God Himself is silent in the face of accusations! (Justin D. Clemente, “At the Cross,” p. 25)
Isaiah 53:7 NKJV
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.
Matthew 26:57-68 NKJV
And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last, two false witnesses came forward and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’” And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”
William Barclay
Even the externals of justice were forgotten, and the venomous hatred of the Jewish authorities broke through. That meeting in the night began as a court of justice and ended in a frenzied display of hatred, in which there was no attempt to maintain even the superficialities of impartial justice. To this day, the fact remains that when a man is brought face to face with Jesus Christ, he must either hate Him or love Him; he must either submit to Him, or desire to destroy Him. No man who realizes what Jesus Christ demands can possibly be neutral. He must either be His lover or His foe.
Bishop J. C. Ryle
Let it never surprise us, if we have to endure mockery, and ridicule, and false reports, because we belong to Christ. “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord” (Matthew 10:24). If lies and insults were heaped upon our Saviour, we need not wonder if the same weapons are constantly used against his people. It is one of Satan’s great devices to blacken the characters of godly men and bring them into contempt: the lives of Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, and Wesley supply abundant examples of this. If we are ever called upon to suffer in this way, let us bear it patiently. We drink the same cup that was drunk by our beloved Lord. But there is one great difference: at the worst, we only drink a few bitter drops; he drank the cup to the very dregs.
“From all evil and wickedness; from sin, from the works and assaults of the devil; from your wrath and everlasting condemnation, Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vanity, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all lack of charity, Good Lord, deliver us.
From all disordered and sinful affections, and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil, Good Lord, deliver us.
From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of your Word and commandments, Good Lord, deliver us.”
(Book of Common Prayer, “The Great Litany”)
Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended?
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
