“What is truth?” (John 18:37).
In the Bible – Old Testament and New – people receive messages from God in dreams.
And I have been reflecting on three dreamers who were are told about in the Bible…
The first is the Old Testament Patriarch, Joseph, son of Jacob…
“Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.’ His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’” (Genesis 37:5-10).
Later, after Joseph was enslaved in Egypt, his ability to interpret dreams caused him to rise from prison to prominence becoming second only to Pharoah in Egypt…
“‘You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.’ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’” (Genesis 41:40-41).
The second dreamer, was Saint Joseph, Foster Father or Christ, who is the Patriarch of the New Testament, who had four dreams…
The first dream told him to take the Blessed Virgin as his wife… “…the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.’ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him…” (Matthew 1:19-25).
The second dream told him to escape to Egypt… “…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you...’” (Matthew 2:12).
The third dream told him to return to leave Egypt… “… an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel...” (Matthew 2:19-20).
The fourth dream told him to go to Nazareth… “Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.” (Matthew 2:22-23).
But there was a third dreamer who we are told about in the Bible… And she was the wife of Pontius Pilate…
“While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent Man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.’” (Matthew 27:19).
And I have been reflecting on the different responses to these dreams…
Joseph, son of Jacob, was not believed for his first two dreams, and was punished by the unbelievers. And yet, his faith remained firm, and he continued to interpret the dreams of others – following the Will of God – until his original dreams were fulfilled.
Joseph, Foster Father of Christ, not only believed his dreams, but awoke from his sleep and IMMEDIATELY acted upon them. And He became the Foster Father of God – the only person who could be called the Saviour of the Saviour…
But I feel so sorry for Pilate’s wife and for Pilate himself. For Pilate – unlike Our Blessed Mother, who immediately responded to Saint Joseph’s dreamed instructions – ignored his spouse’s dream… Instead of leaving Christ alone, he unjustly punished and tormented him, to save his own skin… And in saving his skin, he lost his soul.
You see, when confronted with TRUTH – God Himself – Pilate was left asking, “Quid est veritas?”, which is Latin for “What is truth?” (John 18:37).
And looking straight into the Holy eyes of Truth, Pilate turned his back, ignored the dream, and killed truth…
And the world will always remember that…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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