11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. 13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.
Among the most difficult things to do in all of life is to exercise self-control when being wrongly accused. Even the political official, Pilate, was “amazed” that Jesus did not defend Himself. While the Lord respectfully answered the straight forward inquiry of the governor, He did not honor the trumped up accusations of the religious leaders with even a response. On the one hand, religious accusations such as the Jews had against Him carried no weight in a political court. Yet, the tendency of human nature is to defend oneself at all costs. His self-control was remarkable.
Yes, He was the “King of the Jews.” This was virtually the same response Jesus gave to Judas when he said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (Matt 26:25). It was risky to admit to this, as it could easily be taken as a political statement of usurpation, and by extension, a new threat against Roman imperialism. At the minimum, Jesus’ claim to Jewish kingship would threaten to disturb an uneasy political truce between the insecure Pilate and the cantankerous Jewish leaders. So Pilate would be predisposed to see Jesus in an unfavorable light.
Jesus’ calm stands in sharp contrast to the response of those around Him. Peter later wrote this commentary, “ … Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:21-23). Isaiah, prophetically, put it this way, “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).
He remained silent—the One who spoke the universe into existence; the One who said to that righteous man, Job, “Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:2-4). One day, He will answer His accusers with the manifestation of His glory and they will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord (Phil 2:10-11).
Lord, let me never accuse You of being anything but absolute Lord over my life.
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