Silence and the Gospel: Jesus’ Silence of Victory

Eighteen years ago, archaeologists uncovered the site of one of the most famous events in the New Testament—the trial of Jesus. They were preparing to expand the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem by getting rid of an abandoned building next door. But when they started digging, they found the remains of Herod the Great’s palace, where at least one of the trials preceding Christ’s crucifixion occurred.

During His trial before the Sanhedrin in today’s reading, Jesus remained silent. The seventy members of the Sanhedrin (a kind of religious high court) included chief priests, elders, and teachers of the law, presided over by the high priest, Caiaphas. They had already decided Jesus was guilty and should be put to death, so this was a kangaroo court. All they needed was enough false evidence to make a decent show of it (vv. 59–60). Despite some confusion, two witnesses testified that He had said He could destroy and rebuild the temple in three days. They may have had in mind the words of Christ in John 2:18–22, in which He used the temple as a metaphor for His body and His future resurrection.

Caiaphas challenged Jesus to defend Himself, but He didn’t respond (v. 63). He knew the witnesses were coerced. He knew the verdict was rigged. He knew what would happen next. And most of all, He knew this was God’s perfect plan. To remain silent was thus an act of obedience and submission to the Father’s will.

When Caiaphas challenged Jesus a second time, he used formal, serious language that would have been extremely rude to ignore. So Jesus answered, but still not to defend Himself. Instead, He affirmed that He was indeed the Messiah and in fact the very Son of God (v. 64).

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We ask that you uphold in prayer Doug Hastings, vice president of Moody Radio. Pray that the Lord would bless the ministry of Moody Radio and would give Doug wisdom in making decisions and strength in facing everyday challenges.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.