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He Was Silent
When I read today’s passage, two words come to my mind.
SILENCE and NOISE
There is a silence of Jesus and a noise of people
The only thing Jesus said was this.
You say so. (Matthew 27:11)
This was when Pilate asked Jesus whether he was the King of the Jews.
That was it. After that, Jesus didn’t say anything. Until Pilate handed him over to be crucified, he said nothing. He was completely silent.
When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not say anything.
…when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. (Matthew 27:12)
He did not defend himself. He was silent.
Pilate was frustrated and told Jesus this.
Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you? (Matthew 27:13)
He wanted to break Jesus’ silence and make him say something. Say something to defend himself. But Jesus did not say a word.
Total silence!
…he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Matthew 27:14)
Pilate was amazed because Jesus was different from all the people he experienced. They all begged him to save their lives. But Jesus was silent.
It was not that Jesus had nothing to say. He had so much to say. He was a teacher. He taught so many great truths. When you read the Gospels, it was mostly Jesus who spoke.
But not this time. Jesus knew when it was a time to speak and when it was a time to be silent.
The Wisdom of Ecclesiastes
That is the wisdom of Ecclesiastes.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6-7)
Jesus knew that it was a time to be silent
Why was he silent? Because he knew that it was no use. Jewish leaders already made up their minds to kill him. No matter what Jesus said, no matter what Pilate tried to do, they would push through their agenda and they would get it. Jesus knew that.
They were so determined. They believed that they were doing God’s will. When people think what they are doing is God’s will, no one can stop them.
Hear what they said.
Then the people as a whole answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ (Matthew 27:25)
Very determined. Their determination could be felt in their voices.
Barabbas! Barabbas!
Crucify Jesus! Crucify Jesus !
Pilate was not naive. He was a very polished politician. He knew people very well. He clearly knew that Jesus was innocent.
For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. (Matthew 27:18)
He almost defended Jesus. The more he tried to defend Jesus, the more violently people reacted.
But they shouted all the more, ‘Let him be crucified!’(Matthew 27:23)
Loud Noise!
Unfortunately, Pilate listened to the noise. Instead of hearing the voice deep within him, he gave his ear to the noise.
His true desire was to release Jesus because he didn’t want to kill an innocent man. Three times, he tried.
Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ (Matthew 27:17)
Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ (Matthew 27:21)
Why, what evil has he done?’ (Matthew 27:23)
He tried.
Also, his wife had a dream and told Pilate not to do anything with this man, Jesus.
Pilate knew what was the right thing to do. But he chose to listen to the noise. When you hear the noises, you end up doing what you don’t want to do. That’s why you can never be fully committed. You can never fully engage in your life if you follow the noises around you.
That was exactly what Pilate did.
…he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’(Matthew 27:24)
He neglected his responsibility, sitting on the judgment seat. He ran away from his responsibility.
In Silence
Noises are here. (Pointing to your head)
Not here (Pointing to your heart)
You hear the noises because you fear. You hear them because they are just there. Following noises, you can never live a life of commitment.
Don’t listen to the noises around you. Noises will impose themselves upon you, whether you like them or not. They force you to hear them. They are the voices of fear.
Jesus was silent. Not only because it was useless to speak. He was listening to the silence. He wanted to hear what was deep within his heart. He wanted to hear God because God speaks in silence.
In silence, we hear our true voice, our true desire. In that sense, silence is not absence but a presence, a very strong presence. It’s not running away. It is engaging in it. In today’s Scripture, Jesus was very much present even though he was silent.
In silence, we hear God very clearly. We silence our greed, our fear, our ambition, our worries and we listen to God. In silence, we become very clear about what we want to do with our lives. In silence, we can imagine the world God dreams of. In silence, we channel our energies.
When there is so much noise around you, you cannot really hear what you have to hear. Go seek silence! Silence should be the essential part of your life rhythm. Without silence, your life will be all over the place, in all directions. Your life will be very chaotic.
I love silence. Minimum one hour, I spend time in silence. I love it so much that I would like to do that whenever I have the opportunity other than the one hour I set aside. It is different from prayer.
In silence, my fear is calmed down. I become very focused. I listen better. I get reenergized. In silence, everything comes alive. There is a power of silence.
Let Us Be Silent And Listen
Jesus was in a very hostile environment. Lots of noises. Lots of emotions. Anger, shouting, yelling, and cursing. And yet Jesus was very silent. He was not shaken.
That is the strength. How can you be silent in turmoil? He had confidence in himself and in God.
People are shouting to tell the world how great they are. People are shouting to the world to hear them. People are shouting to get what they want.
But let us be silent. Let us listen to the silence. To deepen your understanding of how your life is meant to be, you need to be silent. To really hear your heart’s desire, you need to be silent.
In silence, treasures of life are revealed. In silence, you see who you really are. It can be scary to see who you really are. But don’t be. Because, in silence, you will be also able to hear the grace of God that embraces you. In silence, Jesus embraced God’s grace. This grace allowed him the strength to take up the cross. In silence, Jesus prepared himself for the cross.
Don’t be drowned in this noisy world. Go to your sacred place and sacred time. And just be present in silence.
Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher and mathematician said,
Speech is of time, Silence is of eternity.
In your silence, savour the eternity.
In your silence, you will know that the only thing you need is God. And that is enough.
Listen to what Teresa of Avila said. I heard this in my own silence.
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you.
Those who cling to God will lack nothing.
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you.
God alone is enough.
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