As a Sheep Is Silent

March 21, 2016

As a Sheep Is Silent

“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 53:7

Jesus was taken to the home of the High Priest. Peter followed. Jesus stood alone before the High Priest; one of his disciples has already betrayed him, nine others had run for cover, and Peter soon denied even knowing Jesus. What Jesus had to do, only he could do, and he had to do it alone. Only the Messiah, by the sacrifice of his own life, can open heaven’s gate for the rest of us.

In Jesus’ last teaching sessions with his disciples, he stressed that leadership in the Kingdom of God is altogether different from the ways of the world. That contrast is on display when Jesus is held by the Temple authorities. Perhaps the keenest insight into the character of the powerful is in how they treat the powerless. The cruel pettiness and brutality of the Temple guards, the dishonest accusations of the leading priests all reveal the lack of character and integrity of the powerful. As Jesus stood silent before the powerful, the Suffering Servant-King, Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 is brought forward:

“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.”

By the way, remember there are not meaningless details in Scripture. While Jesus was taken before the Temple leaders, Peter warmed himself by a charcoal fire. (John 18:18)  Peter will meet the resurrected Jesus by another charcoal fire in John 21:9.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.