The Silence of the Son of God on the Road to the Cross

Introduction

Ludwig von Beethoven was making a name for himself as one of the greatest composers of all time when something inconceivable happened.

He noticed as he was playing piano that he could hear less and less and less. He was going deaf.

He was severed of from his community, lost his ability to compose, and contemplated suicide. At times, as he would compose while losing his hearing, he would bang on pianos so hard that it rendered them useless.

But ever so slowly, Beethoven learned how to hear in the silence. He would place a pencil in his mouth, put the pencil against the piano’s soundboard, and listen for the harmony of the chords.

It is actually during this time that Beethoven wrote his famous 9th Symphony among others of his best work.

At times, God’s silence speaks louder and larger than words. Today is one of those moments.

In fact, it is in the silence of Jesus in the texts we will discuss today that we see the priorities of His purpose. Jesus came not simply to give us moral teaching, but rather, He came to bring life through his death, burial, and resurrection.

May the Lord speak loudly in His silence as in His words.

Matthew 27:11–14 ESV

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Isaiah 53:7–9 ESV

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Explanation

We need to set the stage for what is happening. Jesus remained silent in front of his accusers all the way to the cross.

As a matter of fact, when you read the Passion Week in any of the gospel accounts, you will hear Jesus silence before his accusers.

Mark 14 tells us that in the courtyard of the high priest, Jesus was accused of many crimes. Jesus did not respond to their accusations. They began to beat Him and ask Him to prophecy as to who beat Him. He remained silent.

As they took Jesus to Pilate, in the Matthew account (Matthew 27) that we just read, Jesus stands before Pilate and is accused of the same crimes. As we read just a moment ago, he remained silent.

The question we must ask: why? Why would Jesus remain silent?

After all, Jesus is literally the Word Made Flesh. Jesus (per John 1) is God, therefore anything that comes from His mouth is instantly the Word of God.

The answer is in the Old Testament text I read a few moments ago.

In fact, Jesus aludes to it. It is the last thing he speaks directly to the disciples in the Luke account. Matthew 26:53–54 “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?””

From the Isaiah text we read earlier, we see that the Messiah would come, and he would be compared to a lamb being led to slaughter. In the sacrificial system of the Old Testament, the Israelites would sacrifice a lamb to atone for their sins. So a lamb was brought to the temple, and it was sacrificed by the high priest.

God was teaching the people, “Sin is not without cost, and the cost is a life.”

So day by day, lambs were led to the altar and sacrificed to atone for the sin of the person who brought them.

This leads us to a question: Why was the Son of God, the Word of God incarnate, silent before his accusers.

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

Because your sin and my sin would demand -not a word - but a life.

And Jesus as God of the universe, would give it willingly. Like a lamb slaughtered for the sin of one man, so Jesus would come to give Himself for the sins of the world.

Now, there are some key differences. See, a lamb is lead to the slaughter out of its lack of power or knowledge.

A lamb, even with the smell of blood and the business of the temple, does not know that it will be sacrificed. It goes and trusts in those holding it but without ultimate knowledge as to what will happen.

But Christ does not go to the cross this way. As the Omnipotent God of the universe, Christ knew what He would endure. He would go to a cross, but more than that, the wrath of God would be poured out upon Him for all eternity.

Christ all knowing nature would have known both the (1) pain and (2) the necessity of the pain.

The sweat drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane are indicative of a real medical condition whereby someone undergoes extreme stress and actually begins to sweat blood.

Christ knew the pain of the cross. Christ new the pain of the pouring out of sin upon Himself. And Christ new of the pain of the separation of Himself from the Father.

When you despair over the state of your soul, remember that Christ knew perfectly well the pain to be endured to ransom it. Knowing the pain, he bore the cross, but ultimately, the wrath of God, for you.

We who will not undergo even the slightest of inconveniences are loved and cherished by the God of the universe.

We have this general feeling about ourselves that God is irked with us. He is upset or angry with us, or at least, He is bitter with our lack of progress.

I wish more often that we would place in our mind the silent agony of Jesus on our behalf. He suffered greatly in silence for you so that He might love you deeply and unconditionally. What a marvelous Savior!

A lamb is also without the power to overcome the desires of those who hold it.

Christ was able to end the suffering. The Word made Flesh could have:

Ended the unjust trial by calling down a legion of angels.

Countered the accusations.

Octavius Winslow, “Who delivered up Jesus to die? Not Judas for money; not Pilate, for fear, Not the Jews for envy; but the Father, for love.”

Jesus as God means that He had a decision to make. He could, from His omnipotence, called down angels to end His suffering and keep us in our suffering. OR, from his Godness, he could be the satisfaction of the wrath of God on our behalf. He chose the later.

Christ’s silence on the way to the cross with both the knowledge of what would happen and the power to stop it shows His WILLINGNESS to save.

Marvel in this fact for a moment. Christ’s silence at His own death shows his overwhelming love for you.

And Christ did not come for you because you were strong and have life figured out and have some redeemable traits. He came simply because you were unworthy and unable, and He still wanted a relationship with you.

Jesus walked through the death you deserved. Jesus was condemned for the sins you committed. And in his silence there is not an ounce of regret, remorse, or sadness for making that decision.

When you feel as though God is silent, don’t forget what his silence wrought on the road to the cross.

Sometimes, we feel as though God is silent. And we hate the silence. Some of the greatest followers of Christ have struggled with the silence of God at some point or another.

And we conclude from the silence of God one of three things.

God doesn’t exist.

God isn’t able.

God doesn’t care.

When you are are walking through a difficult moment, and God is silent. You don’t feel like your prayers aren’t getting through or anything is working or you can’t sense his presence - remember that through silence Christ endured the cross for you.

Invitation

The Gospel. Jesus lived a perfect life that we couldn’t and died a death that we deserved. Trust in Christ to save you and turn from yourself. He will always save.