Throughout history, wives have been considered as a formidable part of their husbands. Even if the men are found to treat their spouses badly, generally, society tends to accord the women the same or at least some level of respect as given to the husband. Of course, there are also women whose influence and power are seen on the way their husbands are respected and perceived in their societies. In the Bible, certain powerful wives of rulers such as Jezebel have caused moral and state transformations for the worst. We need to understand that spouses of men and women of influence become icons of influence in their spheres. Ultimately, their lifestyle tends to become a model for some people in society. That is why it is important for Christian couples to model the life of Jesus Christ. This post will consider one woman who was mentioned briefly in scripture as the wife of Pilate.
While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19)
During the lifetime of Jesus, the Jews were under the Roman empire. Pontius Pilate was a Roman governor appointed under the emperor of Tiberius in the 1st century. Pilate was the prefect for the provinces Judaea, Samaria and Idumæa. Pilate was the one who judged Jesus and condemned him. The trial of Jesus was one of a religious accusation not a state offense. As the trial was taking place, someone interfered. This was the wife of Pilate. Matthew's account indicates that "While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19). The wife of Pilate had already dreamt about Jesus and it wasn't a pleasant dream. The nature of the dream caused this woman to suffer a great deal. We are not given the details of the dream but whatever it was, the dream was so significant that the wife of Pilate intercepted the judgement to pass the message.
Pilate's wife knew that Jesus was no ordinary man. On the other hand, her husband did not want to displease the people and cause an uproar. Therefore, "When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” (Matthew 27:24). Was Pilate really guiltless of the death of Jesus? In fact, all the four Gospels agree that Pilate succumbed to the pressure of the people and executed Jesus. Thus, although Pilate washed his hands off the death of Jesus, He is still the one whose authority the people stood on to kill Jesus.
This incident might have haunted the wife of Pilate for a long time. Obviously, Jesus was not the first person Pilate might have ordered for His execution. But Jesus' execution was an event she might have struggled to deal with for the rest of her life. For Jesus, dying was not evil, if it was to save the world. But, the people whose hand led to His death, stand condemned.
One of the channels God speaks to us is through our dreams. If you sharpen your spiritual antenna, your dreams will be a channel for God to communicate to you. Not every dream is as a result of "overeating" and "tiredness". Don't wait for it to happen and then say, "I saw this in my dream but I didn't take it seriously." If we can pray for good to happen, we can definitely pray to avoid evil.
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