the month of March – that has been set aside as Women’s History Month, we seek to show the love of God for women, who were created in His image and likeness, to be a blessing to the men in our lives.
Jesus was judged and condemned by the chief priests, without a fair trial, and then taken before Pilate. Pilate, like everyone who met the Savior, was fascinated by His manner. He was God and man – Love and lovely; Perfect and poised; Sovereign, yet allowing His creatures to slap Him and spit on Him. Indeed there never was a Man like Jesus, nor ever again will be!
Jesus is standing in the presence of Pilate, and is being interrogated. He answers not a word. The governor is at a loss! He recognizes that Jesus is innocent, and that He has been brought before Him because of “envy.” So he tries to set the Savior alongside one of the most ruthless criminals – Barabbas. “Surely,” he thought, “when they see the incomparable difference between the two, they will ask for Barabbas to be crucified instead of Jesus!” As Pilate sat and awaited the final word from the mob, an angel spoke to his wife in a dream. The Bible does not give us the details of the dream, but it does say that the dream had brought her much suffering! That is significant. She referred to Jesus as just. I doubt that Mrs. Pilate had ever seen the Savior before. I wonder if she even saw Him in person that day!
From the book, The Desire of Ages, by E. G. White, we get a glimpse into her dream: “Even now Pilate was not left to act blindly. A message from God warned him from the deed he was about to commit. In answer to Christ’s prayer, the wife of Pilate had been visited by an angel from heaven, and in a dream she had beheld the Savior and conversed with Him. Pilate’s wife was not a Jew, but as she looked upon Jesus in her dream, she had no doubt of His character or mission. She knew Him to be the Prince of God. She saw Him on trial in the judgment hall. . . She saw Pilate give Jesus to the scourging, after he had declared, ‘ “I find no fault in Him.” ‘ She heard the condemnation pronounced by Pilate, and saw him give Christ up to His murderers. . . Still another scene met her gaze. She saw Christ seated upon the great white cloud, while the earth reeled in space and His murderers fled from the presence of His glory. With a cry of horror she awoke and at once wrote to Pilate words of warning” (732).
God could have sent the dream directly to Pilate. For reasons not revealed, He chose to send it to him through his wife. God knows us intimately because He created us. No act of God is done without careful thought. This was no exception. One thing is evident, God knew that He could trust Mrs. Pilate to do His bidding. She would be an helper, in God’s hands, to her husband. When we are obedient to the bidding of God, in an endeavor to help others, we receive help for ourselves. In being used by God to warn her husband, she had received a glimpse of the Savior. She now had an opportunity to receive Him as her personal Savior. Only in eternity will her decision be known; but her warning to Pilate says a lot about her feelings toward the Savior. Sad to say, Pilate preferred to obey man rather than God.
Wives, God has asked us to be suitable helps, to our husbands. By His grace, let us not fail Him. After we have faithfully done what God asks us to do, leave the results to Him. Just be very careful, to do what He asks You to do – with diligence, and faithfully!
NOTE: A thought was added to yesterday’a devotional.*