What Shall I Do with Jesus?, Part 2

Matthew 27:19‑26

     Let's open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 27.  We return today to a portion of Scripture we began to study last Lord's day, Matthew 27, verses 11 through 26.  And in that passage the most impactful question ever faced occurs.  The question comes in verse 22.  "Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ?"  The question that every soul has to answer: what shall I do with Jesus Christ? 

     And to introduce our look at the text again, I would like to digress‑‑if I might‑‑for a moment from it to sort of pose another question.  And that is this, why is it that every person must answer that question?  What is it about Jesus Christ that lays such a claim on every heart?  Why is it that every one must deal with Jesus Christ?  Must make some decision?

     And the answer to that is because of who Jesus Christ is.  Because of what He said and what He did.  Because of the person and work of Christ, the question for every heart is inescapable: what shall I do then with Jesus who is called the Christ?

     The scriptures proclaim that Jesus is God.  From the very beginning in Matthew 1:23 it said His name shall be called Emmanuel which is God with us.  The scriptures proclaim that Jesus is the possessor of the divine names of God.  For example, in Acts chapter 3 verse 14, Peter calls Jesus the Holy One‑‑an Old Testament name decidedly and distinctly given to God. 

     The scriptures also proclaim that Jesus is one with God the Father.  In John 8 it says to know Him is to know the Father.  In John 15 it says to hate Him is to hate the Father.  In Matthew 10, to believe Him is to believe the Father.  In John 14, to see Him is to see the Father.  In John 5, to honor Him is to honor the Father.  And in Mark 9, to receive Him is to receive the Father.

     Furthermore, the scriptures proclaim that Jesus is omnipresent.  He Himself said in Matthew 28:20, "Lo, I am with you always."  A characteristic only true of God.

     The scriptures further proclaim that Jesus is unchanging and eternal.  In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 8, it says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

     The scriptures further proclaim that Jesus is the creator of the world.  It says in John 1 that all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.

     The scriptures also proclaim that Jesus is able to forgive sin.  Repeatedly in His ministry, such as in the second chapter of Mark, it says He said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee."  A prerogative belonging only to God.

     The Scripture also proclaims that He is to be worshiped as God.  Paul writing in Philippians chapter 2 said that to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow of things in the earth, above the earth, under the earth.

     So, you see, Scripture very clearly indicates to us and those are just samples that Jesus Christ is God...that Jesus Christ is every bit God, fully God.  And as God, He lays a tremendous claim upon man to respond to Him.  Now these things do not tell us that He is any less man.  He is the perfect God‑man.  We read the Scripture and we find out that He was fully human.  How do we know that?  For one thing, He was born.  For another, He was circumcised.  For another, He grew.  For another, He had a human name.  For another, He had flesh and blood.  He was hungry.  He wept.  He thirsted.  He slept.  He was weary.  He suffered.  He was tempted.  He would...He was wounded.  He died and He was buried.  All indications of His humanness.

     This Jesus was the God‑man.  No one like Him exists ever.  And so, He makes tremendous demands upon our lives because of the uniqueness of who He is.  We have to deal with that.

     Furthermore, the Old Testament clearly indicates that He is the promised Savior, that He is come into the world not only to show us what God is like but to bring us to God in an act of redemption.  And the prophets outlined the details of life with astounding accuracy.  For example, His birth‑‑Micah said it would be in Bethlehem.  Daniel gave us the approximate date.  Isaiah told us it would be a virgin birth.  Genesis 9 indicated that it would be a Semitic line through which He would come.  Genesis 22 indicated it would be the line of Abraham.  Genesis 49 indicated it would be through the tribe of Judah.  Second Samuel 7 said through the seed of David.  Hosea said He would be taken out of Egypt. 

     And then you look at His life.  In Deuteronomy it said He would be a prophet like Moses.  In Psalm 22 it indicated He would trust God from His birth onward.  Isaiah 9 said He would begin His ministry in Galilee.  Isaiah 11 said He would be anointed by God's Spirit.  Isaiah 53 said He would carry our pains and diseases.  Zechariah 9 said He would enter Jerusalem on a colt.  Isaiah 35, He would perform miracles.

     And even His death.  In Psalm 2, that kings would see His death.  In Psalm 22 that He would be forsaken in death by God.  In Psalm 22 again, He would be scorned and mocked.  In Zechariah chapter 11, the prophet said He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.  In Zechariah 12, He would be smitten and pierced.  In Isaiah 52, they said He would be brutally treated.  Isaiah 53 says He would die for the world's iniquity.  Psalm 22 said His garment would be divided.  Psalm 41, He would be betrayed by a friend.  Psalm 34, not a bone of Him would be broken.  Isaiah 50, verse 6, His beard would be plucked out.  Isaiah 50 also verse 6, He would be spit upon.

     And then, of course, Hosea 6 said He would be raised from the dead.  And Psalm 16 said He would never see corruption.  Psalm 22 said He would conquer death.

     And even His priestly work at the present.  In Psalm 110, verse 4 indicates that He would continue as a priest.  And Amos 9, that He would sit on David's throne.  And so it goes and so it goes.

     You see, we have to deal with someone who is such a dominant theme of Scripture and who is none other than the God‑man Himself.  The perfection of the person of Jesus Christ is absolutely astounding.  And His perfection is demonstrated.  You study His life and you find out, for example, that He was holy.  He was clean from defilement.  He loved righteousness.  He hated sin.  He was victorious over temptation every time He confronted it.  He rebuked sinners.  He will judge the unbelieving.

     We learn, also, from the Scripture as we look at His life that He was loving.  That He loved the Father and He loved Him obediently and He did His will.  That He loved people.  He loved the lost, the ungodly, the sinners.  He loved His own.  He loved the church.  He loved children.  He showed His love by becoming poor, by giving His life, by forgiving sin, by seeking the lost, by healing, supplying needs, sympathizing, strengthening His people, showing compassion on those who were without a shepherd, those who were lost, those who were hungry, those who were sick and blind and demonized and grieved and repentant and even dead.  And He was prayerful.  And He was meek.  And He was humble and righteous and good and faithful and truthful and just and self‑ denying.  And in every way the spotless perfect Lamb of God who came for the sins of the world.

     It is this person of whom Pilate asks: what then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?  And the answer to that question is the determiner of every person's destiny.  For Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem the world from sin, to bring salvation, to remove transgressions, to destroy Satan, to set up an eternal kingdom of peace and glory for those who love and believe in Him.  And it was essential in doing this that He die for sin.  And as we come to Matthew 27, we know that we are close to the cross and therefore close to the climax for which Christ came into the world.  He came to die for our sins, to pay the penalty as our substitute and to rise again that we might live forever.

     And so, no other person has ever come even remotely close to Jesus Christ.  And the destiny, as I said, of every human being hinges on what that person does with Jesus Christ.  Therefore I say Pilate asks the most important question that could ever be asked.

     Now let's look at our text.  What brought the question up?  Why does he even ask it?  Do you remember?  Jesus had spent three years teaching and preaching, healing, casting out demons, raising the dead.  Three years training the Twelve.  Now that's all come to a climax as He enters into Jerusalem for this His final Passover.  He comes into the city, as you know, on Monday and cleanses the temple on Tuesday and comes back to the temple on Wednesday and teaches all day long in a confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees and even the Herodians and everybody else who could get involved.  And then Wednesday night, as He retreated from that busy, busy day of teaching and confrontation and rebuke in the temple, He goes to the Mount of Olives and there He gives the great Olivet Discourse which is the sermon of our Lord on His own Second Coming.

     And then on Thursday He makes preparation for the Passover.  And the disciples get everything ready and Thursday night they eat the Passover.  And near midnight they leave that upper room in Jerusalem to go out to the Mount of Olives to the garden of Gethsemane where the Lord wants to pray to ready His heart for the death that awaits Him later that very same day.  And it is at the midnight hour as Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane, sweating‑‑as it were‑‑great drops of blood in agonizing conflict with Satan who comes at Him in three waves of temptation that He is completely victorious again.  Resolute, He sets His face to the cross. 

     No sooner does He come back from that prayer time then Judas arrives with all of the religious leaders along with a spira(?), that's a cohort of Roman soldiers numbering about 600 men.  They come into the garden.  They take Jesus captive.  They rush Him off to the house of Annas and Caiaphas for a mock trial in order that they might somehow legitimize their desire to execute Him to get Him out of the way.

     The whole nation of Israel has been eternally impacted by Jesus Christ in this brief ministry.  Some believed.  And for them the impact was eternal life.  Many rejected with hostility and for them the impact is eternal death.  The most of the people, the majority were just curious and non‑committal and suffered the same fate as those who hostilely rejected Him.

     So, when Jesus comes to Jerusalem for this last time, everything comes to a climax.  The hostility and the rejection of the populous of Jerusalem reaches a fever pitch.  And as we saw in our last study, they screamed for His blood in this very passage, to have Him crucified.

     Now remember, there were three phases to the Jewish trial.  Jesus was first taken to Annas because Annas was the power behind the scene.  And they thought Annas could come up with an indictment.  They didn't have any indictment, they didn't have any crime for which to try Him.  They tried bribing false witnesses.  They tried getting people to lie.  They paid off Judas.  But even Judas came and threw the money back and said, "I have betrayed innocent blood."  They couldn't get any legitimate accusation against Him.  They brought Him to Annas figuring Annas might come up with something.  Annas was absolutely unsuccessful, sent Him to Caiaphas.  And from one to three in the morning, Friday morning from 1 A.M. to 3 A.M., there was a mock trial in front of Caiaphas at which time they accused Jesus of blasphemy for saying He was the Christ the Son of God...which was not blasphemy but the truth.  Then they blasphemed Him by spitting in HIs face, slapping Him while He was blindfolded and asking Him who it was that hit Him.  And then punching Him in the face until He was black and blue with a puffy face and spittle all over it.

     Then they kept Him captive till about five o'clock in the morning at which time they brought Him into the legal place of trial, the Judgement Hall.  And they had a sort of a...of a quick, maybe a five to ten minute trial in the dawn because the Jewish law required that a trial had to be during the day and in the Judgment Hall.  And, of course, there's was in the middle of the night in the house of Caiaphas and thus was illegal.

     So, wanting to put a veneer of legality over their...their desire to kill Jesus, they had this mock trial repeated in the morning at 5 A.M.  They decided that He must die.  The problem for them was they had not the right of execution.  So they had to take Him to Pilate.  And so, you have three more phases in the secular Roman trial of Christ before Pilate.  And as we've noted in this, Matthew's purpose is always the same.  He exalts Christ, no matter how bleak the scene, no matter how ugly the surroundings, no matter how dehumanizing and blasphemous the situation might be in reference to Christ, Christ always comes out glorious, always comes out glorious.  Even when they're spitting in His face, His glory shines and their ugliness is made manifest.

     Now each element of the trial before Pilate exalts the Savior.  Let's go back for a moment and remind ourselves of what we saw last time.  First was the accusation of the Jews.  You can follow your outline if you'd like.  The accusation of the Jews in verse 11: "Jesus stood before the governor, the governor asked Him, saying, Are You the king of the Jews?  Jesus said, Thou sayest."  The Jews had accused Him.  Do you remember, they finally sort of formulated an accusation against Him and it indicated that they accused Him of‑‑this is from Luke 23‑‑they accused Him of being the leader of a seditious insurrection, troubling the people, stirring them up, cultivating a revolution.  Secondly, they accused Jesus of forbidding people to pay taxes to Caesar.  And thirdly, of claiming to be a king which made Him a rival in terms of sovereignty against Pilate, against the Herods, against Caesar himself.  In other words, they had to come up with an accusation that would involve the Romans.  The Romans weren't going to carry out a trial of Jesus for some religious issue that belonged within the framework of Judaism.  So they had to manufacture a Roman issue.  And so, they tried to convince Pilate that Jesus was in fact an insurrectionist rebel who was vying for the throne of Rome.  And, of course, it was a lie.  It was all false. 

     And you remember what happened.  They took Jesus to Pilate.  They wouldn't go in the Judgment Hall of Pilate because they didn't want to be defiled for the Passover by going into a Gentile dwelling, part of their ridiculous tradition.  Jesus went on inside.  Pilate came out.  Talked to them on the outside.  Got their accusations.  Walked back in.  Conducted his trial with Jesus Christ.  Came back out a few minutes later.  It's still only about 5:15 in the morning likely.  And he says to them, his verdict is "I find" and that is a technical term for a verdict.  We use it even today.  The jury finds the defendant guilty.  The word "find" is indicative of something legal that has occurred.  He says "I find no fault in this man."  John 18:38 indicates that finding in that first phase of the trial. 

     The people refuse to accept the verdict and they screamed and yelled and more powerfully accused Jesus of sedition and being a threat to Roman rule.  And, of course, we remember, don't we, that Pilate was in a very difficult place.  He had already had three riots that he had caused among the Jews.  He had been reported to Tiberius Caesar for the last one.  Things were very tenuous.  The Romans wanted peace and he was having a hard time keeping it.  And he was not about to let another riot break out.  He knew that if he released Jesus, which would be consistent with his verdict, he would foment another riot.  It probably would get back to Caesar and his job would be on the line and maybe even his head would be on the line.  He could not survive politically another problem with the people he was given rulership over.

     But we saw, didn't we, in that first element, that accusation of the Jews how innocent Jesus was.  Because they had to manufacture a lie about Him to even make an accusation.  So He is exalted by the fact that they can find no legitimate thing against Him, though they have tried and tried and tried.

     The second thing we noted was the attitude of the Lord.  Not only the accusation of the Jews, but the attitude of the Lord.  And in it all He was completely silent.  Verse 12, "He answered nothing."  Verse 14, "He answered them not a word."  There was no answer.  There was nothing to say.  Why Pilate had come out after phase one, which was recorded, remember, in John 18, not here in Matthew after that first phase.  Pilate had come out...we just have an allusion to it in verse 11, that's all, not the full details.  And he had said not guilty. 

     So when all the crowd started screaming at him and all the accusations, He didn't say anything because there was nothing to say.  He did not need to defend Himself.  The court had been held and the verdict was in.  And calmly and majestically He stands there innocent.  And the wonder and the beauty of it is that He is so resolutely committed to the cross that He never bothers to defend Himself.  He never bothers to try to argue against their accusations.  He is absolutely silent.  He is absolutely innocent.  He is utterly committed to the cross for the sake of the sins of the people themselves who were even screaming at Him.

     Well, one of the things they screamed, as we remember from studying the comparative gospels, was that He was seditious starting at Galilee even unto this place.  In other words, He's building a sedition all over the land.  And, of course, when Pilate heard Him say "Galilee", that triggered in his mind the realization that Galilee was the territory ruled by Herod Antipas who was one of the puppet kings that Rome allowed to be there.  And though they didn't have military power and judicial power, they had a certain sort of...sort of presence.  And there were some particular things that they could do, it was mostly pomp and circumstance and not a lot else.  But there were times when they were useful, and this might be one of those times.

     Realizing then that Jesus was from the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas in Galilee, and that Herod was in Jerusalem for the Passover, Pilate sent Jesus bound to Herod.  And all the Jews went along with Him and they brought Him before Herod hoping‑‑ from Pilate's viewpoint‑‑that Herod would take this thing over, condemn Jesus to death, or deal with the Jewish people or do something that he couldn't accomplish.  And you remember Herod's response.  He thought the idea was ludicrous.  This man a king?  He laughed.  He mocked.  He put a robe on Jesus and made a joke out of the whole thing.  It was not only ridiculous, it was even funny.  And Jesus became a laughing stock, the butt of the jokes of Herod. 

     And Herod sent Him back.  And it's still not even six o'clock in the morning, back to Pilate again robed in this robe supposedly representing a king.  And Pilate has Jesus back again.  And through it all, it says, when He was in front of Herod, He said nothing, never a word.  There was nothing to say.  The verdict had been rendered.  In fact, you might be interested to know that before this trial before Pilate and Herod is over, the innocence of Jesus will be stated five separate times.  The religious world, the pagan world, the demons of hell cannot come up with one accusation that stands. 

     And so, Jesus is silent.  And Peter comments on it and says, "When He was reviled, He reviled not again.  When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed to Him who judges righteously."  Think of what He could have said.  Think of the curses He could have said...stated.  Think of what Jesus might have said to those people that day but He said absolutely nothing.  The defense of Jesus as to His absolute innocence is left with the facts not a self‑defense.  And He is exalted again.

     Thirdly, we saw‑‑and we'll go back to it now‑‑the animosity of the crowd...the animosity of the crowd.  That, too, demonstrates the exaltation of Christ.  And that begins in verse 15.  But before we look at that, I want to remind you of the twenty third chapter of Luke because as I have said we have to bring in all of these to get the full picture...Luke 23:15...23:13 to 15.  Just to get the scene: "And Pilate..." now Pilate has Him back from Herod, "and when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people..."  Now he's got to deal with this thing a third phase in the trial.  "Said, You have brought this man unto me as one that perverts the people, and behold, I have examined Him before you, have found no fault in this man touching the things of which you accuse Him.  No, nor yet Herod."  Herod didn't either.  "For I sent you to him and lo, nothing worthy of death is done by Him."

     And we can go back to Matthew.  Now let the record stand, all right?  No accusation stood before Annas.  No accusation stood before Caiaphas.  No accusation stood before Pilate.  And no accusation stood before Herod.  And the record of history stands that He is not guilty.  And Pilate reiterates it and this initiation of the third phase of that Roman trial.  And as I said, according to John 19:14, it is about six A.M. and all this hurry‑up kind of thing has taken only about an hour or so.  Pilate wants to get rid of Jesus.  He can't afford another riot but he also has to deal with his own conscience and sense of justice.

     So, verse 15 says, "Now at that feast, the governor was accustomed to releasing unto the people a prisoner whomever they would.  And they had a notable prisoner," that is a prisoner of mark, or a prisoner of note, "called Barabbas.  Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Whom will you that I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?" 

     Now you remember what I just pointed out in Luke's gospel, that he called together the chief priests and the leaders and the people...do you remember that?  We just read that.  Why?  Initially, in the first two phases it was only the chief priests and leaders.  Now he calls the people because he has a plan. He knows that Jesus is popular with the people.  It's now six A.M., the city is moving about, it is the day of the Passover for the residents of Judea, Jerusalem.  And so, things are moving very fast early in the morning.  And he calls the people because his plan is this, Jesus is popular with the people, Jesus is hated by the leaders.  "What I will do is offer them the alternative of Barabbas or Jesus and pit the people against the leaders." 

     That was his plan, feeling that the people who were attracted to Jesus, who‑‑by the way‑‑and surely he was well aware of it, had hailed Jesus as their Messiah King and so forth on Monday when He rode in triumphally to the city.  He knew of the popularity of Jesus.  He was well aware of that.  He also knew that the leaders wanted Jesus dead out of jealousy, verse 18.  He knew it was a matter of envy.  So he knew that this was a plot against Jesus by the leaders and thought he could pit the leaders against the people who felt Jesus to be very popular.

     But verse 19, an amazing thing happened.  There was an interruption.  We'll come back to that, go to verse 20.  And while he was distracted for a few moments, the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  A providential divinely caused interlude and in the moment of that interlude, it gave the leaders the time they needed to stir up the multitude against Jesus.  And so, instead of pitting one against the other, the multitude was sucked in as a fickle crowd by the leaders and Pilate's effort failed.

     In verse 21, "The governor answered, came back from his interlude, and said, Now which of the two will you that I release unto you?  And the whole mob said Barabbas...Barabbas.  The coward Pilate who refused to do what was right and was trying all these little plots was again foiled.  And then he posed the question in verse 22, "Pilate said to them, What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ?"  And he uses that little descriptive phrase "who is called Christ" to set Jesus so distinctly apart from Barabbas.  Barabbas, who was a criminal, an insurrectionist, a murderer, a plunderer, a bandit...and Jesus who is called the anointed.  With all of the ramifications that that term Christ would have, that term "anointed" in their understanding, he wants to identify for them who Jesus is by definition so that they can see the contrast.  And so he asks that very, very essential question, what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?

     Back to Luke 23 for a moment, we pick up something that's important.  In Luke 23:20, "Pilate willing to release Jesus spoke again to them, but they cried saying, Crucify Him, Crucify Him.  He said to them the third time, Why?  What evil has He done?  I have found no cause of death in Him, I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  And the question you ask at this point is why?  If you find no fault in Him, why are you going to chastise Him?  Well, it's an act of condescension.  It's to try to appease the blood‑thirsty cries of the people.  But that's not going to be effective and they were urgent with loud voices requiring that He might be crucified and the voices of them and the chief priests prevailed.  And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they require.

     Incredible.  Five times he announces the innocence of Jesus Christ then sentences Him to death.  "And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison whom they had desired.  But he delivered Jesus to their will."

     Now go back to Matthew again.  They wanted Him crucified.  Pilate did it because Pilate was trapped, he was blackmailed for fear of losing his job and his life.  Verse 23 picks up that same scene.  The governor said, "Why?  What evil has He done?  And they just cried out the more saying, Let Him be crucified."

     And then in verse 25, remember, we stopped on this note last time, the people then answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Listen, dear friends, I have a great love for Jewish people.  This does not reflect the attitude of every Jewish person who's lived in history, not even every Jewish person who lived in the time of Christ, not every Jewish person in Jerusalem, not even every Jewish person in that crowd.  But this was the dominant cry of that crowd that day.  And the fact of the matter is, however you wish it would be, it is true that the blood of Jesus Christ was by their own testimony taken on the people of Israel.  Yes, He was executed by the Romans and there was complicity there for sure.  But it was the Jewish population and leaders that screamed that His blood be accounted to their charge.

     Later on, you remember, in Acts chapter 5 and verse 38, as the apostles went out to preach, they preached this same message.  They preached that Israel was guilty of the blood of their own Messiah.  A crime of proportions that are so monstrous it's indefinable.  And we know they preached that message, we know the apostles preached the guilty of Israel because in Acts 5:38 they said, "You are filling all Jerusalem with this doctrine and intend to bring on us the blood of this man."  So we know they preached that...that that nation might understand its guilt. 

     You say, "Is that the end of the story?"  No, the end of the story is that Israel‑‑according to Romans‑‑shall be saved in the future and this then becomes one of the greatest if not the single greatest testimony to the grace of God in all of human history.  God is a God of grace to redeem a people who have taken on themselves the responsibility for the blood of His own Son.  That is the grace of God.  That is supernatural.

     And so, we see even in the animosity of the crowd the beauty of Jesus Christ, so perfect.  Declared innocent five times by Pilate.  And even in this scene, He is exalted as the perfect spotless Son of God.

     Now I want you to go back to verse 19.  And there's a fourth testimony to the exaltation of Christ.  We'll call this the apprehension of the wife...the apprehension of the wife.  Let's see what that interlude was that interrupted Pilate and allowed the leaders to stir up the crowd.  Pilate was seated on the Judgment Seat, that is the judicial bench, the official seat of authority.  Remember now, the Jews wouldn't go into the Judgment Hall where this was suppose to occur so Pilate had to take his chair out and put it on the porch in front and the people stayed out in the courtyard or the patio or the street, whatever.  And Pilate takes his seat outside, sits it down, takes a place in the seat and therefore constitutes a genuine judicial act.  He is seated on the Judgment Seat.

     At that point, his wife sent unto him.  Here comes a message from his wife.  It isn't his wife, it is a message from his wife.  Now there are times in your life when you just really don't need to have a message from your wife.  This...this would definitely be one of those times.  Don't bother me when I'm judging, you know.  That kind of thing.  So he's out there and he gets a message from his wife.  The message is this: "Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man."  Now stop at that point.

     Now she must have had a little clout with Pilate.  This is a desperate thing.  And his response to it indicates that what she said carried weight with him.  "Have nothing to do with that righteous man."  What is Pilate's wife verdict on Jesus Christ?  What is her verdict?  Righteous.  No doubt they had discussed Jesus even the night before because remember the night before when the Jews came to capture Jesus, they had all these Roman soldiers.  In order to get those Roman soldiers, they would have had permission to be given by Pilate and so Pilate knew about Jesus.  He was not oblivious to what was going on in the land of Palestine. 

     Jesus, for all intents and purposes, had banished disease from the whole land.  He knew about Him.  Everybody knew about Him.  He knew what had gone on all week.  He knew He'd cleansed the temple.  He knew He'd come into the city and been hailed as Messiah.  He was very much aware of this miracle worker.  The word of the resurrection of Lazarus, no doubt, had even come to him.  And that night they had discussed this.  He knew that it was envy over Jesus that caused the Jewish leaders to want Jesus dead, verse 18 said.  He knew about Him.

     And his wife was convinced that this man Jesus‑‑wherever she got her information‑‑basically was a righteous man.  And here is the testimony incredibly of a pagan.  Now listen to this.  The nation Israel with all the prophets and all the messages of God and all the promises and all the law of God to whom the Messiah of God came first and just let the Gentiles lick the crumbs off the table, the nation of Israel curses Jesus Christ, takes His blood on themselves, kills Him as an unjust and evil man and a pagan who knows nothing says He's righteous.  What a condemnation of the people of Israel.  What depth of evil and sin and denial of the authority of Old Testament scripture and its interpretation have they come to.  And her word to her husband was, "Don't get involved with this man.  Don't have a thing to do with Him.  Get out of the picture.  You're dealing with a righteous man." 

     She was fearful of the consequence.  And she was right.  Pilate later on was taken out of Palestine, sent to Gaul and there he committed suicide.  He committed suicide for the same reason that Judas did, because both of them couldn't deal with the tremendous guilt of having betrayed and dealt unjustly with the only perfectly righteous person that ever lived.  As I told you before, the primary cause of suicide psychologically is retribution.  It's self‑inflicted punishment.  And the ultimate crime demands the ultimate punishment.  And we have little to wonder about in the suicide of Pilate as in the suicide of Judas.  It really was inescapable.

     Now where did she get these fears?  Verse 19, "I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of Him."  Now there's nothing in the text to indicate that that is a supernatural dream, that God gave her that dream.  The dream may have been simply the providence of God.  Oh, I believe God was in it and I believe God sent the messenger at the moment that that messenger was to be there to stir up that crowd because Jesus had to die, right?  That had to happen.  Everything that happens here is under the control of God by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God...Acts 2 says.  I don't necessarily believe it is a supernatural dream but that all of the thoughts about Jesus and they knew the uniqueness of Jesus and they knew that the leaders were jealous of Him and they knew that He was a good man.  And that had been confirmed already by Pilate.  And all of these thoughts certainly directed by the Spirit of God brought a dream that filled her heart with fear and she suffered through that nightmarish dream and she suffered...