He Kept Silent

But he kept silent and did not answer. —Mark 14:61

When we read the accounts of Jesus’ trials, we may have a sanitized picture of what it was like. We may forget these weren’t decorous courtroom scenes. Rather there was tension, anger, shouting, and blood. Jesus was being cruelly beaten and mocked. Ultimately there was bedlam, as hell itself unleashed its fury on the innocent Son of God.

In that clamorous context, Jesus’ silence is even more striking. Anyone else who was being tried for a capital offense of which they were innocent would have thrown up every piece of evidence and appealed to every authority to get vindication.

But as Jesus demonstrated His extraordinary strength and dignity, He didn’t resist. He didn’t defend Himself, rail against His enemies, or protest His innocence; He didn’t even expose the lies of His accusers.

The One who spoke the worlds into being by His Word didn’t speak a word to spare His own life. He had nothing evil to say about His enemies or about His heavenly Father, whose will it was for Him to suffer and die. He held His peace.

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“The Incomparable Christ,” Revive Our Hearts series

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible ®. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible ® and CSB ® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.