Title: The Silent Lord/Matthew 27:11-14
Content language is a means for life and an essential medium for fellowship and communication. It is the most precious thing that we humans have been given language. However, even in such a precious language, when there are more words than necessary, it is only a pollution. Discord, misunderstanding, and conflict caused by words are undoubtedly the pollution of this age.
People often have to talk less while socializing with their neighbours. It is frivolous when people have more words than necessary. And if you talk too much, you naturally make mistakes and lose dignity and weight. Many Christians on this earth today are living in the world with all kinds of distrust, ridicule, and loss of credibility because their words are always ahead of them even though they fall short of their actions and practices. That is why they are unintentionally criticized and even told that they are always ahead of their time and irresponsible. Sometimes silence is golden.
However, silence cannot always be golden. Sometimes you have to speak up. When you have to speak, of course you have to. It is rather gold. But if you don't speak when you're talking, that's cowardly. When that happens, courage loses its luster. Responsibility disappears.
When Moses went up to Mount Sinai and had fellowship with God for 40 days, the corrupt people were making golden calves at the bottom of Mount Sinai. Complainers and rebels gathered their strength and disobeyed God and made a golden calf according to the custom in Egypt, then bowed down and scolded them. Still, Aaron, who is watching the scene, remains silent in the end. doesn't say a word. No matter where I looked, there was no protest or protest.
That silence is not gold. Therefore, Aaron, who was unable to stop the wrong things he was doing and was unable to finish his words, could not escape the stigma of a coward from time to time, despite seeing such behavior. It was also acknowledged by God that he spoke well. That is why he was sent as ambassadors to Egypt along with Moses. However, seeing the truth trampled underfoot and God's authority being humiliated and collapsing, Aaron remains silent in the end. doesn't say a word. No matter where I looked, there was no protest or protest. That is why he was sent as ambassadors to Egypt along with Moses. However, the fact that he could not say a word while witnessing the truth being trampled underfoot and God's authority being humiliated and collapsing is something Aaron must constantly be reprimanded for.
In this way, we are taught that all words are not words and not all silences are gold as we live in this world. When you should be silent, you should be silent. What you say then is not true. However, when you have to speak, even if there is a price to pay, it is worth speaking as a language. That is the truth. That is to become a language with life. And that is courage, strength, truth, and at the same time, the path of a leader.
In that sense, the silence of the Lord who is finally silent in today's text is giving a valuable lesson to today's talkative people. Here we learn the Lord's dispensation of silence. Then, what kind of silence is the Lord's silence in the text?
The first is "silence in the face of criticism".
It's not pleasant to be criticized without cause from people. That's why people struggle to make excuses for their critics. If that doesn't work, you'll get angry and swear. But the Lord remained silent in the face of his critics. Although the accusations of the priests and Pharisees, venomous, destructive, and malicious accusations poured in, the Lord always responded in silence. They did not try to make excuses or explain their accusations until the very end.
If the Lord had made excuses or worked hard to explain in front of their accusations and accusations, his fate could have been somewhat different. And the time of his death could have been delayed to some extent. Yet, in the face of their accusations, the Lord was still consistently silent.
Here we learn to be silent from the Lord. It is very difficult to remain silent in today's world of slander, misunderstanding, gossip, and slander. This silence is more difficult and courageous than taking the risk to speak when you have to. Because that's how much you lose. That's why people can't keep silent and talk. It is for this reason that there are many reasons and many words in this world.
But we must learn the silence of the Lord here. Because that is the only principle of victory. In the end, the Lord was victorious as a result of his silence. This is the life of the cross, the ultimate in perseverance, and the lesson the Lord has given us.
The second is "silence in front of the weak".
People often lose their strength in front of strong people and tend to become weak. And often in the presence of strong people or powerful people, many people are prone to cunning, flattering, and submissive, and are prone to blind obedience as the weak, contrary to their will. Such people are also merciless to the weak. And in front of the weak, he likes to be dignified, strong and commanding. This is what ordinary people look like, their physiology, and their corrupt nature.
This is the hidden aspect of a human being who lives with two personalities and two faces. The more cunning a person is, the more he lives with two faces that are good at flattery and shouting. Most people in the world live in this category.
But we see a very fresh image in the image of the Lord. The Lord did not make a single excuse before Pilate, who was strong at that time, nor before Herod. He was being framed by all kinds of accusations, jealousy, and misunderstandings, but he did not try to make excuses. His fate would not have been so simple if he had defended himself and made excuses in front of them.
Not only that, the Lord was silent even in front of the weak. Even in front of the adulterous woman who everyone came with stones in their hands, foaming at her mouth, cursing and accusing her, and trying to kill her. He didn't criticize, he just looked at him silently.
He also heard the robber's reproach, but he didn't say a word. While being crucified, he does not protest, anger, or groan. He is consistent with silence until the end for everyone. Because that was the way the Lord had to go. In a way, the life of truth and the life of a harbinger are such a life of silence. If you do everything you have to say and make excuses for yourself, you will not be able to do what you are supposed to do. The life of the pioneers of this land has always been like that.
We must learn to be silent from the Lord here. The Lord is not flattering or scornful even in front of the strong, not rude and not condescending even in the face of the weak, not arrogant or arrogant in front of those who praise him, and not willing to make excuses in front of those who criticize him. It seems like a way to solve the world's problems at once. We talk too much. Self-defense goes too far. You are saying too many unnecessary things. You can't expect seriousness or content in such a life. So here we are taking seriously the silence of the Lord.
Third, he was ?쐓ilent even on the cross??
The reason that Jesus' cross was heavier and more difficult to carry by himself was because the frame of the cross was heavy and rough, and the road was a steep hill, but it was also because of a series of things that were difficult for a human being to even bear.
It is because of the betrayal of Peter, the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the reproach of the robber who was crucified with him and the betrayal of the crowd.
Among them, the betrayal of the disciples is a sad thing that made the way of the cross more difficult and painful for the Lord. The betrayal of Judas Iscariot was a factor that made the weight of the cross even heavier for Jesus, and the betrayal of Peter was a absurd and outrageous act that made the Lord's heart completely empty. Moreover, the swearing of a robber who deserved death for his sins made Golgotha even more desolate. Even so, the Lord has a lot to say and a lot to make excuses for. Like a sinner, they are dying silently.
This is the Lord's solitude. It's not that he doesn't speak because he has nothing to say, but because the Lord has many things to say, but he can't. This is the suffering of the cross.
We must learn to be silent from the Lord here. The way of the cross is a path that one cannot go without saying everything. We Christians, who have to walk the narrow road and pass through the narrow gate, are the ones who cannot bear the cross while making excuses, scrutinizing, and saying everything in this world. Because the silent life is itself the life of the cross. If we want to live in the world and live as Christians, we must first learn to remain silent. Because this is the life of the cross.