Centuries before God came
to this planet in the Person of Jesus Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote of Him:
“He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Today, we look back through a porthole of distant
history to view our muted Savior standing before the high priest.
Our Lord went through six
confrontational encounters in the twelve hours before His crucifixion. He was
not only beaten and tormented physically, but He was emotionally and psychologically abused as well. None of us
have ever encountered anything to
compare with the suffering He endured
on our behalf. His unflinching, silent stand in the hour of suffering should be
marked in our minds as we, at times, look to Him for strength in the hour of
weakness. He knows all of the twists and turns and rocks that lie in the road
of finite humanity that we travel.
His silence amplified the
voice of His antagonists. His tight jaw loosened the vocal chords of his false
accusers to bellow words of self-incrimination. The Old Testament wisdom writer
reminds us that there is a time to speak, and there is a time to remain silent
(Ecc.3:7). Sometimes, in the quietness of unspoken words, enough rope is
released for the guilty to facilitate hanging themselves. Jesus simply watched
the futility of human animosity toward
God. Standing in the shadow of His Father’s love, He could find no reason to
defend Himself.
We are called to walk by
faith. That means there will be times when we will neither see Him nor feel His
influence in our life. Faith is not always blind, but it can be called to be at
times. For all of us, there will be times when God will remain silent. We must
remember that silence is not
absence. He is always there. Evil men demand miracles, and weak men look
for visible confidence, but men of strong faith simply stand and allow circumstance
to shout with its sometimes-ugly voice and wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Actions not only speak
louder than words, but they very frequently leave a longer lingering echo than
spoken words. When we step off of this planet and into His presence, we will
enter into a realm of life that is not comprehended here and now. In the land where streets are paved with
gold, the golden nature of silence will do her work to the glory of God. There
is a time coming where there will be nothing left to be said. We shall all know
all that there is to know, and it will be time for silence to do her perfect
work.
In these closing hours before the crucifixion, it
is fascinating to listen to the Master of silence briefly lift a word or two
against the voice of His false accusers, which is ricocheted back condemningly
on themselves. In the hush of these moments, His glory glistens.
A Time to be Silent
Matthew 26:59-63
INTRODUCTION
The responsibility of reaching ancient literature
The Trials of Jesus
1. Annas
2.
Caiaphas
3.
Caiaphas
4.
Pilate
5. Herod
6.
Pilate
INSTRUCTION
A. Silence in the Courtroom
B. Silence in everyday life
C. Silence in conclusion