03/18/2022
The moments of our greatest strength are not those in which we lash out at our accusers, or argue against the injustice that faces us, but instead, our greatest strength is demonstrated in our silence, in the absolute confidence we have in God, and what is right in Him. The power of silence has never been more pronounced than during those telling minutes when Jesus faced the chief priests before Pilate… and said nothing. Is our faith this strong, and if not, do we pray for the day when it will be?
“And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.”
Mark 15:3-5 ESV
There is a particular saying I have heard repeatedly, and it goes like this: “Don’t wrestle with a pig because you both get muddy, and the pig likes it!” Perhaps you have heard this too, but have you had the strength to adhere to it? Well, I must confess that there have been many times through the years that I walked away from a confrontation with mud all over me, and whether I won or lost I felt dirty nonetheless. When the argument was over I would think about Jesus standing silent before His accusers and wish I had done the same. In those moments I felt like I should go to the river and wash the filth from myself… have you ever felt like this? Even having won, did you wished you had remained silent before your adversary? Did winning the argument make you feel dirty in the end? Did it feel like sin?
“And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.””
Mark 15:13-14 ESV
It took me a while to realize that sometimes an argument, though verbal and open, didn’t have its greatest impact on my sense of right and wrong, or on my pride and ego, but on my spirit… it would rest heavy on my soul… even when I was right in the arguments I made. In the case of Jesus, speaking in His defense would have thwarted the will of God, but sometimes in our lives we find that even though we are right in what we say, it will have made someone else feel less. So it becomes a matter of motive; did we argue just so we could flaunt our intelligence, or appear to be the victor? In cases such as this maintaining our silence will soothe our soul, even if it irritates the daylights out of our intellect.
How can we gather the strength to remain silent? How can we hold our tongue when to argue in the defense of scripture would be so satisfying? Today I read a wonderful quote during my devotional reading that spoke to me of this. It was something that the Episcopal Bishop, Henry Whipple, said during the late 1800s. Listen…
“For the last thirty years, I have looked for the face of Christ in the people with whom I have disagreed.” - Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple
What was Jesus looking for in the face of His accusers that day before Pilate? Whose face did He see in the crowd as He hung dying on Calvary and spoke these words to His Father?
“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”
Luke 23:34 ESV
We need to listen to the Holy Spirit as he whispers to our hearts before we speak out, even in defense of the Word. Is the argument we are about to make an insignificant point of faith, and might it destroy the tiny grain of faith in another? Will it bring ruin to their budding belief just as God is working actively in them? Will we thus stand before the throne of judgement with a soul’s blood on our hands? Does making such points, just because we know them to be true, place us at odds with God’s will? Do we doubt the ultimate good in arguing the truth at that particular moment, and does this doubt make continuing on with the argument a sin to us?
“But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
Romans 14:23 ESV
Truth remains truth whether spoken or unspoken. There are truths of God that remain hidden to us, and so we need to be careful that what we reveal, or argue for, is in will of God for us to do. If not, then do we have the strength to remain silent? Are we able to suppress our overpowering desire to be right so that God’s will, and plan, can be worked without interference? Have we ever considered that the test is not of the truth, but of our ability to adhere to God’s will that we remain silent in it a little longer?
“At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”
Matthew 11:25-26 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy Word, and the truth it contains. Thank you for the mysteries that reside there, and for their revelation made known to us at the perfect time. Help us Lord to be silent until you tell us to speak, and help us to know with confidence when that time has come. Forgive us Father for those instances when our tongues have rattled on despite your desire that we should still them. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who speaks to us in the roaring wind, a low voice, and in absolute silence. Praised be your name for those times when you instruct us to speak, but thank you equally, and perhaps more, for those times when it is your desire that we remain silent. Merciful are you, and we ask that you forgive us for arguing your Word in times when we should have been quiet. Your grace abounds, but never more than when we are still before you, and know that you are God. Your silence should be a lesson to us, and calm our spirits. Wash us in the blood of Jesus who stood silent before Pilate, and did your will. See the image of Christ on our faces when we come before you in judgement, and announce us to be worthy. But now, in our time of waiting, bless us with the ability to search for your reflection in the faces of those who confront us, and to gather up the full strength of silence.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7 ESV
““Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””
Psalm 46:10 ESV
Rich Forbes