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He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
Isaiah 53:7 NASB
We see this prophecy fulfilled when Jesus is led to Herod. This is the same Herod, by the way, who refused to hear any smidgen of truth from John the Baptist. Jesus opts not to give his pearls to swine.
Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing.
Luke 23:8-9 NASB
Is this hard to reconcile? We know Jesus was destined to die, but it’s still hard to swallow for me. We have an innocent man who chose not to defend Himself, but instead, chose to give Himself up as a ransom for many. He could have, at any moment, called legions of angels down from Heaven to testify to His power, authority, and innocence. It was not God’s will. Read that again. God’s will was for His Son to go to the cross, wrongly accused in the most public and humiliating way possible.
Put yourself in a similar situation. If you knew God’s will was to walk away from a situation without defending yourself and, in turn, allowing those on the outside to accuse you and completely humiliate you, would you do it? Would you do it if you had to face up to an authority figure and be questioned while you remained silent? Would you do it if you had to watch the arrogant faces of your accusers pointing at you as they lie through their teeth? Can you imagine what Jesus must have gone through? This is the complete opposite of our culture today. It is perceived as illogical and weak.
It strikes me today that this is an attitude I need significant help with. When someone accuses me of something (even if I’m guilty) my first response is usually to come right back at them. In my flesh, I am quick to point the finger right back at my enemies. Jesus shows us that God’s will is more important than even the truth in the matter. I don’t know if He will ask you to ever do that, but I must say – it’s a big statement. I don’t want to put anything above God’s will. God help me to be more like Jesus.
In the end, Jesus was vindicated as He resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father. The fullness of that vindication will be seen and felt one day when He returns to claim His people and His Kingdom.