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.

My thoughts (Penny Dean):

My dad is the only person I’ve ever heard say, “I have no regrets.” I tend to believe, rather, that we’ve all done or said things we regret. I know I have. Almost two years ago, I totally mishandled a situation with my then-best friend. I was trying to protect her and, as a result, ended up grievously hurting her instead. I have lost her friendship and consequently wish every day that I had acted differently.

Judas, I believe, was in a similar situation. I doubt that when he agreed to betray Jesus, or when he kissed Jesus in the garden, that he knew the ramifications of his actions. Only when he realized Jesus was doomed did he see that his actions had major long-term consequences. One of those consequences was that Judas’ name was forever linked with two words that are tinged with malice: betrayer and traitor.

Yet we don’t know the whole story. Why did Judas decide to betray Jesus? Was it just for the money? I find it interesting that he apparently spent none of the silver before he tried to give it back. Maybe, as in The Gospel of Judas, Judas believed he was doing the right thing to preserve the faith he knew. Or, as in Nikos Kazanzakis’ The Last Temptation of Christ, Judas had planned his betrayal with Jesus in order to bring about Jesus’ certain death and fulfill prophecy.

I have two points to make: First of all, nothing is ever quite what it seems. The gospel accounts were written decades after the events and Judas could be seen in hindsight as being greedy. I did not lie to my best friend out of cruelty or hatred, even though she believes differently. I did it out of love, to protect her. And as a result, like David regarding Bathsheba (Psalm 51:3), “my sin is ever before me” because I work with her nearly every day.

Secondly, God can take our mistakes and use them for good. If Judas hadn’t betrayed Jesus, where would Christianity be? It would have come about, but would it look the same? I don’t know what good will come of my situation with my former best friend, but I have to believe that her broken heart and my continuing remorse are not the end. I am not without hope. This may be the only way, however, for me to let go of something that stood between me and God.

According to Matthew, Judas hung himself after attempting to return the blood money. There was no opportunity for forgiveness or making amends. On the other hand, Jesus was descended from David and Bathsheba — living proof that good can and does come from mistakes.

Thought for the day: If you could re-do something from your past, what would it be and why? Have you ever found a blessing in disguise?

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.

My thoughts (Keith Phillips):

Visiting Israel a few years back (actually, to be honest, a few decades back) was one of the most spiritually exhilarating experiences of my life. I will never forget:

• the thrill of looking up at the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were hidden for nearly 2000 years at Qumran;
• the exquisite beauty of the Dome of the Rock built on the Temple Mount;
• my solitary worship at the open-air Church of the Beatitudes (erected by Mussolini, yet!) overlooking the Sea of Galilee; or
• my sense that, in some way, I was “home.”

Of course, there was also the traditional birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity, the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism (much too far north for John the Baptizer, I think, but lovely scenery, nevertheless), and the two (count them, two) traditional sites of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and at the Garden Tomb.

The only place in all of Israel where I insisted that my picture be taken was on the Hasmonean steps leading up to Jerusalem from the Tyropoeon Valley. There was not another place of which I could say with more certainty, “Jesus literally walked here; I am walking in Jesus’ footsteps.” Constructed before the first century CE, these steps would have been climbed by Jesus and his disciples as they left the Last Supper for Gethsemane and again as they returned after Jesus’ arrest. No reasonable doubt has ever been expressed regarding the authenticity of these steps.

The steps today lead up to the Church of St. Peter-in-Gallicantu (at the cock crow), the traditional location of High Priest Caiaphas’s house, where Jesus would have been brought after his arrest, interrogated, imprisoned, and scourged before being sent to Pilate, and where Peter would have denied Jesus three times.

As I read this account of Peter’s denial, it struck me that these steps where Jesus literally walked were also steps upon which Peter literally walked. And with a little more humility than I had when I was there, I realized that I have more in common with Peter than with Jesus. I don’t remember ever denying my association with Jesus verbally, especially with cursing. My denial of Jesus is with my silence. I do not always stand up for justice as I know Jesus would; I often say nothing when I could be more vulnerable for the sake of the Kingdom; and I frequently let Christ-denying theological nonsense go unchallenged because it’s easier that way and it makes me look nicer.

If only, like Peter, I more quickly recognized my growing edges and wept more, I just might become a little more like Jesus.

Thought for the day: May God grant each of us the grace to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.

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.

My thoughts (Theresa Benson):

I was watching a new police series with a friend the other night. He’s not much for cop dramas, but I can’t get enough of them. I love a good whodunit.

A quarter of the way in to the premiere episode, in the middle of some crazy knock-down drag-out fight with the bad guys, when it seemed like there was no way out for the main character, he made me pause it, turned to me, and said, “Now she’s the main actress in this series, right? So she can’t die, right?” He was so stressed out about the situation, he wanted us to switch over to America’s Funniest Home Videos for a while to ease the tension.

I reassured him that yes, she’s the main actress, this show is her “vehicle” in Hollywood-speak, and with a big smile, he said, “OK, never mind. We can keep watching. Nothing’s really going to happen to her, then. I’m fine now.”

Imagine if he’d been watching the scene that unfolded in today’s reading, instead.

Here we have Caiaphas, head of the Sanhedrin and the highest Jewish authority in the land, who was appointed to that position by the Romans. He wasn’t elected or chosen by the Jewish people to be their High Priest; he hadn’t worked his way up by his exceptionally ethical, moral, and wise interpretation of Jewish law. The previous Roman governor had made him High Priest, and so you can bet he wants to keep on the good side of this new guy, Pilate, so he can keep his job and all the power and perks that come with it.

Then you’ve got Jesus. The Romans are getting nervous because they can’t afford a political uprising that might threaten their authority. Jesus knows the score. He knows the position Caiaphas is in, and his motives. And as he stands there for goodness knows how long, person after person saying nothing but lies about him, he waits. He lets the words fly like bullets around him, and waits. He doesn’t struggle; he doesn’t run. He doesn’t even roll his eyes or yell back at his accusers. Finally, Caiaphas’s guys find two people who can sucker punch him with an accusation that sticks — the action flick equivalent of the bad guys having the good guy on the ledge of a building, and the music is at a fever pitch.

Jesus is the “lead” in this story, so he’ll get out of this one unscathed, right? This is the part where his partner comes in and rescues him at the last minute, or where the bad guy slips and falls off the ledge instead, or something. . . right?

But he’s quiet. And there’s no trusty sidekick, no errant banana peel, no comic relief.

And it isn’t until Caiaphas insists he respond in the name of his Father, that he speaks. How long do you suppose this all took? Hours? How humiliating and frustrating must that have been, to see everything that he’d worked for starting to crumble?

Yet he answers simply but honestly, knowing full well he’s signing his own death warrant. He knows that what he’s saying will be twisted by his accusers to get what they want — him gone, his followers disbanded, and the Romans off their backs.

But he doesn’t waver from his message. He doesn’t deny his Truth.

He had his moment of doubt in the Garden. He came away from that knowing that the only right next step was to do God’s will, no matter how painful the consequences. It wasn’t about him. It never was, really. It was about Truth. It was about integrity. And it was about doing God’s will no matter what.

Cop dramas are only about 44 minutes long. That means the story arc is pretty short, so if by the first commercial our heroine is in trouble, we know by the time we’re coming out of the last commercial that she’ll be just fine and the bad guys will be in jail.

But Jesus’ story — our story — is so much richer than what can be contained between four ad breaks in prime time. It’s a reminder about how hard it can be to do the right thing, to live with integrity.

It’s not natural to feel like the bad guys are going to win, and to still do what’s right. Usually, that’s about the time I start railing against God, wondering why I hurt so much if this is the right thing to do, or why this person is “getting away with” being such a jerk when clearly they’re the bad guy. I’ll want to negotiate a better deal, or find myself slipping into the oblivion of anger and hurt, and I start to fight back like a jilted lover on a Jerry Springer episode. . . but I certainly don’t remain calm and focus on God’s plan in those kinds of situations.

But that’s what we’ve got to do.

It’s OK to have our moments of doubt. Bring those to God in the quietness of your day, when you know you can better hear what God’s plan is for you. But when the “bullets” are flying, and the words of someone in your life are cutting you to the quick, that’s not the time to question God’s will. That’s the time to dig in, get calm, and stick to the plan. And after you’ve done all that, whether you say it out loud or just keep it crystal clear in your mind’s eye, focus on God’s will for you and the right next step. That’s all you need to get you through this situation — any situation.

We’re the hero / heroines in our own drama. A lot is still to happen between now and the “last commercial break.” Get close to God in the quiet moments, ask your questions, really listen for the answers, and stay steadfast in God’s plan.

Thought for the day: Where in my life are the bullets flying? Look to Jesus’ example to stay calm and focused.

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.

The Archives can be found in the blue sidebars, below, and you can browse by category or author. If you’re reading this via email, rss, Facebook, or on Whosoever.org, you can visit the site to see the archives.

An Exhilarating Dinner by Carla Peck
Monday, August 23

Trust An Old Maid by Ben Lamb
Tuesday, August 24

Bad Faith by Robert Ferguson
Wednesday, August 25

Thy will be done. I love you. Amen. by Tyler Connoley
Thursday, August 26

Betrayed by Dawn Horn
Friday, August 27

You can also subscribe to Be Still and Know… by email or follow us on Facebook.

My thoughts (Dawn Horn):

Judas was not Christ’s only betrayer; he was one of a multitude that day. These verses deal with many people and their betrayal of Jesus. Many had heard Jesus teach in the temple. The chief priests, the elders, the soldiers, the servant of the high priest, yes, even his disciples deserted him and fled that day.

Christ knew that if he only gave the word, God would send twelve legions of angels. Christ knew violence was not the answer. He immediately stopped the one who drew the sword, and even restored the ear that had been severed, healing even in the midst of His pain. The only one who did not betray was Jesus. He came to do God’s will and to fulfill the scriptures as foretold by the prophets.

This brings up many questions for me. Do we as followers of Jesus betray him too? Do we break our promises? Do we treat others as we would want to be treated? Do we spend time alone with our Savior? Do we make excuses to him and others when we have opportunities for service? I am guilty.

There is a song by Ray Boltz entitled Feel the Nails. The chorus goes like this;

Does He still feel the nails every time I fail?
Can He hear the crowd cry, ‘Crucify’ again?
Am I causing him pain?
Then I know I’ve got to change.
I just can’t bear the thought of hurting him.

Prayer for the day: Our Savior and Lord, Jesus, thank you for not betraying us. Thank you for finishing the work you were sent to accomplish. Thank you for your love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. Help us, Lord, to remain faithful and true to you in every circumstance. May our prayer be “I just can’t bear the thought of hurting You.” In Christ alone, Amen.

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.