May 15th, 2018

The Spiritual Weapon of Silence

“When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.  Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”  But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.  Mt. 27:12-14

The power of silence can be witnessed in the passage Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”   This passage prophetically provides the choices, thoughts, and behaviors of the Suffering Servant Jesus, and this is fulfilled in Matthew 26:63 and 27:12-14. 

Jesus remained silent in the face of accusations, false charges, and false witnesses.    In Mt. 26:59-63, we read that the chief priests, elders and council tried to find false testimony by false witnesses, in order to put Jesus to death.  Two false witnesses came forward and in response to the high priest’s questioning, Jesus kept silent.    In Mt. 27:12-14, when the Pilate was questioning Jesus in response to the false accusations, Jesus said nothing.  In Mt. 27:15-16, when the crowd yelled out for Barrabas to live, and Jesus to die, Jesus said nothing.  He chose to keep quiet and not respond, even when the beatings, whippings, and scourging took place. 

In Lk. 23:9, Jesus refused to ask the many questions of Herod, who was hoping to see a miracle.  And, as He hung on a cross, Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who had persecuted Him.  He did this intentionally to fulfill every prophecy and to take upon Himself all sin, that those who believe in Him could be set free and live.

Can you relate on some level to what Jesus suffered?  Look back over that list again and notice the words:

• Hated
• Rejected
• Betrayed
• Sold
• Forsaken
• Struck
• Spat on
• Mocked
• Beaten

There are times when accusations are plaguing us and the taunting and mocking of others is an issue in our lives.  There can also be times when we are hated, despised, forsaken, or beaten.  At those moments it can be disarming to the enemy to simply say nothing.  When we let Jesus be our defense, we are in the best position!