19: Pilate was sitting on the judgement seat. He was preparing to make some sort of decision when his wife sent a messenger to him. The Romans were very superstitious. Dreams could mean much to them. It is unclear how Piltaes’s wife determined Jesus’ innocence. She had likely heard of him, but it is more likely that the dream itself made her confident of his righteousness. She suffered many things in that she was greatly concerned about the involvement of her husband in the matter. Though neither her nor her husband had any fear of the True God, they were likely both very wary of what they would have seen as divine displeasure. For them, a bad dream could only be a bad omen for the future.
Many have speculated about the source of this dream. Was it sent from God, or was it from the devil, or neither? This is a complicated issue. However, the best answer is the most strait-forward one. Pilate’s wife was a superstitious unbeliever with a guilty conscience. The guilty conscience was from God, the manifestation of this guilt, or the way in which it afflicted her, was likely of the devil. There are other examples of this in scripture, such as king Saul. Her life was full of idolatry and devilish ways of thinking. These could not but produce a bad dream in connection with feelings of guilt associated with the conviction of the Spirit. In this way, a work of God can be closely associated with a work of the devil in the soul of an unbeliever.
20: It is, at first, amazing that the Jewish leaders were able to convince the crowd. However, two things must be remembered. First, it was God’s plan that Jesus be crucified. Second, the Jewish leaders were good at threatening people, and persuading people. Many in the multitudes, though they liked Jesus, did not love him. Their allegiance was fair weather only. Thus, this trial, combined with threats from the Jewish leaders against any who would support Christ, was more than enough to persuade them.
Personal Journal Entry #12028
Prayer Journal Entry #12028
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 27:1-28:43