June 27, 2012 The King is Silent

The King is Silent Mark 15:1-5 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. ARE YOU amazed at Jesus’ silence? Wouldn’t this be a good time for Jesus to find an ally in Pilate? After all, Pilate can save him from the brutal cross. Is Jesus’ silence, perhaps, fatalism because he knows his destiny is the cross? Is he thinking, “Why bother? I’m just going to die anyway. The Father’s will is that I go to the cross. So I’ll just keep quiet. I’d hate to be set free if I’m supposed to die.” If Jesus had thought that, he would have been a self-serving fatalist. Such thoughts point to one’s own glory, and in essence say, “Look at how good I am to suffer.” Yes, the truth is that the Father has ordained Jesus’ suffering, and Jesus responds as the true Son of God. He humbly submits to God’s divine plan to reveal God’s glory through his suffering. Every time Jesus spoke of his suffering to his disciples, he spoke in the third person, i. e. “The Son of Man must be killed.” He pointed away from himself to the prophets and to God, that the Father would be glorified. Pause and consider Jesus’ humble submission.