Grace Baptist Church
My Story - Pilate's Wife
Our Weekly Adult Bible Study, Sunday School, and Lifegroups Theme.
Locations & Times
Grace Baptist Church
4544 Almond St, Philadelphia, PA 19137, USA
Sunday 12:00 AM
Pilate’s Wife - The Grace of Conscience
The wife of Pilate is only mentioned 1 time in Scripture. But her story, and the evident grace of God, is captivating. Other than what Matthew tells us, what we believe we know about her comes from sources outside the Bible - namely a letter accredited to Nicodemus. From his account, her name was Claudia Procle, and it is reported that she became a believer and disciple of Jesus. (There are even some that suppose that she is the Claudia mentioned in II Timothy 4:21, but that we do not know for certain.)
These are great thoughts to entertain, but we seek to understand what the Scriptures tell us of her. What is recorded in this single verse of Matthew is that she had a troubling dream about Jesus and her husband’s influence in his execution. She was so troubled by her dream that she sent an urgent message to her husband warning him to stay out of this matter. Of course we know that Pilate did not heed her warning, and he would be remembered for all eternity as the man who had the Creator crucified on a brutal cross.
The fact that Matthew doesn’t name her, but merely tells us of her marriage to Pilate, indicates that the focus of this detail is to draw our attention to the influences that affected Pilate’s decision to have Jesus crucified. What we’ll find is that God’s grace is often seen in the thoughts and people that influence us. In this story, Pilate was not swayed to honor God, but his wife was. You may say that her influence didn’t change anything, but we must understand this: we are responsible for what we can do. Pilate had the responsibility to judge Jesus righteously, while his wife had the responsibility to warn her husband. Pilate is recorded as trying to wash his hands of his guilt, but Claudia’s hands remained innocent in this trial.
In this story, notice God’s grace in providentially warning her in a dream. When I stop and think about it, I am amazed that God would be concerned for her and Pilate as they were going through this situation. They were thrust into this trial by the Jewish ruling council, and were forced to render a judgment. Still, God spoke to them. We should also recognize that with the dream came the sufferings of conviction. This was not a dream that was forgotten, but one that brought anguish. This emotion is a God-given influence. Again, Grace. So many hear God’s Word and simply move on, but her sensitivity moved her to action.
We should realize that God does not leave us alone to navigate the trials and temptations of life. He has written His law on our hearts (conscience) and speaks to us through various ways. He is not always obeyed, yet, he doesn’t fail to righteously guide us. This week, and for the rest of our lives, we must look for and follow His leading. As we do, we will begin to recognize His grace.
The wife of Pilate is only mentioned 1 time in Scripture. But her story, and the evident grace of God, is captivating. Other than what Matthew tells us, what we believe we know about her comes from sources outside the Bible - namely a letter accredited to Nicodemus. From his account, her name was Claudia Procle, and it is reported that she became a believer and disciple of Jesus. (There are even some that suppose that she is the Claudia mentioned in II Timothy 4:21, but that we do not know for certain.)
These are great thoughts to entertain, but we seek to understand what the Scriptures tell us of her. What is recorded in this single verse of Matthew is that she had a troubling dream about Jesus and her husband’s influence in his execution. She was so troubled by her dream that she sent an urgent message to her husband warning him to stay out of this matter. Of course we know that Pilate did not heed her warning, and he would be remembered for all eternity as the man who had the Creator crucified on a brutal cross.
The fact that Matthew doesn’t name her, but merely tells us of her marriage to Pilate, indicates that the focus of this detail is to draw our attention to the influences that affected Pilate’s decision to have Jesus crucified. What we’ll find is that God’s grace is often seen in the thoughts and people that influence us. In this story, Pilate was not swayed to honor God, but his wife was. You may say that her influence didn’t change anything, but we must understand this: we are responsible for what we can do. Pilate had the responsibility to judge Jesus righteously, while his wife had the responsibility to warn her husband. Pilate is recorded as trying to wash his hands of his guilt, but Claudia’s hands remained innocent in this trial.
In this story, notice God’s grace in providentially warning her in a dream. When I stop and think about it, I am amazed that God would be concerned for her and Pilate as they were going through this situation. They were thrust into this trial by the Jewish ruling council, and were forced to render a judgment. Still, God spoke to them. We should also recognize that with the dream came the sufferings of conviction. This was not a dream that was forgotten, but one that brought anguish. This emotion is a God-given influence. Again, Grace. So many hear God’s Word and simply move on, but her sensitivity moved her to action.
We should realize that God does not leave us alone to navigate the trials and temptations of life. He has written His law on our hearts (conscience) and speaks to us through various ways. He is not always obeyed, yet, he doesn’t fail to righteously guide us. This week, and for the rest of our lives, we must look for and follow His leading. As we do, we will begin to recognize His grace.