One good marriage used by God can impact the world

I haven’t once watched “Jon & Kate Plus 8”. But like most Americans, I’ve heard this week of their proclaimed fate. My view of how their marriage difficulty could be addressed is posted online at EverydayChristian.com.

Today, I read of another marriage. One that I’ve not heard spoken of before. Consider the marriage of Pilate and his wife. Yes, Pilate, that governor who gave up our Lord to be crucified. I’ve always thought of him in such a negative light.

Actually, he’s just a sinner like me. Given the circumstances, I don’t know that I would have responded as a leader any differently. But I don’t think God would have had it any other way. I mean, if we Christians truly believe in the sovereignty of God and the sacrifice of Jesus given by God to reconcile us to Him, then Jesus had to go to the cross. God saw to it that He did. And I think He may have let Pilate’s nameless wife play an important role.

It would be easy to read right past Matthew 27:19. But it’s in there for a reason. God included every verse for a reason. In verse 19, we find Pilate determining what to do with Jesus, having found Him unworthy of the death sentence. He had a custom of releasing one prisoner to the crowd at “the feast”, likely referring to the Feast of the Passover. So he asked the crowd whom he should release to them – Jesus, an innocent man, only guilty in Pilate’s eyes of claiming to be a king but not worthy of death; or Barabbas, a convicted robber and murderer.

Now we come to verse 19. While Pilate was in this decision-making position, his wife sent a word to him saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”

You see, back then, dreams were taken a lot more seriously. God used dreams to influence men in certain ways. Many believed that dreams were omens. The wise men that followed the star followed their dreams, literally. They were warned in a dream not to return to Herod after visiting the Christ child, and instead, returned to their country a different way (Matt. 2:12).

Pilate’s wife had a dream. This was not incidental to the outcome. It influenced Pilate in his decision. He listened to his wife, and had nothing to do with Jesus. He gave the decision to the people to make. Later in the passage, we read that Pilate washed his hands with water in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood” (v. 24).

What if Pilate had not listened to his wife? Or what if she had not shared? He might have responded in a different way. Instead, Pilate might have said, “He is not a candidate for the death penalty. Release Him!” But that was not God’s plan. The reason Jesus had been taken to the Governor to begin with is because the religious leaders lacked the authority to impose the death sentence. They needed the Governor’s ok.

Although Christ’s crucifixion was horrible, it’s what opened the door for us to be saved from the death penalty that we deserve for our sinfulness. It’s what allows us today to experience an everlasting love relationship with God.

God gave Pilate’s wife a dream, one that she felt free to share with her husband, one that her husband felt compelled to take seriously. Pilate and his wife communicated. They had some level of respect for each other. No, we don’t know how much, but we know their marriage was at least functional. They hadn’t thrown in the towel. And God was able to use it to help accomplish the greatest act of love ever known to man.

If you’re married, how healthy is your relationship? How is God using your marriage to accomplish His plan?