THE WISDOM OF A WIFE'S ADVICE
January 29, 2017
For all you married guys, have you ever been given advice by your wife? Perhaps your answer would be “Are you kidding? That’s all I ever get, all the time!” You may even believe it goes beyond just being “advice”. None-the-less, most of our wives give us advice from time to time that we should take into serious consideration, and ponder the wisdom in her words.
One of the most notorious public figures in history once received wise advice from his wife. The story goes like this:
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.”
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
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!”
All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. (Matthew 27:19-26)
While we don’t know any specifics about the dream of Pilate’s wife or if she relayed anything beyond what Scripture reveals, her message to her husband stated that she had received revelation about Jesus in a dream. Yet, he seemingly disregarded the warning, and instead moved forward with a plan that would be determined by the will of the mob.
Pilate then attempted to extricate himself from the outcome by symbolically washing his hands before the crowd. This could be something that we could be symbolically guilty of if we in some way attempt to disavow our need for grace, or attempt to diminish the seriousness of our sin.
The point is that none of us are innocent of Jesus’ blood. What Christ suffered through the flogging and his crucifixion was not only on the hands of the mob and Pilate, it was something he willingly went through because of our sin. Christ suffered and died once for all. Our sins went with him to the cross.
To borrow words from the angry mob, his blood is indeed on us.
See you at the ramp.
Posted by Tom Burwinkle.
