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Matthew 27:11-14
Message No. 0704 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
When we watch movies or drama series and we understand the story from start, we mostly set our minds to the outcome of the actions and reactions in the scenes we watch. Sometimes we see someone being accused wrongly and because we have seen the story, we expect the accused to tell the whole story and to reveal the truth that would exonerate him or her. Often, the person just says a few words, far short of leading to exoneration. Don’t we sometimes say, what is wrong with this person? Why is he not defending himself? If he had said this, or that, it would have been clear that he was being wrongly accused!
Well, yes, we are often correct when we think this way, but I have come to the conclusion that these are dramas and the script writers’ intentions are to create anticipation and entertainment. They want to keep you at the edge of your seat in anticipation that the truth would come out, even if it means, as it often does, at the very end of the drama. A few times, the truth does not come out at all, or it comes out as concluding prints after the drama has essentially ended.
When you look at the account of the accusation of Jesus Christ before Pilate, you can easily draw parallels with what we see in movies. First, Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “It is as you say.” Well, this didn’t mean much. Is it as Pilate said, or as the people said, or is it true, Jesus did not elaborate. The ensuing accusations of the chief priests and the elders were even more telling. In Matthew 27:12-14, the Bible says:
And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Many of us have asked, why did Jesus keep quiet? He knew the answers to all the accusations, and He was capable of not only exonerating Himself, but also to set Himself free, for who is the person born of a woman that could hold the Creator bound? Nevertheless, at the very crucial moment when He could have defended Himself and have the governor set Him free, Jesus chose to remain silent. Why? He could have said one Word and the host of heaven could have come down to arrest the arrestors, and we would all have been happy that we serve the all-powerful God, but He chose not to do that at all. With His silence, He disappointed most of the readers of the Bible, but did He?
When we cast our minds back to why He was being accused, we recall that Jesus had a mission for coming to this world. He did not come to act in a movie, He did not come to entertain the world. He came with a mission to save us from our sins and the catastrophic consequences of being on the wrong side of God. He came to save us from eternal damnation. Did He intentionally let Himself be wrongly accused? Yes He did. How else could He have been condemned in place of us? (John 3:18). How else could He have taken upon Himself our infirmities? (Isaiah 53:4). How else could He have put our curses upon Himself? (Galatians 3:13). How else could we have been reconciled to the Father? (Romans 5:10). How else could we have been saved!
Whenever we revisit the subject of forgiveness, we often see our own inadequacies, we see clearly our lack of willingness to accord the offender the same level of grace that Jesus accorded us by answering nothing to the accusations of the chief priests and the elders. In most cases when we are offended, we want to prove our innocence. We go to lengths to narrate our stories and to defend ourselves and to show how saintly we are. When we don’t receive apologies from the offenders, we hold them responsible in our hearts and keep grudges with them and refuse to release them until they have come kneeling before us.
On the contrary, Jesus prayed upfront for those who crucified Him, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” If our greatest Example, Model and Mentor is Jesus Christ, can we begin to do what He did in the area of forgiveness? Can we release those who have offended us in any way? Can we let it go, for the sake of Christ?
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PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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