He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth: he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and
as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7
Reading
Matthew 27:11-14;
20-29
Antonio
Ciseri's depiction of Ecce Homo, 1871.
As Jesus was brought before the Roman
authorities for sentence by crucifixion, he did not say anything to defend
himself or even curse his enemies. His silence was deafening through out his trial.
This messianic prophecy of Isaiah was
written 700 years before Christ was born. Jesus was compared to a lamb that was
brought to be slaughtered but did not complain or make any resistance to his
accusers.
We can only imagine his mind blessing
those who curse him and praying for those who stood before him and accused him
of blasphemy and treason (Matthew
5:44).
As Jesus was being falsely accused of
various crimes that required death on the cross, Pilate marveled at his
calmness and meekness in the face of his accusers. Pilate realized that these
accusers were trying to accuse Jesus of various crimes but they did not have
any kind of evidence to put him to death.
It was amazing to see how willingly and
patiently Jesus endured his accusers, as he knew he was doing the will of his
Father. He did not say anything against God or man. It was almost a witness
before God and man this is why I am laying my life down for all of you. It was
through his sufferings that we were able to approach the throne of grace with
confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Today we see so many people crying out
to God for justice. It seems like God is not listening. People of faith keep
praying for justice and mercy but all we hear is the silence from heaven. To
all who suffer in this way, Jesus witness stands out as a source of strength to
believe in a God even when he appears to
be silent.
2 comments:
The problem with his accusers were they were deaf to the voice of God. They hardened their hearts and couldn't understand the love of God. They were more like the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son who found it hard to forgive repentent sinners. The authority of the Jewish leaders were questioned when Jesus started attracting so many people towards him.
What is our reaction towards violence threatened towards us? Do we stand and take it or do we move away.
We see Jesus in this case standing and bearing the brunt of it all. For he knew this was it was God's will to face his enemies. On other occasions he managed to slip out of the crowds that wanted to kill him.
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