All any of us can do is respond with worship and serve Him in love
Matthew 27:19
While he [Pilate] was sitting on the judge’s bench, his wife [Claudia] sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I’ve suffered terribly in a dream because of him."
It's very interesting to me to make note of the Roman governor's wife Claudia Procula. According to the third century Christian resources, including the apocryphal writings known as the Gospel of Nicodemus, she was the wife of Pontius Pilate and must have had some importance among the early Christian Church to be included in this book of Matthew.
The Church of Greece commemorates Claudia Procula as a venerated saint. The Coptic Christians in Egypt also venerate her, as do the Ethiopian churches. And Claudia has also been the subject of Russian orthodox hymns and other spiritual songs.
The apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus says that the Jews tried to prevent Claudia from interceding for Jesus Christ. It's suggested that she was a follower of his and was very much aware of his ministry and teachings.
Some traditions suggest she served the apostles and their disciples while in exile.
2 Timothy 4:21
"Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters."
There is a detailed ancient resource known as, “The Letters of Claudia Procula to Fulvia” that shares the story of her life in Jerusalem with a good deal of attention given to the events related to the Gospel story of Jesus Christ.
The tradition is that Pontius Pilate became a wanderer forever; and his wife Claudia was also condemned to accompany him in this exile.
So what do we really know?
We know that the gospel writer had received witness to this bit of personal revelation between Pilate and his wife. We know she received a dream about Jesus because Matthew records it for us. Some traditions claim she was under demonic attack and faced a demon that was attempting to prevent her from convincing her husband to release Jesus.
"I’ve suffered terribly in a dream"
It seems more likely to me that she faced an angelic threat sent from The Father. For we know that it was both his will and the will of Jesus himself that all these events should be fulfilled. The demons would be more inclined towards having Jesus's will be thwarted.
We can see that the providence of God is at work in three different ways in this story:
1. Claudia had a dream about Jesus that upset her very much.
2. She knew about Jesus and his disciples knew her, and she knew that Jesus was a righteous man.
3. And we know that her warning comes at a critical moment in the trial in which Pilate could have saved Jesus from the wrath of the mob.
But there's something more to make note of, and I think this is why I'm motivated to write devotion today on this verse.
The wife of the Roman governor. The wife of a governor that governed from out of a pagan culture. A so-called Gentile woman. The wife of a man who had to answer to the Roman emperor, was the only one that spoke up for Jesus during his trial. I find that interesting.
Claudia says to her husband Pilate that she suffered from a dream. A dream she had "today". Likely early Friday morning as the dawn was approaching.
Have you ever had dreams like that? I have. Probably the most troubling of all my dreams are those that come to me while I'm wrestling between staying asleep or waking up. Right around 3 am. It seems that 3 am is a spiritual time for me. I have heard revelation from God at that hour many times. And I've suffered from very troubling dreams as well at that same time. I suppose 3 am is both my holy time and my witching hour. And maybe it was the same for Claudia. At that hour when the light of day is very near, the demonic energies are still resisting it and they come alive for one last push before the dawning light drives them out again for another day.
Claudia wakes from her dream and tries to help her husband escape his legacy of guilt that will follow him to his grave and far beyond. He's guilty of moral cowardice, and compromised ethics. For in his moment of crisis he condemned an innocent man to death in order to quiet the mob that threatened his existence. In other words, he's guilty of selling out an innocent man to save his job.
His legacy:
Three names are mentioned EVERY Sunday in those churches that still recite the apostle's creed.
Jesus.
Mary.
and Pilate.
Claudia couldn't prevent this legacy from coming to pass, neither she nor her husband had that kind of power. Everything was fixed, they couldn't have changed it if they tried.
Pilate tried four times to release Jesus, and he even said, "I find no fault in him." Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, and now every Sunday millions say these words, "Born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate."
What a legacy. What a dream.
What we can learn from this is some historical facts:
Jesus was innocent, no one believes otherwise.
Pilate was guilty, no one believes otherwise.
And probably most importantly, God is in control. Jesus died for sins he didn't commit, and we are forgiven for sins we did commit.
So what should we think about Claudia?
I think of her as a kind of New Testament Esther. Only the word she sent to the ruling authority was not heeded. Her husband tried to follow her advice about Jesus, but Claudia, like every person who has ever tried since, found out that neutrality when it comes to Jesus is impossible for those who are not completely committed to Him.
I think she was close to that commitment. I think she is the Claudia of Paul's letter. I think she became a committed member of the early church. Probably had a great deal of influence in its spread throughout the empire. She was the illegitimate daughter of Claudia, who was the third wife of the Emperor Tiberius and, that made her the granddaughter of Caesar Augustus. Probably she gets mentioned here in Matthew's gospel because she is indeed an influential figure in the new Christian movement.
Just remember one thing from this. Claudia and Pilate could not change what had to happen. For all their influence and power, they couldn't prevent God from having his will be done. Not even the greatest empire ever seen could stop our God. His kingdom is not of this world; therefore, the world cannot prevent the kingdom from doing its will.
Everything that happened had to happen. It was God's will, it was prophesied...
Isaiah 50:6
“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting”
...and it was impossible for anyone to stop it.
He had to be "pierced for our transgressions".
Nothing Claudia and Pilate was going to do would prevent him from being "crushed for our iniquities".
All any of us can do is respond with worship and serve Him in love. Doing whatever we can to defend our faith for his sake and for the salvation of his children who have yet to receive Him.