Silent Knight
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge-to the great amazement of the governor. (Matthew 27:14)
Silent Knight
By: Ashley Peterson (St. Mark Staff Minister Intern)
If you are blessed to have siblings, you know it is not all sunshine and rainbows. I have a twin sister whom I love dearly, and we get along well, but I have not always treated her the best. When we were younger, one of our chores was putting away the clean dishes. I was angry at her for something, and out of rage, I hit her. Well, I ended up hitting her a lot harder than I intended, and she started crying. Immediately I was frantically telling her to be quiet and stop crying, but of course, that did not work. My grandma heard, and I got in trouble because my sister told her what I did though I tried to pass off the blame. As siblings, we are highly vindictive. We want things to be fair and square, and we crave punishment for our siblings’ wrongdoings.
Now put yourself in Jesus‘ sandals for a moment. He was the only perfect person to walk this earth. During his 33 years in the world, he did not sin once. Jesus is the very last person who deserved the death that he received. He could have easily come to show off his glory and power and make evident how short we fall compared to him. Instead, Jesus left his throne in heaven and became God incarnate because we could not earn our salvation on our own. In doing so, he endured the pain and suffering of the sinful world. Jesus suffered the death meant for you and me. God demanded payment for our sins, and Jesus was the one who answered. The very demand we were meant to appease.
Jesus did not have to pay for our sins. At any moment while here on earth, he could have tapped out. He could have gotten to the cross and wiped his hands clean, saying, “You know what, I’m done. This is too much. You guys can fix the problem you created.” Thankfully and remarkably, he remained silent. Though the people hurled insults, beat, whipped, and ultimately nailed him to the cross, he endured it all. The love that Jesus had for us was too much to leave us fending for ourselves. So when Jesus stood before Pilate, as the chief priests and elders were accusing him, he made no retort. He did not even try to highlight the good work he was doing. Jesus “made no reply, not even a single charge.”
Song: Lay Down My Life For You by Sidewalk Prophets
Prayer Suggestion: Thank God for willingly walking into death for us. For taking our due punishment on himself without saying a word.