15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” (Matthew 27:15-19).
The historical and culture context looms large in today’s text. Unless we understand these two contexts, we will not appreciate why the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to record this setting and scene. Ultimately, the contexts reveal a true historical event which occurred in space and time. It is fact and not fiction.
First, there was the custom of releasing a prisoner at the Feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread. The text says, “The governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
“Customs like this release of a prisoner varied locally. Roman law recognized two kinds of amnesty: acquittal before the trial and pardon of the condemned; this is the latter. Pilate was not required by law to cooperate, but he had severely irritated the priestly aristocracy and Jerusalemites at the beginning of his tenure and may have wished to avoid further problems,” explains commentator Craig Keener.
“Whether the reference here is to any of the great religious festivals or exclusively to the Passover is not clear, though the idea of setting a prisoner free would seem to be most appropriate in connection with Passover, the commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from the house of bondage. One thing is clear: Pilate at this particular moment is most willing to grant the request of the people (Mark 15:8) that, according to custom, a prisoner be released; for, as he sees it, this may be the way he can get Jesus off his hands,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.
Second, there was the Roman governor’s judgment seat. What is the significance of Pilate sitting on this seat? “Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him.”
The judgment seat (βῆμα; bema) was a judicial bench on a raised platform mounted by steps and furnished with a seat. It was used by officials in addressing a crowd.
“The association of a βῆμα with judicial procedures means that there is almost always an important component of judicial function associated with this term. Therefore in translating βῆμα, it is often best to use a phrase such as ‘a place where a judge decides’ or ‘a place where decisions are made’ or ‘a judge’s seat.’ The focus upon judgment is particularly important in those passages which refer to the judgment seat of God (Rom. 14:10) and of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10),” comments Keener.
Thirdly, there is incident of Pilate’s wife and her nightmare. She said to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.”
She did not want Pilate to have anything to do with Jesus. She identified Jesus as a righteous man. She also suffered (πάσχω; pascho) or underwent an experience of a dream. Whether this dream was a vision from God, or something else entirely, is hard to determine. However, it was within the providence, or purposeful sovereignty, of God.
“Pilate was sitting on his official chair on the platform, reached by steps, in front of the praetorium. His wife Claudia Procula, or simply Procla—was that her real name?—has had a dream, a kind of nightmare. That she dreamt about Jesus is not strange. Did not everybody in Jerusalem know about Jesus, and is it not even possible that she had been awakened by the procession which, so early in the morning, had brought a prisoner to the praetorium? Besides, though neither she nor her husband were regularly living in Jerusalem, nevertheless it seems rather natural that the procurator, who already knew certain facts about the attitude of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus (see verse 18), had conveyed some of this information to her. Perhaps after the early morning disturbance she had fallen asleep again (note “this very day,” states Dr. Hendriksen.
“Was she really giving good advice to her husband? In a certain sense she certainly was doing exactly that, for by means of her message she was urging her husband not to condemn Jesus, whom she called “that righteous man.” The inclusion of this story in the Gospel of Matthew is therefore one more piece of evidence attesting the righteousness of our Lord, which makes it possible for him to be the Savior. As far as this woman’s advice was good, it can also be considered a divinely directed warning addressed to Pilate.”
Historical tradition says Pilate’s wife became a believer in Christ. The Coptic Church honors her memory. The Greek Orthodox Church includes her name in the calendar of saints. But such honors and traditions are not substantial evidence of her conversion.
All three observations reveal a historical event. The trials and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus Christ was/is not fiction.
Soli deo Gloria!
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