15 It was the governor’s practice at the Passover Feast to let one prisoner go free. The people could choose the one they wanted. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to set free? Jesus Barabbas? Or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 Pilate knew that the leaders wanted to get their own way. He knew this was why they had handed Jesus over to him.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Don’t have anything to do with that man. He is not guilty. I have suffered a great deal in a dream today because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders talked the crowd into asking for Barabbas and having Jesus put to death.
21 “Which of the two do you want me to set free?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
22 “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What wrong has he done?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere. Instead, the crowd was starting to get angry. So he took water and washed his hands in front of them. “I am not guilty of this man’s death,” he said. “You are accountable for that!”
25 All the people answered, “Put the blame for his death on us and our children!”
26 Pilate let Barabbas go free. But he had Jesus whipped. Then he handed him over to be nailed to a cross.
Read Matthew 27:15-26 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
During the last minutes of Jesus’ sentencing on the morning of His crucifixion, Matthew brings out an interesting piece of information that the other three gospel writers don’t include. While the trial is going on and winding to a close, Matthew tells us that “While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message. It said, ‘Don’t have anything to do with that man. He is not guilty. I have suffered a great deal in a dream today because of him.’” (v. 19)
Reading this makes me wonder: Did God send Pilate’s wife a dream about Jesus, or was this something Satan did to try and stir up confusion in the moment?
Even more interesting than wondering about the source of the dream is thinking this probably is the only reference in all of history of this woman. Pilate’s wife goes down in history as proclaiming Jesus’ innocence regardless of what others thought.
I wonder about the dream as well. In the message, Pilate’s wife says that she “suffered a great deal” and this makes me think this wasn’t a peaceful dream but more like a nightmare. It is odd to think that God would send someone a nightmare, but I wonder if there wasn’t some spiritual warfare going on that night in Pilate’s wife’s mind. If Pilate valued the counsel of his spouse, and his wife only shared her thoughts on political topics when asked or in very crucial circumstances, then it makes sense that she would have the interest of both angelic and satanic forces to help sway her opinion of the trial that was taking place that night.
In her response, we see which side won: the angelic forces overpowered the satanic ones and prompted her to conclude that Jesus is indeed innocent. This is opposite of the crowd where the satanic forces mixed with the hostility of the religious leader win out.
Matthew draws our attention to an interesting dilemma Pilate faced. Should Pilate choose to side with the counsel of His wife or choose to cave into the crowd’s demands?
It seems as though every gospel writer speaks about Pilate’s desire to let Jesus go free, but ultimately he gives in to the crowd’s demanding for a crucifixion.
I wonder if Pilate ever regretted this decision. I wonder if Pilate’s wife gave him an earful when he went back into the palace. I wonder if Pilate’s choice is a choice that we all end up making at some point in our lives: Do we follow the counsel of our spouse (or a close friend in the case of single people), or do we cave in to the pressure of the moment?
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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