Silence of THE Lamb

 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
      We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
   Yet the Lord laid on him
      the sins of us all.

 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.  Isaiah 53:6-7 (NLT)

It is the silence involved with the whole thing I find most unsettling...

When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. When Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?" Jesus didn’t reply, even to a single charge.  Even when he faced Herod, the guy that murdered his cousin…Jesus said nothing. 

Silence in trial, long silences on the cross.  Silent in defiance of noise and words, silent and vulnerable, defiantly silent refusing to justify, refusing to explain, just bearing witness in silence, raising questions but offering no answers.

There’s an old hymn that says He could have called 10, 000 angels…silence.

You know those times when you’ve wronged someone, and instead of yelling at you…they just look at you?  That is a truly deafening silence.  When I read the story of the passion tonight, that’s what happened.  I sat here and noticed, nay – heard the silence of the Christ. What didn't he say?  Words of pain or fear?  Disgust?  I want to open my Bible and read that Jesus said…what?  SOMETHING!  God once said that his spirit would not always strive with man...Yell at me!  Tell me the wicked man I am!  But no.  I am left to pronounce that judgment on myself.  Left to meditate, or wrestle...squirm?  

Yes, yes, words will come. Some from the Cross - 'Forgive' and after more silence - words from the Tomb - 'He has Risen' - but not yet, please not yet... This is the first time I have observed Lent and already it has been a long season…but hold it still...keep the words at bay...let the silence be heavy with anticipation, painful, just a bit longer...so that when words are spoken they come finally with the power of a whisper to deafen, and ring like an incredible announcement of good news.