He Said Nothing

Have you ever been accused of something and every part of you wanted to fight back?

You rehearse the comeback in your head. You replay what they said. You need people to know your side.

I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit.

So this part of the story always stops me.

Jesus is standing in front of the chief priests, the elders, and Pilate, the man with the power to kill Him. They’re throwing accusations at Him. Some are twisted. Some are flat out lies. This is the moment to defend Himself, and He has every word He could ever need.

“But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge, to the great amazement of the governor.” (Matthew 27:14)

Pilate couldn’t believe it. Nobody stays quiet when their life is on the line.

But this was written about Him hundreds of years before it happened:

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:7)

His silence wasn’t weakness. He wasn’t trapped. He knew exactly who He was, and He didn’t need the room to agree.

That’s the part I’m still learning.

A lot of our defending isn’t really about the truth. It’s about needing to be seen a certain way. Needing the last word. Needing everyone to know we were right.

But when you’re secure in who God says you are, you don’t have to win every argument. You don’t have to answer every comment. You don’t have to correct every person who gets you wrong.

That doesn’t mean never speak up. There’s a time to stand up for what’s right, and Jesus did it plenty of times. But there’s also a time to let your life do the talking and trust God with your name.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is say nothing at all.

Then they took Him out to be crucified, beaten so badly He could barely stand under the weight of His own cross.

So they grabbed a stranger out of the crowd and made him carry it.

Austin
Founder, TheRisenKing