PILATE'S WIFE

“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” (Matt. 27:19 NKJV).

Pilate’s wife is spoken of only once in Scripture and what it says of her is a good report. Thus we want to note her advice, assessment, and affliction.

Her advice – “Have nothing to do with that just Man.” At first glance, it seems as if she is telling Pilate to have nothing to do with the Lord Jesus. And this is the attitude of a lot of people, they want nothing to do with the Lord Jesus. Our society is like that. They do not want to have anything to do with the Lord Jesus. But what Pilate’s wife is saying is that Pilate should not have anything to do with the condemnation of the Lord Jesus. This is excellent advice. This advice of Pilate’s wife is needed in our society because it is good advice. Yet most people are like her husband and do not take the advice to heart.

Her assessment - “That just man.” It is significant how many testimonies of the righteous character of the Lord Jesus were given at the time of the crucifixion. Pilate twice said he found no fault in the Lord Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14). Herod also is said to have found no fault in the Lord Jesus (Luke 23:15). The centurion observing the scene at Calvary said that the Lord Jesus was a “righteous man” (Luke 23:47). And Pilate’s wife said that the Lord Jesus was a “just Man.” She was right. He was absolutely sinless.

Her affliction - “I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” Pilate’s wife had a special dream from the Lord which pained her soul. The phrase “many things” indicates the extent of her suffering; it was great. Affliction is oftentimes sent by God to turn us to Him. Affliction can be very painful, but the purpose is to prevent greater pain. Affliction prompted Pilate’s wife to intercede on behalf of the Lord Jesus. Anything that causes us to take a bold stand for the Lord is worth the pain it may cause

(Adapted from Butler’s Sermon Starters Vol. 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The strength of a man consists in finding out the way in which God is going, and going in that way too!”

Henry ward Beecher (1813 – 1887)

American Congregationalist Clergyman, and Social Reformer

Word Study

Example

In Heb. 4:11 we read, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience” (NKJV).

Example is the Geek word hupódeigma (ὑπόδειγμα = hoop-od'-igue-mah). It is made up of two words: “hupo” which means under or by, and “deíknumi” which means to show, to point to something, to make known the character or significance of something. Thus the word means an example, pattern, illustration. In classical Greek, hupódeigma was used in three primary ways: as a picture of how something should be done; as a model after which something is built; and as an example or specimen of something. In the Septuagint hupódeigma was used in reference to a model or example. In the New Testament hupódeigma was used to mean example of behavior, whether good or bad. God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was an example of what will happen to the ungodly (2 Peter 2:6).

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid” (Jer. 30:10 KJV).

Did You Know…

If you couldn’t afford a lamb or turtledoves for your sin offering, the law allowed you to bring “one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour” in its place (Lev. 5:11).

Bible Quiz

According to the Book of Ecclesiastes, how many strands does the cord which “is not quickly broken” contain?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: Who is recorded in the Bible as speaking the first lie? A serpent (Gen. 3:4).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH”

"But one of the elders said to me, do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals!” (Rev. 5:5 NKJV).

1. Meaning – LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH speaks of the dignity, sovereignty, courage, and intellectual excellence of the Lord Jesus. He is the mighty Overcomer, the Great Conqueror.

2. Insights – This is a title of the Messiah. Judah was the strongest tribe of Israel, and the symbol of the lion shows that the Lord Jesus is the strongest and most powerful member of the tribe of Israel. God had prophesied through Jacob that his own son Judah would be a “lion’s whelp” (young cub). If Judah himself was only a young cub, then the Messiah Himself must be like the King of beasts, the lion. The prophecy predicted that the coming Messiah would possess the strength and power of a lion. Simply stated, the Lord Jesus Christ, the lion of Judah, the all-powerful Messiah and King alone is worthy to take the book and carry out the events of the end time.

Did You Know – Christian History

William Cowper was born November 26, 1731 in Great Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England. He was an English poet and Anglican hymn writer.

Cowper was the son of an Anglican clergyman and his life was full of personal anguish. At five, his mother died, and Cowper was sent to a local boarding school and then moved to Westminster School, in London. At eighteen Cowper began to study law, and fell in love with his cousin Theodora Cowper, but her father did not approve of the relationship.  

After completing law studies he made little effort in the field. Later he was offered a government position for which he would have to be examined. Cowper was so terrified of having to answer questions that he worked himself into a fit of madness. The mental pain Cowper struggled with was primarily depression. He had four major battles with it throughout his life, leading him to attempt suicide on several occasions. After time in a private asylum, he recovered his reason. Cowper apparently became a believer in that insane asylum. He happened upon a Bible on a bench in the garden, and God used John 11 and Romans 3:25 to open his eyes to the goodness of Jesus and the sufficiency of his atoning work. He then moved to the country town of Olney, where John Newton, the ex-slaver, was pastor. Soon they were close friends.

In 1771, Newton, became concerned with Cowper’s increasing mental condition. Hoping to lift his spirits by keeping him busy, Newton suggested that he and Cowper co-author a book of hymns. Newton himself often wrote hymns to illustrate his Sunday sermons. “Amazing Grace” is one of the 280 hymns he wrote for the Olney Hymns. Cowper wrote 68 of the hymns, including “Oh for a closer walk with God,” “God moves in a mysterious way,” and “There is a fountain filled with blood.”

The Olney Hymns first introduced Cowper to the world. He is considered one of the founders of the English Romantic movement. His “John Gilpin” is a children’s favorite. In his best work, “The Task,” Cowper continues to praise his Creator. He once said that of all the gifts God gives to us, God, Himself, is the greatest. However, although a Calvinist as he neared death, he was convinced that he was predestined to damnation. Cowper died of dropsy in 1800; he was 69.

A Little Humor

A man gets on an airplane and sees a nun praying fervently beside him. “Are you afraid of flying?” he asks. “Flying, no. Crashing, yes.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Sin deceives, defiles, deadens, and destroys!”