Jesus’ Trial before Pilate Matt 27:11-14 // Mark 15:2-5 // Luke 23:2-5 // John 18:29-38b
11Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.13“Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded.14But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
A king that silently goes to his death – whoever heard of such a thing? Pilate asks Jesus directly and Jesus answers him. But when the people who should have welcomed him and honored him come and accuse him instead, Jesus is silent. He truly was like a sheep led to the slaughter. Sheep are kind and gentle and their masters can usually lead them almost anywhere, even to be slaughtered. Here Jesus silently lets the Jewish leaders accuse him and lie about him.
Have you ever been so disappointed by a friend that you didn’t even want to discuss the situation with him or her? Or maybe, and this is more likely, Jesus knows his fate and he simply has quietly accepted it. We don’t really know what is in Jesus mind here. But we can learn from his example. Can I stop some arguments by simply being silent? Can I accept a fate I don’t deserve for the sake of peace? I know that is not near always the proper choice. Some times we must fight for what we believe in. But sometimes, perhaps we can just silently let things play out and trust that God is in control.
Father, give me the faith and peace to sometimes just shut my mouth…and give me the wisdom to know when that time is. *obbs*
