Today’s scripture: Matthew 27:11-23 (NRSV) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Cheryl Stonestreet):
I had never noticed verse 19 of this passage before.
While he (Pilate) was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.’
So while Pilate was exasperated with Jesus and the chief priests and elders, even his wife was telling him to let Jesus go.
I love it when I find little tidbits like this. These are the kind of finds that make the Bible all the more real to me. Which led me to doing some research on Pilate’s wife. Her name was Claudia Procula, and while little about her life has been authenticated, there is a great deal of legend and tradition surrounding her. But I digress.
Pilate realized the Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus. His wife told him she had a bad feeling about this guy (Jesus), and yet Pilate went against all his instincts and turned Jesus over to be crucified. This makes me think about times in my life where I have not listened to the messages around me, and made some poor decisions. Those times when I did not heed the red flags. It happens when I am not in tune with God, or God’s will for me.
To get back in tune, I generally turn to a tool that has always worked well for me, a 90-day gratitude list. Each day, for 90 days, I have to find and write down one thing to be grateful for — and there can be no repeats. When I first heard of this, I thought it sounded too easy. And for the first few days, it is. But after the big obvious items are listed, I find myself having to pay closer attention to the world around me, and to my life. It trains me to listen and stay aware. It teaches me to continue to seek.
And in the listening and seeking, I get to learn fascinating new information, like this: Claudia Procula is also mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21. It seems she knew Paul and became a follower of Christ. She is Saint Claudia (or Saint Procula) in the Greek Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox traditions. How cool is that?!
Thought for the day: Lord, teach me how to stay in tuned to You; to listen to the wonders in and of your creation.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.