Silence

Day one hundred ten

My thoughts are still on those in my life that are struggling with some tough situations. For those seeking direction, I prayed that they would be able to discern the message the Lord has for them from that of the world.  I prayed that those who are reluctant to speak up and stand up for what they truly know to be right would find their voice today. And for those that are filled with concern regarding the outcome of their situation, I asked the Lord to bless them with the comfort and peace they need to move forward. 

The Last Week of Christ's Life

There is some confusion as to what happened on the fourth day of the last week of Christ's life, many scholars clump the third and fourth day events into one discussion because the record is not clear on the timing.  The Institute Manual skips the fourth day and goes directly to the fifth, and several articles on the Church website state that there is no record of the events on the fourth day. They simply state that it was perhaps a day of preparation. 

I will not try to speculate what happened on that day, it is not necessary for us to know every detail of the week to appreciate the events of what is called Holy Week.  But I did find it interesting that the silence of this record has caused much discussion and has focused many people's attention on to Christ.  The lack of information has created an opportunity for the minds of His followers to explore the character of Christ and to think about what He might have done on that day to prepare for what was coming.  Out of the silence comes an opportunity to draw closer to Christ, to get to know Him in a more personal way, to try to think like Him.  Now that is a special kind of power and my topic for today.

There are some events during the last week of Christ's life that stood out to me where the power of silence is evident:

Silence and Teaching Moments
While at the temple mount several groups of people came to challenge Christ.  They had devised questions that they thought would trick him and were eager to present them.  Christ would answer questions first from  a delegation representing the hierarchy of the temple. They questioned his authority (Matt 21:23-27).  The Herodians would be next (Matt 22:17-21), then the Sadducee's (Matt 22:28-32; Luke 20:39-40), and the final group would be the Pharisees (Matt 22:36-46).  Christ gave each group the opportunity to ask their questions and He responded.  What was the result?

"And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."  (Matt 22:46)

Silence.  The tension must have been palpable as the message sent by the silence of the questioners showed that Jesus had prevailed.  I have been on both sides of this silence, the satisfying feeling when you know that you have been able to successfully share your perspective with someone and the awkward silence when you realize that you are the one who needs to change your perspective. Strong teaching moments can come through silence. 

Silence and Emotions
Jesus would be brought before Herod, a ruler of the province of Galilee, who was also in Jerusalem for the Passover season (Luke 23:7-15).  The scriptures tell us that Herod "questioned him in many words." And Christ's response?  "but he answered him nothing." (Luke 23:9).  "And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe." (Luke 23:11).  Still no response from Christ.

Herod was a wicked king and Jesus made his feelings for Herod known without uttering a single word. It is clear that Herod did not appreciate the silence, in fact, it seems to have angered him, because his gladness to talk to Jesus quickly turned to mocking and abuse. Sometimes saying nothing is the best choice to get your message across, strong emotions such as love or hate are often more powerful when expressed through silence. 

Necessary Silence 
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken‍ me?" (Matt 27:46)

This is a necessary silence, but it is also a silence filled with love.  Here is a quote from Melvin J. Ballard regarding this silence:

"In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even he could not endure it any longer; and, like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child, has to be taken out of the room, so as not to look upon the last struggles, so he bowed his head, and hid in some part of his universe, his great heart almost breaking for the love that he had for his Son.  Oh, in that moment when he might have saved his Son, I thank him and praise him that he did not fail us, for he had not only the love of his Son in mind, but he also had love for us. I rejoice that he did not interfere, and that his love for us made it possible for him to endure to look upon the sufferings of his Son and give him finally to us, our Savior and our Redeemer.  Without him, without his sacrifice, we would have remained, and we would never have come glorified into his presence.  And so this is what it cost, in part, for our Father in Heaven to give the gift of his Son unto men."  (Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard)

After I read that statement I sat in silence for a moment to soak it in and this quote came into my head:

"There are times when silence has the loudest voice." ~ Leroy Brownlow 

This is the silence with the loudest voice for me, the silence that touches my heart the most.  So much emotion attached to this silence from all perspectives.  The necessary silence, where you have to sit back and watch events unfold even if it will cause heartache for many others, this is the hardest silence for me to participate in. 

It is my hope that the Christians of the world will take some time this week as they prepare for Easter, to listen to the silence and to see what the Lord is trying to teach them, what emotions he is expressing to them, and to recognize the necessary silence in their lives.