6. The Resounding Silence of Christ
6. The Resounding Silence of Christ.
“He, the Suffering Servant, was tortured and treated harshly, He was oppressed and afflicted, but He didn’t say a word. Like a lamb led to slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, He opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).
06. Messiah – Behold the Lamb of God
Choosing to be Speechless. Many times during His ministry, Jesus chose to be verbal, sometimes downright wordy. He spent a lot of His time teaching about the Kingdom; He commanded many a demon out of those helplessly possessed; He silenced the religious authorities countless times with clever wordplay and quoting Scriptures; He angrily shouted out the Temple moneychangers and backed it up with physical action; He endlessly excoriated the Pharisees in Matthew 23; He tenderly spoke words of comfort, encouragement and forgiveness when needed. So it wasn’t that Jesus was highly reticent and shy about speaking a word in due season. He was in full control of His speech. As Job asked after being silenced by God’s greatness: “If God chooses to remain silent, who is fit to raise his voice against Him or criticize Him?” (Job 34:29). Our wise God perfectly discerns when to speak and when to remain silent. Jesus unerringly picked His spots:
- Silent before the Soldiers Beating Him: ‘Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him as they beat Him. They also blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, ‘Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?’ And they said many other things against Him, blaspheming Him. (Luke 22:63-65);
- Silent before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. “Those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. All the chief priests and the Sanhedrin council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put Him to death, but they found none. For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimonies did not agree. The high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer to make? What is it these men testify against you?’ But Jesus remained silent and made no answer.” (Matthew 26:57-63; Mark 14:53-61).
- Silent before Pontius Pilate. “Now Jesus stood before the governor Pilate, and the governor asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You have said so.’ But when Jesus was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?’ But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was filled with wonder, marveling in complete amazement (“thaumazo”). (Matthew 27:11-14). [“Thaumazo” is a strong Greek word that means… marveled at, astonished by; amazed at; filled with wonder to the point of being bewildered; being awestruck in admiration. There were forty-four “thaumazo” passages in the gospels in which people marveled at Jesus, were greatly amazed by Jesus, astonished to the point of being awed by Him].
- Silent before the Governor’s Soldiers Tormenting Him. “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion of 600 soldiers before Him. They stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on Him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him in the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.” (Matthew 27:27-31).
- Silent before Herod, the Ruler of Galilee. “When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see Him, because he had heard about Jesus, and he was hoping to see some miracle or sign done by Him. So he questioned Jesus at some length, but Jesus made no answer. And Herod with his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him. Then, arraying Him in splendid clothing to mock His claim to kingship, Herod sent Him back to Pilate.” (Luke 22:6-11).
- Silent before the Lynch Mob. “They all cried out together, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!’ Pilate addressed the crowd once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ They were urgent, demanding with loud cries that Jesus should be crucified. And their voices prevailed… And Pilate delivered Jesus over to their will.” (Luke 23:18-25).
- Silent on the Cross before the Scoffers. “Those who passed by Jesus on the cross derided Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!’ So also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked Him, saying, ‘He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! He is the King of Israel, so let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe Him! He trusts in God, so let God deliver Him now!” (Matthew 27:39-45; Luke 23:35-37).
Now Behold The Lamb | Times Square Worship
The Silence of the Lamb. How can one describe the silence of Jesus during His Passion? His was an unflappable silence, not a nervous one; a clear-headed silence, not a confused one; a purposeful silence, not an uncertain one. Jesus did not offer much by way of self-defense, thus we see the ironic case of the Word being speechless. For the most part, Jesus chose to suffer in silence. He refused to offer a logical answer to illogical questions, or reasonable responses to unreasonable demands… Perhaps He didn’t want others to take these kangaroo courts seriously; maybe He didn’t see the point of offering honest answers in the midst of dishonest proceedings; perhaps He secretly liked tweaking their noses and irritating the questioners just a little bit; maybe He realized that the simple truth wouldn’t be honored anyway during the false testimonies; perhaps silence was the best way to communicate His disrespect for the authorities; maybe His calm silence was intended to cool down the temperature in the room; perhaps He thought it was an effective strategy to keep some control of the narrative; certainly Jesus was well aware of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy about the lamb being silent while led to slaughter. Most importantly, Jesus was certain that His silence would inevitably lead to His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, and the only way He was going to be allowed to complete His mission of redeeming the world.
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also… Love your enemies! Do good to them.” (Luke 6:27-29, 35; NLT).
“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). Barbara Brown Taylor, in her sermon “In the Name of Law and Order,” posed an intriguing question: Who was Jesus thinking of when He asked the Father to forgive “them?” Who is “them?” I decided to take her question and run with it. We do know that by praying that prayer on the cross, Jesus was echoing Isaiah 53:12, which declares that the Suffering Servant was “interceding for the rebellious.” But for whom was Jesus interceding as He suffered His torturous death, as He fulfilled His eternal role as the Great Intercessor? Jesus seems to be asking the Father not to charge certain people with the depravity involved with killing the very Son of God. Jesus is pleading with the Father to overlook the wrongs of these perpetrators, since they do not understand the profound role they play in this cosmic drama. These abusers and traitors simply can’t grasp this deep mystery, and how they are part of God’s grand scheme of prophecy fulfillment and eternal salvation. His prayer was profoundly merciful, mouthing those words as he gasped for air. His Spirit of grace simply overflowed as He convulsed in pain.
Father, forgive the religious authorities. There were many leading priests, scribes and elders who jumped on the bandwagon early to kill Jesus. They were plotting to murder Him while he was engaged in His public ministry. They were seemingly always out to get Him, to prove Him wrong, to harass and trap Him. They were the ones who paid Judas the 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. They were the ones who suggested that Barabbas be released instead of Jesus. And they were the ones who mocked, scorned and jeered at Jesus as He was being tortured to death. During their gloating, they even quoted scripture back in Jesus’ face on the cross, “Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!” (Ps. 22:8 and Matthew 27:41-43). In their apparent victory over Jesus, they relished the idea of adding insult to injury. Father, forgive the religious authorities, for they don’t know what they are doing.
Father, forgive Caiaphas. He was the ruling high priest, and his job seemed to be much more political than spiritual or religious. It was important that he kept the Jews subservient to Rome and a peaceful occupied country. There was to be no religious revolts that would cause political unrest. All Temple operations needed to remain status quo. The worst offense a Jew could commit, though, would be blasphemy against the Name of Yahweh. The Romans did not give permission for the Jews to sentence anyone to death, which is just what Caiaphas had in mind for Jesus. During his trial questioning before Caiaphas, Jesus made it clear that He considered Himself co-equal to the Lord Yahweh, akin to the Great I AM (Ex. 3:14). As soon as Jesus claimed to be the I AM in Caiaphas’ presence, the high priest flew into a rage, tore his robe, and called for the Jewish high council to condemn Jesus to death. Caiaphas’ mind was already made up before the hearing… Jesus was a blasphemer and should die. The trial continued marching toward the cross, and Caiaphas was a major instigator to that end. Father, forgive Caiaphas, for he doesn’t know what he is doing.
Father, forgive the Sanhedrin (the Council). This was a group of 70 elders that comprised the Jewish supreme court. They were the most powerful body of leaders, and they decided all the important cases, both religious and even some lower-level political. They judged most of the disputes in the Jews’ daily life, whether it was a Temple matter or a civil case. When Jesus was being tried in front of them, the high council made a mockery of the justice system, seeking false witnesses to condemn Jesus. After they declared His guilt and sentenced Him to death, they gathered around Him and spit in Jesus’ face, beat Him with their fists, slapped Him and mocked Him. The Sanhedrin, the highly revered high council, seemed to lose all objectivity and all sense of propriety, moral reasoning, and sound judgment. They were blinded by their hatred of Jesus. After physically attacking Jesus, they bound Him and took Him to Pilate. There are some scholars who say that the “Council” was not in fact the Sanhedrin, but were a group of Sadducee leaders who were violently opposed to Jesus. Father, forgive the Sanhedrin (the Council), for they don’t know what they are doing.
Father, forgive Pilate. He was the insecure, belligerent Roman governor of Judea, where Jerusalem was located. In history Pilate is known as a cruel tyrant who was known for executing people without a trial. He evidently loved to badger the occupied Jews to keep them under his thumb. On the other hand, his job was to stifle any possible revolt against the Roman occupation, including any messianic movements. Pilate was directly accountable to Caesar, so he had to watch his step. Any Jewish unrest had to be handled or he was out of a job, which he held for ten years before he was removed to Rome. Since the Jewish authorities didn’t have the power to condemn someone to capital punishment, Pilate was soon confronted with Jesus, the Temple leaders, especially the Sadducees, and a small crowd of rowdy bystanders. Pilate questioned Jesus and declared Him innocent three separate times, but each time the Jewish leaders found that decision unacceptable. They wanted Jesus to die, and they finally got their wish, after threatening to tell Caesar about Jesus claiming to be a king. Pilate became desperate to appease the Jews, since the bystanders were turning into a mob. Even after his wife warned him, Pilate soon relented to the mob, releasing a murderer instead of Jesus. Pilate handed Jesus over to the soldiers for a near fatal flogging and to crucifixion. He gave the bloodthirsty crowd what they wanted, despite his inner conflicts. In the end, he may have tried washing his hands of the whole mess, but his partial responsibility for the suffering and death of Jesus stuck to him like glue. Remember, Pilate is the one who gave the death sentence to Jesus. Father, forgive Pilate, for he doesn’t know what he is doing.
Father, forgive the crowd. That unruly mob standing at Pilate’s door was ready to be riled up, for sure. They allowed themselves to get out of hand by the religious authorities who kept egging them on. Were some of these bystanders the same ones who just a week ago were waving palm branches and shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord“? Well, they were now yelling “Crucify him! Crucify him!” at the top of their lungs. They supported the idea of releasing the guilty one, Barabbas, not the Innocent One, Jesus. They were not a group of innocent bystanders. They were a lynch mob. Jesus just stood there, mutely taking it all in. Father, forgive the crowd, for they don’t know what they are doing.
Father, forgive Herod. It is Herod’s turn to question Jesus after Pilate had his first time with Him. Pilate decided to send Jesus to Herod, since Herod was the governor of Galilee, Jesus’ home territory. Herod just happened to be in Jerusalem at the time, so Pilate thought, why not give Herod a crack at this guy? Standing before Herod, Jesus knew very well that this was the man who beheaded his close cousin and prophet John the Baptist. Even with that history, Jesus stood silent. Herod asked Jesus questions, but He didn’t want to dignify them with a response. Jesus refused to answer because He knew that Herod just wanted to make sport of Him. Herod wanted Jesus to whip up a few miracles, like a religious circus performer. Herod proceeded to mock Him, jeer at Him, ridicule Him, then he shrugged and sent Him back to his new pal Pilate. Herod treated the whole hearing as if it was a reality show, just for him. Jesus was not a Person that Herod took seriously. He ended up ignoring Jesus and getting on with business. Father, forgive Herod, for he doesn’t know what he is doing.
Father, forgive the Roman soldiers. They were a brutal killing machine. They flogged Jesus to within an inch of his life, with lead-tipped whips. They mocked and jeered, they scorned and ridiculed. They beat Jesus with their fists, they taunted Him, they spit in His face. They took His clothes off and put on a red robe to humiliate Him. They gave Him a reed to hold as a royal scepter, then they took the reed back and beat Him with it. They clipped branches off the nearby Jerusalem thorn bush with two inch thorns, wove a crown, and jammed it into His scalp. They nailed his hands and feet to the wooden cross and left Him there to die in agony. To add disdain to the abuse, they sat at the foot of the cross and rolled some dice for Jesus’ seamless garment, as His blood dripped down on them. The soldiers showed no mercy, they were grossly inhumane, and Jesus submitted to all of it. Father, forgive the Roman soldiers, for they don’t know what they are doing.
Jesus Maintained Silence While Facing Scorn. Jesus was fully human. When He was whipped and pierced, He bled real human blood. And when He had to endure mockery, scorn, and completely unfair and untrue words of judgment and ridicule, His spirit must certainly have been as profoundly bruised as with any of us. The fact that He bravely took it all on the chin, so to speak, that He stood up to this abuse in silent strength, is miraculous. Did those who heaped scorn upon the pure Lamb of God have any idea that His silence was filled with compassion, that His silence was grounded in empathy, that He was not opening His mouth but instead His heart that was completely overflowing with forgiveness? In Jesus’ case, His silence was much more powerful than words.