Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed. Matthew 27:13-14.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
If you want a peaceful life far from offense, you must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve My righteousness. Jesus kept all My commands and only said words that agreed with Mine, so you know He kept this. He was slow to respond when people were trying to make Him speak in a way that would be unbecoming or not in keeping with godly character. He did not trample down people.
“A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.” Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20.
He also refrained from responding when He knew His Words would have no impact because of the lack of faith and the hardness of heart of those who were questioning Him.
In the trial and death of Jesus there were a number of times He was questioned but simply remained silent. Sometimes silence is the most effective conversation and many times it is the best conversation you can have with those who oppose and reject you.
Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but those who restrain their lips do well. Proverbs 10:19.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1.
When Jesus was being tried before His own people, that is, the religious leaders of His day, He kept silent and did not answer their fabricated testimonies against Him, Luke 23:1-12, Mark 14:61, Matthew 26:63, but He did testify to His Sonship when the Chief Priest charged Him under oath to answer.
The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Matthew 26: 62-63.
Jesus knew that it would do no good no matter what He said, their minds were made up to condemn Him to death as they had planned out ahead of time when they carefully orchestrated His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane in the night away from the crowds who came during the day to hear Him speak and be healed. But put under oath by the high priest unto Me, He answered calmly with the truth:
And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:62.
And Jesus was correct about the result. His composure and truthful answer merely triggered off the high priest’s wrath and was just what the high priest thought he needed to declare Jesus guilty of blasphemy. Jesus not only declared Himself Messiah and My Son but used My great I AM Name and to top it all off quoted the prophecy of Daniel as pertaining to Himself.
“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14.
And what was the response of the high priest to all this edification and revelation?
Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face. Mark 14:63-65.
Under the law of Moses, the high priest was never to tear his garment. It was seamless and reinforced at the neck. Once he tore his garments, he was cut off from the priesthood. The high priest tore his garment while Jesus stood in His seamless robe before him and the royal priesthood was transferred and transformed to the royal line of Jesus.
Jesus once told His disciples, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6. And you see here, from the reaction of the chief priest to what should have been the most glorious words he had ever heard and had waited for all his life, that what Jesus told them was true. Before the chief priest and the Sanhedrin was the long awaited and foretold Messiah who would save My people from their sins. It was a moment of highest revelation that all had been longing for. But they missed it and failed to recognize their visitation.
Watch out who you share your treasures with. Sharing his heavenly dreams got Joseph in trouble with his jealous brothers, in fact, the majority of them wanted to kill him. Dogs and swine do not understand spiritual or holy things. A pearl is not as good to a pig as a pea that he can put in his belly. The green pea he will keep but the pearl he will spit out.
And when the chief priest and members of the Sanhedrin handed Jesus over to Pilate they began to accuse Him falsely without fear, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is the Messiah, a King.” Luke 23:1-2. Here you will note, they simply put the accusations against Him that they themselves at various times had tried to bait Him with but never succeeded but got put in their place by His wise and insightful answers every time.
Pilate did not want to get caught up in this argument so he simply inquired of Jesus whether He was a king, which we previously discussed, and after Jesus’ supernatural answer, Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” Luke 23:4.
But the members of the Sanhedrin were not about to give up once they had gotten this far in their path to destroy Jesus. So they would not be silent, which would have preserved their souls, but instead kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee even as far as this place.” Luke 23:5.
There is a way that seems right to man, but it ends in death. Those condemning Jesus did it self-righteously. But it was fueled by jealously fanned on by the fires of hell.
Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4.
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6.
Never let your tongue run wild. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed. The fruit of the Spirit produces self-control and if you control your tongue, you can control your entire body.
You will note on the day of Pentecost the first evidence of the baptism in the Spirit Jesus had promised them was the speaking in tongues telling of My wonders. Let My Spirit take hold with you of your tongue to speak in heavenly language until rivers of life flow out of you to a thirsty world.
Now on that day when Pilate heard the priests and scribes speak of Galilee in connection with Jesus, he asked whether Jesus was a Galilean. He was hopeful to get the case out of his court. And when he learned that Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem for the Passover at that time. Luke 23:6-7.
And this is where we will stop our Life Lesson for today. We will continue with the conversation with Herod tomorrow and you will find that Herod did all the talking while Jesus said not a word. But His silence had the power in it that Herod’s words were devoid of.
I love you. I will never leave you or forsake you. And for you who love Me and are Mine, you will never, when you turn to Me for anything, will find Me silent. Just call on Me and I will answer you and tell you wonderful things you could not know.