At the very beginning of His earthly ministry, the true identity of Jesus Christ was exposed by Satan. Jesus was born like any other child, and in many ways He had an ordinary childhood and young adulthood. At the age of 30, He came to John and requested baptism, at which time His ministry began. “Then (immediately) was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
Do you remember the nature of that temptation? Basically, Satan attacked the nature of GOD-MAN – the “THEANTHROPIC Person.” “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Could Jesus have turned rocks into rye bread or stones into sourdough? Yes, He could have. “BUT… he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Then Satan tempted Christ to cast himself down off a very high pinnacle. Could the Lord Jesus have called ten thousand angels to catch Him as He fell? Certainly. But Jesus replied, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” – by asking for such a miracle. Finally the devil said to Him, “I’ll give you all the kingdoms over which I rule, if you bow before me.” “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” I have no doubt that Christ could have destroyed Satan at any time, if He had chosen to do so. I believe that Christ was God incarnate on the earth, and therefore He had absolute power available to Him. But He chose to veil His divine omnipotence under His human incarnation.
And yet, throughout His ministry, Jesus displayed His natural divine power – but in limited ways. For example, He commanded a fig tree to die, and a day later it was not only dead but withered into something like a willow wisp. When there was a need, He changed water into wine, because the Creator can do those sorts of things. He could stop the wind from blowing and keep sinking ships afloat. He could order fish to obey Him. He raised the dead and healed the sick, because life and death were in His hands – the hands of God. Throughout His life, Jesus PROVED that He was God in the flesh.
Unfortunately, very few were paying attention. It is the nature of fallen men to be blind to the things of God. And those who despised the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, treasuring up unto themselves God’s wrath, carried the Lord Jesus from His prayers in Gethsemane to His death at Golgotha. But while still in the garden of Gethsemane, just to make sure those people knew who they were arresting, when they asked if He was Jesus of Nazareth, they were driven by Christ’s power backward to the ground. Jesus could have squashed an army of those men as if they were ants. Or He could have blinded them just He blinded an enemy army when they came to take Elisha. But, Jesus didn’t do these things. He willingly held out his hands to be bound, and He let them taken Him away.
During the following few hours, the Son of God who spoke the world into existence did something astounding. When His enemies pummeled Him with questions, Jesus often remained silent. Even when the questions were important, Jesus didn’t answer. In many cases the answers had already been given; there was no need for further reply.
It is those questions, and that silence, which comprise my theme for this message.
First, let’s run through some of the examples of Jesus’ silence.
We have already read Mark’s account of Christ’s appearance before Israel ruling priests. When the Jew’s paid-witnesses lied about Him, the high priest asked Jesus, “Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace and answered nothing.” Luke and Matthew repeat this same information. But then in 26:68, Matthew describes some of Jesus’ beating at the hands of the guards. “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” Jesus knew exactly who slapped him, who punched Him, blacked His eyes, and made His face swell. When those people eventually died they immediately rued that day, and they have done so now for centuries. This slapping will most likely come up again at their judgment – before they are cast into the Lake of Fire. Jesus didn’t answer them at the time, but He knew the answer, just as He knows all about you and me.
The apostle John adds some more information about this unlawful “trial” before Annas. John 18:19 – “The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.” John says that Jesus did answer Annas, but it was not an answer to the man’s question. He said in essence: “If you are trying to make incriminate myself, forget it. If you want to know what I have been teaching, go ask all those people who have heard me. I refuse to answer your question.”
In Mark 15 and Matthew 27 Christ was brought before the Roman Governor, Pilate. “And (Pilate) asked him, Art thou the King of Jews? And (Jesus) answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.” Notice that Jesus didn’t directly answer this man’s question either. He said, “You and the Jews are saying that I have said I am the King of the Jews.” “And (then) the chief priests accused him of many things; but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.”
Christ displayed His silence during all these trials, during all these accusations and then at His crucifixion. There are a few other instances, some of which I will come to in a moment. But eventually the Jews took Christ and by wicked hands had Him crucified between two thieves. At that point the crowds began to mock and torment Him. “And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” But Jesus didn’t say a word. “The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in his teeth,” but again Jesus didn’t reply. One of the seven things Jesus did say while on the cross was – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” A study of what Jesus said, while shedding His blood for our redemption, is an interesting study. But our theme this morning, is what He didn’t say.
After what may have seemed like an eternity that Passover day, Jesus broke His silence in Luke 23:42. One of the malefactors said to Him, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Remember – Jesus voluntarily volunteered no answers to these peoples’ questions. He could have given answers and arguments throughout those final hours. Or He could have asked God the Father to pour down His wrath on those people. He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free. But He didn’t. All of this was for the purpose of providing an atonement for our sins.
Now, with this as our introduction, I will share with you my few thoughts – it seems to me that the silence of the Christ was a silence of holiness; of peacea, of consistency and of purpose.
One reason that Jesus didn’t reply to those people was based in His absolute HOLINESS.
At some point, perhaps even after they had taken Him, the “chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death.” They had an agenda – to be rid of this pest who exposed their sins. They didn’t want to hear any more about their relationship to their parents who killed the earlier prophets. They didn’t want to hear that their righteousness wasn’t sufficient to please the holy God. They didn’t want to hear His exhortation to “repent.” So they “sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death,” but they found none. “For many bare false witnesses against him, but their witness agreed not together.” And that is when the “high priest stood up in the midst, and (demanded of) Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? What is it which these witnesses against thee? But he held his peace and answered nothing.”
A parade of liars made accusations against the Saviour, pointing to various supposed acts of sin. But when they were forced into expressing details, occasions and corroborating witnesses, they couldn’t do it. They couldn’t do it, because they were liars. They didn’t have any truth to bring them together. When the high priest could see that this plan wasn’t going to work, he stood up, threw out his chest, raised his voice and authoritatively demanded that Jesus incriminate Himself. “But he held his peace and answered nothing.”
This was a silence of HOLINESS. BUT Christ had not been silent about these things earlier in His life. In John 8 the Pharisees said to their Messiah, “Thou barest record of thyself; thy record is not true.” Jesus essentially replied, “You don’t know what you are talking about. My testimony is absolutely true.” And in verse 46 He asked them, “Which of you have any evidence of my duplicity or sinfulness?” “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
Peter who knew the Lord very well, having lived with Him for three and a half years, said of Christ, He “did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,” and He was the Lamb of God, “without blemish and without spot.” Paul may not have spent time with Christ during Jesus earthly ministry, still he knew Him very well. Paul said, God “hath made (Christ Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” And the writer of Hebrews spoke of Christ as our great high priest, “who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”
Jesus didn’t need to testify to His own holiness before those judges, because His life, His disciples, and even honest strangers were sufficient witnesses.
Christ also displayed the SILENCE of PEACE.
As I said earlier – in Mark 15 and Matthew 27 Christ was brought before the Roman Governor, Pilate. “And (he) asked him, Art thou the King of Jews? And (Jesus) answering said unto him, Thou sayest it.” Jesus didn’t directly answer the question, and Pilate who was used to immediate obedience was surprised.
That brings us to John 19:1 – “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”
The Jews, because they had no other road to run, turned to Pilate, accusing Jesus of political TREASON. But Jesus didn’t have to reply to that charge, because it was utterly ridiculous. There wasn’t a treacherous bone in His body. He wasn’t a mutineer; He was the Messiah. Granted, when sinners turn to Christ, they become somewhat separated from the State, but to say that Christ was guilty of treason was treasonous. Once again, to these charges the Lord didn’t need to respond.
Christ also displayed a SILENCE of CONSISTENCY.
This is a kind of silence that you and I need to learn and practice. Just think about the chaos that was raging around Jesus during all of this. It was far worse than those storms out on the Sea of Galilee with the winds and the waves. There were the priests, the false witnesses, the temple guards, the Roman soldiers and the Governor. There were the beatings, the badgering, the screaming, then there was the pain, and the exhaustion. There was not a friend to be found for Christ; everything was a mess. But Jesus was as steady as a rock, spiritually and emotionally. He didn’t speak a word.
That is an example we need to learn and to follow. Even when the world around us is falling to pieces we may stand peacefully on the Rock of Ages. In the midst of screaming voices, we need to lower the tone and volume of our voices, to make them hear. We never need to retaliate against the words and deeds of those who hate our Saviour. Jesus didn’t respond and, generally speaking, neither should we.
Then Luke 23 introduces another thought into the equation: Luke 23:8 – “And when (King) Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some MIRACLE done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.” Christ wasn’t going to play like the trained monkey. He wasn’t going to dance just because the pipers piped and drums pounded. He never worked miracles on the cue of the directors. He was the director; He was in charge. And He didn’t have to speak a word.
Finally, I see in all this Christ’s SILENCE of PURPOSE.
A few minutes ago, in John 19, we noticed that Pilate became really disturbed about the prisoner given to him. And in verse 9, he “went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, WHENCE art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.” “Whence art thou?” This isn’t the only time Christ was asked a question like this. I have in my little sermon notebook some thoughts about another scripture that I’ll probably never develop. The first time that Andrew, Peter’s brother, met Jesus, “Jesus turned, and saw them following and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, where dwellest thou?” What an apparently silly question. I don’t fully understand it, and that’s why I’m not ready to preach it. Maybe it was just the first thing that came into Andrew’s head, and he spoke out of excitement and embarrassment. In Andrew’s case, Jesus did answer – but in a somewhat cryptic way: “Follow me and see for yourselves.”
Pilate, when told by the Jews that Jesus was a revolutionary out to destroy Roman power, he asked “WHENCE art thou?” He may have wanted to know from what tribe or nation He came, or with whose authority He was acting. A full reply could have taken a long time, and this secular Roman was not prepared for the true answer. So none was given.
But WE who know Christ, know the answer. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the God-head. He is the Creator of the universe. He has always been – always existed and always will. He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end of all things. In him we live and move and have our being.
A question more appropriate to Governor Pilate’s case would be: “Jesus of Nazareth, where are you GOING?” I wonder if the Lord would have answered that kind of question? He was going to the cross as He prophesied during His life and as was prophesied in the Old Testament. Christ was going to give His life as a ransom for many, and then He was going to be buried, only to rise again on the third day. Christ was on a journey back to the Holy of Holies, were He will take His seat on the throne of Judgment.
And from that judgment throne Christ Jesus will not be silent. He will speak with all the authority of the King of kings and Judge of sinners. He will say to some, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” And to others, like Pilate and those priests of Israel, he will say, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels.”
There is a sense in which the Saviour has already said all that needs to be said. The means of our deliverance from sin has been laid out, and the message of the gospel has been spoken and clarified. Even though the Holy Spirit is still speaking through evangelists and human witnesses, Christ has spoken. He has said, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” And today, “the Spirit and the bride say come… and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Now, I repeat what Jesus and the apostles said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
Won’t you listen to the gospel words of the Lord Jesus? Won’t you listen to the Spirit as He speaks to you?