Devotion:
Read Luke 22:63 - 23:12.
On this journey with Jesus, where are we standing? Are we close enough to hear the questions being asked of Jesus? Are we close enough to hear Jesus’ answers and his noted silence in Luke 23:9?
Each year, when reading this passage, I want to change the script and the ending, so that Jesus doesn’t have to go through all of this suffering. And particularly in verse 9, I want to ask Jesus, “Why did you remain silent?”
This year, I noticed the “noisiness” of these verses! ---the loud volume of each encounter! And in the midst of all of this noise is vs. 9, “He [Herod] plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave no answer.” Silence. Complete silence.
As Jesus was entering Jerusalem (in Luke 19) and his disciples were giving praise to God, the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke his disciples. Jesus’ response was, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
I believe Jesus knew exactly when to speak and when to be quiet because he was listening so very carefully to God’s voice and God’s will, even in the midst of the highest volume of the crowd’s noise. Jesus had heard the cries of the needy when others had not. Jesus heard the world’s cry for redemption, forgiveness and salvation, even in the midst of the loud clamoring of the voices seeking power of his day. Jesus knew, as the prophet Elijah did, that the voice of God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a gentle and quiet whisper. And Jesus knew God’s voice so well that he knew when to speak and when to be silent.
Pilate’s powerful voice declared Jesus’ innocence three times! But the crowd would not “hear” of it!
Personal Worship Option:
The world is still a very noisy place. Are our ears and hearts finely tuned enough to hear God’s gentle and quiet voice? Are we still able to hear the cries of the needy? Are we willing to listen and follow such that we know when to speak and when we need to not speak? Will we follow, even when the journey becomes costly?
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