It’s dawn on Friday, a day we call “good” only because it’s good for us.
On this day Jesus canceled the record of debt that stood against us nailing it to the cross.
Something else that happened on this day is the trial, if you could even call it that, of Jesus. In Matthew’s account of the Gospel, he records something no one else does. He reports that Pilate’s wife, who is not named in the text, had a dream.
Dreams have always been a precarious situation. Was it the Mexican talking from last night? Did you fall asleep watching murder mysteries? Or is God actually speaking to you?
Matthew, and only Matthew, does not shy away from the way God speaks and reveals important information via dreams.
In a dream Joseph learns it’s okay to take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20).
In a dream the Wise Men learn Herod is not to to be trusted (Matthew 2:12).
In a dream Joseph is told to take his family to Egypt (Matthew 2:13).
In a dream Joseph is told to take his family back to Israel (Matthew 2:19).
In a dream Joseph is told to take his family to Nazareth to live (Matthew 2:22).
In a dream Pilate’s wife suffers immensely because of Jesus (Matthew 27:19).
Dreams, I think we could agree, are vitally important to Jesus actually being able to grow up and do the work he was sent to do. Think about it, without the obedience of Joseph, Jesus didn’t stand a chance in a Herod world.
Here on Good Friday, Pilate’s wife, a Roman, not a Jew, receives a dream and in it she suffers greatly. She, rightly so, reports to her husband, “have nothing to do with that righteous man.” We must get out of our context of dreams and enter their context of how they thought about dreams. For Romans, dreams were omens. Dreams had the ability to reveal divine truth and reveal the future. In this case, how right she was. As the story goes, Pilate does not listen to her voice, while he does wash his hands of the situation, all of history knows the story, in that Jesus, “suffered under Pontius Pilate”. Pilate’s name will, for all human history, be attached to the suffering of Jesus Christ, the only perfect person to walk the face of the earth.
But why does it all matter? We don’t even know his wife’s name! Why would we spend time on such a limited and seemingly unimportant person like Pilate’s wife?
Let me take a go at it.
Eve, in the garden of Eden, listened to the wrong voice, Adam followed.
Pilate’s wife, at the trial of Jesus, listened to the right voice, Pilate did not follow.
Eve, on this side of glory, is linked to listening to the wrong voice.
Pilate, on this side of glory, is linked to not listening to the right voice.
Oh the voices we listen to…
Everything in the story of the world goes awry when Eve listens to a voice other than the voice of the Lord. And Saint, there’s nothing new under the sun.
There are voices in our lives that are good and bad. James testifies that voices can bless and curse (James 3:9-10). Which means your voice can bless or curse people. Which means the voices you are listening to might be cursing you or they might be blessing you.
Learning to listen to the right voice, I believe, is the battle of our day here in 2024. While the battle is over the mind, it’s also over the ears as well. Voices are lying to us. There is a father of lies (John 8:444) who plays by no rules and is content and intent on ruining your life.
Maybe that’s why the most important commandment isn’t what we do, but learning to listen. When Jesus responds to the inquiry from the Scribes for which of the 613 OT laws is the most important, Jesus responds with straight Scripture as the Word speaks the Word, when he says, “the most important is…hear…” (Mark 12:29).
Never underestimate the importance of who or what you are listening to, dear saint. We must hear the Word of God, we must marinate in it, because it’s the Word of God that trains us to hear words from God.
We must know Jesus by hearing his voice. Your life depends on it.
In Leviticus 8:23-24, Moses anoints Aaron and his son’s right ear lobe. Why? Because Aaron, as a priest, must be ever, always, 24/7/365 wide open and listening to the Word of the Lord.
Now if you were thinking, “ahh that’s nice, but he is a priest.” Fast forward with me to 1 Peter 2:9, if you are a blood bought, born again, new creation in Christ, wide open to the Holy Ghost, you too are a priest, in fact we all are a royal priesthood with the task of proclaiming the excellences of Jesus, the one who has brought us out of darkness and into his marvelous light.
As priests may our ears be ever awakened (Isaiah 50:4), attentive to the Word of the Lord, easily distinguishing lies from truth. May we fulfill the words of Jesus, having ears to hear the Word of the Lord.
Amen & Amen & Amen.
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