“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7
Why is it that Jesus permitted the Jewish soldiers to take Him? Why did he permit them to hit Him and make fun of Him? Why did He permit Pontius Pilate to judge and condemn Him? Why did He permit the Roman soldiers to beat and scourge Him and finally nail Him to the cross and crucify Him?
Could He not have walked away through the middle of them all as He had earlier done at Nazareth? Could He not have caused them all to fall to the ground before Him as happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? Could He not have called upon His heavenly Father and been provided with more than twelve legions of angels? He was and is the very Son of God; could He not have come down from the cross?
The Scriptures make it quite clear that Jesus could have walked away from His accusers and the cross. He could have judged and condemned them on the spot. But, He didn’t. He willingly permitted His enemies to arrest, abuse, and crucify Him. He didn’t even speak out in His defense. As Isaiah prophesied centuries before, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
Why did Jesus willingly suffer and give up His life upon the cross? Why did He go silently, without ever opening His mouth in protest? He did it that He might redeem us from sin and the eternal punishment we deserve. This is why Jesus Christ, God’s own dear Son, came into this world: that He might suffer and die for our sins and rise again on the third day! He came to give His life a ransom for many — to make atonement for the sins of all people.
The Bible tells us in Galatians 4:4-5: “But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born from a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Jesus willingly and quietly went to the cross for you and for me that He might pay the just penalty for our sins and win for us God’s pardon and forgiveness so that we might look to Him in faith and partake of the blessings He won for us and all mankind!
Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:14-15: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but may have eternal life.”
Considering what He has done, it is also time for us to turn to Him in silence — not proclaiming our own goodness or speaking of all that we have done for Him or for our fellowman — but rather to silently lament o’er all our sins and failures to keep God’s law, for which He willingly suffered and died. It’s time to turn to Him in silence and trust not in ourselves but in Him alone. He has done it all! Cf. Rom. 3:19-26.
He has paid in full! Let us come to Him in silent awe of His love and mercy toward us and boast of nothing but His blood and righteousness!
Dear Lord Jesus, I have sinned and done amiss. You are all my righteousness. I deserved God’s wrath and woe. You took my place, You loved me so. I stand in awe below Your cross, silently, for words at loss. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version, Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.]