Thank You For Not Speaking Up
Jesus remained silent and “made no answer.”
This had to be. It was necessary because only no answer would accomplish the goal God had set out for Jesus’ calling. He must be sacrificed “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness” (John 3:14). No answer was the only way to get to the cross, so Jesus did not answer.
Jesus did not come to earth to defend himself or his Father in heaven. He did not come here to make a defense of righteousness, goodness, truth and everything else we want to see defended. Jesus did not come here to prove there was a God. He did not even come to earth to make everything right, get rid of sin, make it all perfect again.
Jesus came to earth to die.
Jesus came to die because it was in his death that the power that ruled would be overthrown. Jesus’ death pronounced a death sentence on death. Sin would no longer mean complete enmity with God. Man’s failures could be forgiven and everlasting life in the presence of God would be reestablished.
It was in Jesus’ death that the title “sinner” would be condemned and the one condemned in sin could have a new name, “child of God”. It was in the unjust death of Jesus that injustice was put on notice of the inevitable end of its reign of terror and sickness was notified of its terminal illness that would one day cause it to die - forever. Jesus died so that disease would no longer hold rule over God’s creation, so that decay would be relegated to affecting only the natural, fallen world and so that death would no longer be the dreaded end of existence but the beginning of life the way it was intended.
When the accusers testified falsely, when the lies and unfounded witnesses came forward to condemn Jesus, he did not reply. He certainly could have said something. Surely words came to mind that would have been effective in refuting the lies. But words were not what was needed. Silence was the will of God at that moment. Besides, Jesus had a lot of things on his mind right then - things like you and me.