Matthew 27

Matthew 27:19

The Story Of A Roman Lady And while he [Pilate] was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.—Matthew 27:19. I wonder if you ever feel unhappy with the sort of unhappiness that you know your fathers and mothers can do nothing to remove. I have known a big boy rise out of bed in the night, and go into his mother’s room; when she asked him what was the matter, he said, “I don’t know, mother: something was on my mind and I couldn’t sleep. It’s very hard to understand things, mother.” I believe you could all tell stories about being unhappy in the night.How is it so? We sing a little hymn in the Sunday School—God is always near me: In the darkest night He can see me just the same As by mid-day light. Why should you sometimes feel God nearer you during the night than through the day? Well, for one thing, in the night there is silence. You feel you are quite alone, even when someone is sleeping beside you; sometimes you even think that you hear God speak. But He was just as near you in the day-time; and He spoke then, only you were busy—too busy to listen to what He said. In the silence of the night He compels attention.Every man and woman has heard God’s voice at some time in his or her life. It may have been in a little cottage, in a city top flat, or in a palace.This morning I want to talk to you about a Roman lady who heard God’s voice in a palace.

It was long, long ago. She was the wife of Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judaea, and one would have thought that she had everything to make her happy.

Pilate, her husband, loved her. We know that because a Roman governor might take his wife to his province only if he made a strong personal appeal that she should be allowed to go. And she loved him. But there was an element of sadness in her love. The man whom as a young girl she had revered and loved had changed. They had once talked of great thoughts to each other.

In those days they had both had high ideals; but as time passed this lady saw her husband yield to the opinions of the people who were in power; she noticed his character becoming less noble, she saw him at last a coward, surrendering to the cry of “Barabbas!” from a street mob, and delivering Christ to be crucified.We can imagine her listening with a hungry interest to one of her maids as she talked of the wonderful Prophet of Nazareth who had been going about the city saying beautiful and fascinating things about a Kingdom in which only those who had pure hearts would have a place. The idea made her think, and think, and want to know more; she even looked from her window with envy at the humble women of Jerusalem who followed Jesus.In the Bible Pilate’s wife appears in but one sentence.

But that sentence tells the whole tragic story. When her husband was set down on the judgment-seat, she sent to him saying: “Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Her thoughts had dwelt so much on the wonderful Man whom she had seen, and of whom she had heard, that He was in her dreams by night.It is a sad story, but in its sadness there is something like a ray of light. Pilate’s wife must have been deeply in earnest when she sent the warning to her husband, for she could have been punished for doing it. To send a message to a judge, while he sat upon the seat of judgment, with the idea of trying to make him change his mind was a punishable offence. But she knew no fear; she saw the life of Jesus Christ in the hands of cruel and dishonorable men. It has been said that she died a believer in Him, and we can believe that it is true.What would have made Pilate’s wife happy in her palace, do you think?

To get near to Jesus, to hear Him speak. Had she been able to visit the little home in Bethany, I feel sure she would have envied it, as many a queen has envied a humble cottage.

Had she been in the Upper Room and seen Jesus Christ wash His disciples’ feet, had she followed Him as He bore His cross, nothing would have kept her back from joining the weeping women of Jerusalem.We preach about this same Jesus now. You boys and girls may still hear Him speak. He is more than merely a “righteous man” to us, for He came to earth to die for us. If this story makes Him seem “living” to you, don’t forget it. Pray to-night that you, who know so much more about Him than this Roman lady, may be made one of His devoted servants.

Matthew 27:49

‘‘Let Be.” And the rest said, Let be.—Matthew 27:49.These were the words with which the mob round the cross greeted the only man who tried to help Jesus in His agony.Christ had called out in the language of that country, “Eloi! Eloi! lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?” But the people fancied He was calling, not on God, but on Elijah. They had a tradition that Elijah would some day return, and they expected to see him in bodily form. So when a kind-hearted man among them ran and dipped a sponge in sour wine and gave it to Christ to ease the pain and thirst, they told him not to interfere. “Let be,” they said; “let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him.” Perhaps they were really curious to see whether Elijah would come; perhaps the words were just a taunt. That makes little difference. What matters is that these people did not really care.

They just let things take their course and did not put out a finger to help. They might not have been able to take Christ down off the cross but they might have done something to ease His pain.

Instead of that they rebuked the only man among them who had some pity left in him: “Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him.”There are few things that do more harm than those two words—“Let be.”. Some people think that so long as they don’t tell lies, or steal, or do anything actually bad, they are all right. But you know there are two ways of being wicked—there is the way of doing, and there is the way of not doing or “letting be”; and perhaps the second way does more harm than the first.I wonder if you dislike the word “naughty” as much as I do? I used to have a great objection to it when I was small. Whenever I did anything that wasn’t right, I was told I was “naughty.” I used to think I’d rather be downright wicked than “naughty.” Since I have come to know the real meaning of the word, I have disliked it even more. For do you know what naughtiness means? “Naught” is just another word for “nothing,” so “naughtiness” is “nothingness.” Would you like to be called a cipher, a big round “O”?

I should hate it. The naughty people, you see, are· really the people who do nothing in the world, who just “let things be.”What sort of things do people “let be”?

Well, sometimes they let duties be. There is something they ought to do, but it is irksome, and so they don’t do it. They just avoid doing it, and later they find they have got themselves and their friends into a terrible muddle.And then again people let suffering and wrong be. Boys often let their weaker comrades be bullied because they are afraid of their own popularity. And sometimes people allow suffering to go on because it would trouble them too much to stop it.There was a small boy once who was walking along a country road, and he saw lying in the corner of a field a sheep which seemed to be very ill. He stood looking at it for a while, feeling very sorry for it; then he turned and went home for dinner.

But he couldn’t help thinking about that sheep, and that afternoon he went off to have another look at it. It was lying in the same spot and seemed to be worse, and the thought struck him that perhaps the owner knew nothing about it.

He went to the nearest farm and asked the farmer if the sheep belonged to him. He was told that the flock was owned by a man who lived nearly two miles away. Nothing daunted, he set out for this other farm and interviewed the farmer, who was thankful for the information.The boy was late for tea and missed a game of cricket, and when the story leaked out his big brother laughed him to scorn. “What was the use of your poking your nose into other people’s affairs and losing your game? I’ve no doubt the farmer knew all about his precious sheep and was highly tickled at your interference. I’m really sure I shouldn’t have bothered my head about it!” That big brother was one of the “let be” people, one of the “ciphers”; and I’m really glad he didn’t find the sheep.Lastly, people let Christ be. It is not only those who nail Christ to the cross that do Him hurt.

It is the people who leave Him alone, who “let Him be.” If we are not taking our place with Christ, then we are siding with His enemies though we may not think so, or like to think so. It was for our sakes that He suffered on Calvary—for yours and mine; and the very least thing we can do is to give our lives to His service.

Don’t be a “cipher,” don’t be a “nothing,” don’t be a “let be” person. Take your stand firmly on Christ’s side, and you will never regret it.