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|The Warning
Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judea. He serves the Emperor Tiberius from 26 ad to 36.
This is an image of a painting commissioned by the Italian government in 1871.
This is the most famous painting of Swiss artist, Antonio Ciseri (1821–1891), who completed this painting in 1891. It’s huge, measuring about 12 ½ feet wide by 9 ½ feet tall.
This painting, Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), is Antonio Ciseri’s masterpiece. It is now in the Gallery of Modern Art at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy.
It’s beautifully composed, with near-photographic-cinematic precision. The artist emphasizes the emotional and moral weight of Jesus’ redemption and salvation of you and me, and of people we know, and people we don’t know.
Jesus is wearing the scarlet robe. He has been scourged, the first punishment of crucifixion, and he is wearing the crown of thorns, standing before the crowd that is screaming for his crucifixion.
I want to tell you about the events that happened before this moment, before Pilate’s judgement and the washing of his hands.
Pontius Pilate is sitting on the seat of judgement, seconds away from ruling on Jesus.
The trial has reached the point of decision, the moment when the governor’s voice becomes law.
The crowd outside is growing larger and louder. Religious leaders are pushing. The scene is ugly.
Suddenly, a servant pushes through the ring of observers, with a message.
Pontius Pilate opens the message. It’s from his wife. He reads.
“Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
This single passage in Matthew (27:19 NIV) is just one sentence.
Her message is not a suggestion. It’s a warning. “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man.”
She’s saying, do not touch him, do not sign the death warrant. Do not let your name be attached to this. Outside, the crowd is loud. The eyes of the Jewish leaders are fixed on him. The pressure is on.
Pilate ignores her warning.
The most dangerous moment for our own soul is not when we don’t know what’s right. It’s when we do know what is right, and we choose what is wrong, anyway.
In this case, Pilate does what others want him to do.
His wife’s dream in Matthew 27:19 is the last warning to Pilate before he orders the crucifixion of Jesus, and it comes from a place nobody expects, from inside his own home.
Throughout his gospel, Matthew writes of dreams that are warning signs of danger to Jesus, dreams that are meant to protect Jesus.
Joseph is warned in a dream to take Mary as his wife. Joseph is warned again to flee to Egypt. The magi are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.
Pontius Pilate cannot say, “I didn’t know.” He knew. He was told.
He was warned by his own wife while he was sitting on the very judgment seat itself.
Matthew tells us. The crowd is louder than our conscience.
That’s the choice for all of us. It’s not just in some story from ancient history. It’s in school hallways. It’s in workplaces. It’s among friends. It’s in our own families, where truth is most expensive.
This is how pressure works.
This is the turning point of Pilate’s decision. Pilate is caught between two fears. Fear of doing wrong, and fear of what other people will think of him, do to him, if he does right.
Pilate looks for a way out. He tries to release Jesus.
He offers the crowd a choice, Jesus or Barabbas, a “notorious prisoner” (Matthew 26:17), an insurrectionist and murderer (Mark 15:7) and (Luke 23:19).
Pilate hopes they will let the peaceful teacher go, not the murderous criminal.
But the crowd chooses Barabbas, and that’s when the room turns.
Okay, that’s it. That’s when Pilate realizes the crowed is too loud.
That’s when the warning message from his wife, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man,” is ignored.
He could stand up. He could stop it. He could do what is right. But Pilate is calculating.
Pilate is terrified of riots. Pilate is terrified of Rome.
Pilate is terrified about keeping the peace among these dangerous people.
Pilate is terrified about maintaining his reputation.
Pilate not just some guy. He’s the Prefect, the Governor of the Roman province of Judea.
Pilate was sent here to prevent chaos, and a screaming crowd is exploding outside.
Pilate’s greatest fear is of the Jewish leaders. They have laid a fatal political threat against him.
When the Jewish leaders brought Jesus before Pilate for judgment, they made it known that Jesus was claiming to be a king.
Under Roman law, this is treason against the Emperor Tiberius.
The Jewish leaders are threatening, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12).
The threat raises Pilate’s fear of the emperor, especially during the reign of this suspicious and ruthless Emperor Tiberius.
Pilate would be accused of treason, and face severe consequences, including loss of power, loss of his reputation, maybe, even death.
Despite Pilate’s belief in Jesus’ innocence, he ultimately yields to the pressure of the crowd.
Pilate hands Jesus over for crucifixion to protect his position, his reputation, his own life.
Pilate does what many of us would likely do, when we want to avoid responsibility without changing the outcome. Pilate portrays his innocence.
Pilate is in the absolute center of this drama, the focus of all attention, yet . . . He brings out water. He washes his hands as if to say, “I am not part of this.”
This is how Matthew (27:24-26 NIV) puts it:
“When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere,
but that instead an uprorar was starting,
he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.
“I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us, and on our children!”
In the history of the world, antisemitism has been the ultimate curse for the Jewish people.
Examples of antisemitism include: Pogroms, violent attacks of looting, arson, rape, and murder that targeted Jewish communities in the Russian Empire, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Russian government inaction and complicity encouraged and condoned the attacks, and failed to protect victims. The term “pogrom” comes from a Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc” or “to destroy violently.”
The pogroms were not isolated incidents. They were a systemic pattern of discrimination and lethal violence that shaped modern Jewish identity.
Driven by fear, persecution, and the collapse of any sense of security, nearly two million Jews left Russia, fleeing to the United States, Western Europe, and returning to ancient Judea, to reestablish and rebuild their ancient Jewish homeland in Palestine.
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In 1290, Edward I, King of England, issued the Edict of Expulsion, a royal decree expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England. This is the first time that a European state is known to have permanently banned Jewish people from a country.
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In January 1492, the fall of the Muslim Kingdom of Granada ended the last remnant of Islamic rule in the Iberian peninsula. With the removal of Muslims from Spain, it was now time to remove the Jews.
In March 1492, Isabella I, Queen of Castile and Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, issued the Alhambra Decree, a royal edict expelling Jews from Castile and Aragon, and from all their territories and possessions in Spain.
In August 1492, Christopher Columbus and his men departed from Palos de la Frontera in three ships, Santa María (Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción, meaning “Holy Mary of the Immaculate Conception”), la Pinta (“The Painted One”), and la Niña (“The Little Girl”), headed west across the Atlantic Ocean to find a new world in America, where, 100 years later, other Europeans went, seeking religious freedom.
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On the night of November 9-10, 1938, Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, was a pogrom carried out by the Nazi Party’s paramilitary forces, the Sturmabteilung (SA), “Storm Division,” and the Schutzstaffel (SS), “Protection Squad,” along with some participation by Hitlerjugend, (HJ), “Hitler Youth,” members and German civilians throughout Nazi Germany against Jews.
German authorities looked on without intervening, as rioters destroyed Jewish homes, over 7,000 Jewish businesses, hospitals, schools, over 1,400 synagogues, and other buildings throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland, the German western border regions of Czechoslovakia.
Over 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Kristallnacht was a prelude to Die endgültige Lösung der Judenfrage, “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question” and the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945.
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On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, declared “the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, the “Land of Israel.”
At the very first tick of midnight on the following day, the armies of four Arab countries—Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, and Iraq—attacked Israel, launching the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Contingents from Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan joined the war to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state.
Since 1948, Israel has fought multiple major wars and conflicts since its establishment.
1948 Arab–Israeli War (War of Independence): Fought after Israel’s declaration of independence, resulting in Israel’s survival, the establishment of armistice lines, and triggering the Palestinian refugee crisis.
Major wars and conflicts:
1956 Suez Crisis: Israel, alongside Britain and France, invaded Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal, ending with Israeli withdrawal, but securing shipping rights through the Suez Canal.
1967 Six-Day War: Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, capturing the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.
1973 Yom Kippur War: Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during Yom Kippur. Israel fought back, and repelled the assault, and later negotiating peace with Egypt.
1982 Lebanon War: Israel invaded Lebanon to expel the PLO, leading to a prolonged conflict with Hezbollah, and an 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.
Gaza Wars: A series of major conflicts with Hamas, including Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009), Pillar of Defense (2012), Protective Edge (2014), and now, following the October 7, 2025 Hamas attack, the ongoing Operation Iron Swords (2023–present).
Ongoing Conflicts:
2023–present Gaza war: A major war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2025 attack, involving intense Israeli military operations and a severe humanitarian crisis.
2023–2024 Israel–Hezbollah conflict: Cross-border fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon, largely linked to the Gaza war.
2025–2026 Iran–Israel conflict: Escalating tensions and direct strikes, including Israeli operations in Syria and Iranian missile attacks.
In November 2004, I visited Israel with a church group.
The night before we settled into our rooms in Tel Aviv, a fruit and vegetable market was bombed by Palestinian terrorists right next to our hotel. Several people were injured. The next morning, I looked out over the city through my hotel window, and I heard a rooster crow.
On November 11, 2004, we were in Jerusalem when Yasser Arafat died at age 75 in a hospital in Clamart, Hauts-de-Seine, France. That day, the city was on extra high alert, full of Israel Border Police (Magav), the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel Police. Nothing unusual happened, although the Israeli people were completely ready to fight to defend their country.
The day we leave Israel, we are waiting in Ben Gurion International Airport for the announcement to board our plane, I take a moment to speak with a young lady who is part of the security team protecting the passengers and staff at the airport.
She tells me she is a veteran of Tzahal (צה״ל), the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF. She is a former company commander of the 33rd ‘Caracal’ Battalion. The caracal is a small cat, a desert fox.
The 33rd ‘Caracal’ Battalion is an infantry combat formation of the IDF composed of both male and female soldiers. About 70% of the ‘Caracal’ is female, including a tank unit of female soldiers only.
Speaking softly in perfect English with the most beautiful Hebrew accent, she says to me what we both know so well, “I loff my solyairs.” Yes, I whisper, “I know that feeling exactly. I love my soldiers, too.” In that moment where eyes meet eyes, we share a smile and a soft knuckle bump, and bid each other farewell.
I will always be grateful for that unforgettable conversation, shared with this young Israeli woman at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel in November 2004.
Meanwhile, back in the year 33 in Jerusalem . . .
Pontius Pilate releases Barabbas to the crowd, and orders Jesus to be flogged and crucified.
Pilate washes his hands, but he is still guilty.
Consider that word “innocent.”
His wife calls Jesus innocent. This is not a small compliment.
In the Bible, a person who is innocent (righteous) is someone who has done no wrong, is someone who does not deserve punishment.
The wife of the Roman Prefect is calling Jesus “innocent,”
not deserving of punishment.
In the middle of the trial,
Pilate’s wife is testifying to her husband,
“This man is not guilty.”
Pilate’s wife knows her dream is connected to Jesus,
so she sends him her warning.
People don’t fall because they’re confused.
People fall because they’re pressured.
Pilate is one of the most relatable villains of history.
Pilate is someone who loves safety. He is someone trying to maintain control.
He keeps trying to find a way to satisfy the crowd without owning the guilt.
There is no clean way to reject Jesus. There is no neutral way to hand him over.
You either stand with Jesus, or you don’t.
Why does God send a warning that won’t be obeyed?
Why warn Pilate at all?
God’s answer is both merciful and terrifying.
Merciful, because He warns your conscience.
Terrifying, to know the warning,
and still choose to do what is wrong.
The crowd is louder than our conscience.
And that’s where this story
stops being about Pilate
and starts being about us.
I think we’ve all had moments like this.
Maybe not in a courtroom, but in a conversation,
in a life changing decision, in a pressure situation.
We know what is right. We feel the warning.
The room gets loud. The pressure gets oppressive.
We still fall for the lie.
We say,
I don’t want to cause any drama.
I don’t want to lose my relationship with someone close to me.
I don’t want to be criticized by someone who knows me.
I choose what seems to be the easy way out,
the relatively safe way out, the cowardly way out.
That’s what we do.
We wash our hands emotionally. We create distance.
We tell ourselves we aren’t really part of this.
Yet, our decisions still choose a side.
We choose to reject Jesus
by doing what others want us to do,
or just doing what we want to do.
The biggest thing that’s happening
in the middle of all this is that
Pilate’s wife calls Jesus “righteous.”
Jesus, the righteous one,
is condemned to redeem us,
we, who are the unrighteous ones.
Jesus is the only innocent man,
the only one in this whole courtroom scene who deserves no punishment,
yet he is the one punished.
That is not an accident.
Jesus goes to the cross on purpose,
to fulfill the will of his father,
to redeem humanity.
This is how Jesus saves each one of us,
individually, personally, one at a time, by our own name.
in Jesus’ name, amen.
.
Her name is Claudia Procula.
Claudia is the feminine rendering of Claudius, and is her family name.
Procula is a Latin feminine cognomen (first name, given name), derived from proculus, meaning “far away” or “at a distance” for a child born while the father was away from home, symbolizing separation.
Her name is not mentioned by Matthew, but her name carries deep symbolic weight, representing spiritual insight, divine intervention, and the idea of being “set apart” by God.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Coptic Church, and Ethiopian Orthodox Church, she is venerated as Saint Procla. Her feast day is October 27.
She is said to have converted to Christianity after Pilate’s death. Some traditions claim she died a martyr, while others state she died peacefully in faith.
Variants of the name include Procle, Procula, Prokula, and Prokulaia, with modern affectionate forms like Proca or Cula in Romance languages.
Passover in 33 began on Nisan 14, which corresponds to Thursday, April 3, 33, at sundown. This date marks the start of the Passover meal, traditionally observed as the Day of Preparation for the Passover.
Nisan 14 (Passover): Thursday, April 3, 33 (sundown to sundown)
Nisan 15 (First day of Unleavened Bread): Friday, April 4, 33
Crucifixion (Good Friday): Friday, April 3, 33 (according to traditional chronology, though some scholars argue for a Wednesday crucifixion)
Multiple sources, including astronomical data from the U.S. Naval Observatory and historical analysis, confirm that April 3, 33 is the only year during Pontius Pilate’s governorship (26–36) when Nisan 14 fell on a Friday, aligning with the biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion occurring on the Day of Preparation for Passover.
Note: Some interpretations suggest Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, April 1, 33, to fulfill the “three days and three nights” prophecy (Matthew 12:40), but the April 3, 33 date remains the most widely accepted among scholars and is supported by the alignment of Passover with Friday.
Passover 2026 begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, and concludes at nightfall on Thursday, April 9, 2026, for Jews in the Diaspora.
In Israel, Passover is observed for 7 days, ending at nightfall on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
In the Diaspora (outside Israel), it is observed for 8 days, concluding at nightfall on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The first Seder is held on the evening of April 1, and the second Seder (for those outside Israel) is on April 2.
Seder is a Hebrew word meaning “order,” referring to the ritual feast and religious service held on the first two nights of Passover (Pesach), commemorating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt.
The Seder is a structured, symbolic meal with a prescribed sequence of 15 steps, guided by the Haggadah, a text that recounts the story of liberation, includes blessings, prayers, songs, and discussions.
Key Elements of the Seder:
Four Cups of Wine:
Represent the four expressions of redemption promised by God in Exodus 6:6–7: “I will bring out,” “I will deliver,” “I will redeem,” and “I will take.”
Matzah (Unleavened Bread): Symbolizes the haste with which the Israelites fled Egypt, as they did not have time for their bread to rise.
Seder Plate: Contains symbolic foods:
Maror (Bitter Herbs): Usually horseradish or romaine lettuce, representing the bitterness of slavery.
Charoset: A sweet paste of fruits, nuts, and wine, symbolizing the mortar used by enslaved Israelites.
Karpas (Vegetable): Often parsley or potato, dipped in salt water to symbolize tears and the beginning of spring.
Zeroa (Shank Bone): Represents the Paschal sacrifice offered in the Temple.
Beitzah (Egg): Symbolizes mourning and the festival offering.
The Four Questions (Ma Nishtana): Traditionally asked by the youngest child, highlighting the unique customs of the Seder night.
Afikoman: A piece of matzah hidden during the Seder and eaten at the end, symbolizing the Passover sacrifice.
The Seder is not just a meal—it is a multi-sensory educational experience, designed to engage all participants, especially children, in the story of freedom.
It emphasizes the idea that “in every generation, each person is obligated to see themselves as if they themselves came out of Egypt.”
The Seder is observed on the 15th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, which falls on evening of April 1, 2026, in Israel, and April 1–2, 2026, in the diaspora.