By: Obed Pineda
Approximately seven hundred years prior to the events that transpired at Jerusalem on the treacherous night that Jesus of Nazareth was unjustly arrested, the prophet Isaiah had foretold with great detail and precision the unfolding of this moment in what would later be referred to as the prophecy of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). For centuries, the Jewish rabbis ignored and dismissed this inspired pericope to speak about Jehovah God’s Anointed One, since the Messiah they expected was to be an unconquerable warrior king who would restore Israel back to its past glory. Curiously, their rejection of Isaiah’s accurate account of the Messiah’s suffering at their hands was a prophecy in its own right predicting their rejection of Jesus as the Christ. Verily, the inspired Peter confirms this when he revealed to the Sanhedrin, “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’” (Acts 4:11). Their arrogant refusal to accept that Jesus is Christ must serve as a cautionary tale for us today, remembering the Lord’s warning, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:30, emphasis added). The denial of God’s Anointed began when Israel deafened their ears to God’s call. God speaks to Isaiah about Israel’s obstinacy proclaiming, “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts” (Isaiah 65:2 emphasis added). Observe that their reason for not understanding that Isaiah’s description of the Suffering Servant was indeed about the Christ, was because it was not in accordance to their thoughts of what the Christ should be. Because they stubbornly refused to heed God’s calling, Isaiah wisely predicted that Jesus would be “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” (Isaiah 53:7, emphasis added). It must be understood that the worth of this detail provided by the prophet is much more valuable than to demonstrate precision of his prophecy 700 years before it happened. Although his astonishing accuracy confirms the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of Isaiah (cf. Matthew 26:62-63, 27:13-14, Luke 23:8-9, John 19:7-10), his inclusion of the silence of God’s Lamb is a vital lesson that must not be overlooked. Having previously mentioned the obstinacy of the rebellious children of Israel, Jesus’ silence before His accusers was in actuality speaking loudly against them. The Master chose to remain silent because He determined to “not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast [His] pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Matthew 7:6, emphasis & addition mine). Caiaphas, the chief priests, Herod, and Pontius Pilate had no interest in hearing the truth from Jesus; they each had their own personal agenda. Caiaphas and the chief priests sought to entrap Him by twisting and perverting His words with the intent to kill Jesus. Herod had heard of the miracles that Jesus had done throughout the land and simply wanted to appease his curiosity by witnessing the Lord perform a miracle in His presence as if He were there for his personal entertainment. Pilate wanted to find a way out of his predicament with the angry Jewish mob threatening to revolt against him, placing him in the dangerous cross hairs of Cesar. Therefore, as the old adage says, Christ’s words would have fallen on deaf ears. Undoubtedly, the Redeemer had firmly in His mind, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Proverbs 26:4-5, emphasis added). Christ’s answer to the foolish judges of His trial was to not give in to their goading and mockery. He resisted their wicked attempts to provoke Him to anger so that He would react unwisely. Jesus, in example, teaches us the meaning of this proverb. His silence was apropos to the folly of His accusers. By remaining in control of His emotions, the Master rose above their carnal mentality, but He also sought to stir their conscience, inviting them to make the right decision. Matthew reveals that “Pilate said to Him, ‘Do you not hear how many things they testify against You?’ But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly” (Matthew 27:13-14, emphasis added). The inspired Levi (cf. Luke 5:27-32 & Matthew 9:9-13) pens that at the governor’s feast, Pilate exercises the custom of allowing the crowd to choose one prisoner to be freed, giving them the choice between Jesus and the notorious Barabbas, hoping that they would select Jesus “for he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy” and “while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him’” (Matthew 27:15-19, emphasis added). Lamentably, Pilate’s fear of Cesar outweighed his fear of God and went against his wife’s sage advice and his own conscience. However, the Lord’s silence also materializes a second instruction vital for His church. On a certain occasion, the Lord invited, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29, emphasis added). The validity of His proclamation that He was meek (as translated from the original Greek word praos) is verified in His silent acceptance of God’s will. The Savior did not murmur nor complain of His Father’s decision that it was necessary for Him to die on the cross. Before being arrested, the Lord had prayed at the garden, “Father, if is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42, emphasis added). When Judas Iscariot arrived with the soldiers who were going to arrest Him, Jesus understood that His Father had answered His prayer and that He had to drink of the bitter cup. Ergo, He obediently took the bitter cup and humbly drank from it without grumbling against His Father’s will. The apostle Paul, after placing Jesus as the paradigm of humility that must be followed, exhorts, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 4:14-15, emphasis added). There is no question that Jesus of Nazareth proves with His meekness, exhibited in His silent acceptance of the cross, that He is “the Sun of Righteousness…with healing in His wings” prophesied by Malachi (Malachi 4:2) and alluded to by Paul in the pericope. His humble and loyal disposition to the Father paves the path that should be followed by every Christian. Like Him, we must learn how to speak with our silence when the situation merits it. The silence of the Lamb of God, attests that before evil, contentious men it is best that “the prudent keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time” (Amos 5:13, emphasis added).