“The chief priests began to accuse Him harshly. Then Pilate questioned Him again, saying, “Do You not answer? See how many charges they bring against You!” But Jesus made no further answer; so Pilate was amazed.” Mark 15:3-5, NAS95.

We live in a noisy world. With the rise of social media, it has gotten even noisier. Now everyone can post, tweet, blog, and kvetch in just about any manner they please. Opinions, arguments, accusations, retorts, and personal positions are all there for everyone to interact with. Then we have Jesus...

Jesus is so other in His humanity. While being right, righteous, and sinless, when He was accused, He chose to remain silent. Though I am sure He could have written a book on what was happening to Him personally in that moment, He made "no further answer."

Sometimes, silence is the answer that is really needed. Silence puts the argument in its place. Silence causes the heart to reflect again. Silence gives time for God to speak. Silence may be the answer to the question.

We must be aware of and reflect more upon our need to answer. What insecurity, point of pride, or ego stroke is within us that makes us react to the moment? Why do we think more noise will actually fix something? This verse gives us a wisdom secret. Even if we are right, we can be silent. Here are some other promises for reflection. 

“The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” Exodus 14:14, NAS95.

“My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.” Psalms 62:5, NAS95.

“Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” Proverbs 17:28, NAS95.

“It is foolish to speak poorly of a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.” Proverbs 11:12, NLT.

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:25-26, NAS95.

Pilate was amazed by Jesus' silence. He knew Jesus had the power and wisdom to free himself from the foolishness of the accusations, yet He stopped speaking just short of freedom. May we take note of this ourselves. Maybe the Lord is trying to do something new. 
 
Have a wonderful day.  

Thursday