He Said Nothing

"He said nothing."

“Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” (1 Peter 2:23)

WHY DON’T we live by this? When they accused Him of sin, He said nothing. When they shouted “crucify”, asking for His death, He said nothing. When they stripped Him bare, dressed Him like a King, and mocked Him, He said nothing. Hanging on the cross, He quoted a psalm, but not for the reason most assume. He said, “I thirst,” and received vinegar and not water. He promised the thief Paradise. He placed Himself in the Father’s hands, in the moment of death. And cried out “It is finished.” Nowhere did He revile, that word means “to heap abuse on”. The previous verse, 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Neither was guile found in his mouth.” Guile is deceit. Jesus, the Messiah, Moshiach, the Christ, heard all that was said, every spiteful word. He felt the sting of hate and made no defense.

We don’t deserve Him.

We make lists. Lists of churches we think aren’t godly, lists of entertainers we think are deceitful. We call names in the pulpit of those we think have preached error. We split into denominations, new congregations, to divide ourselves from who we disagree with. We condemn the Jews. God needs no defense. When He had the right to make one, He didn’t. And He died. If we held this in our view at all times, we’d shut up about others. If we walked in surrender, making Him completely our LORD, we would see His point-of-view, we’d know how far short we still stand in knowledge and understanding. He’s the Word, the Source of all knowledge. He isn’t PREDICTING the end of earth and our final full redemption. He KNOWS it. It’s all His plan. And we are so very ignorant in our acceptance In it. He has accepted us.

We don’t accept us. We crucify. Jesus died for the Jews. He became their salvation. All who believe in Him from reading the Gospel in the Torah are saved. Jesus said this. He said, “Salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22),” and “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17).” We say we support Israel. We preach they aren’t saved. We paint Jesus as Christian and remove His ancestry. HE IS JEW. He is the Author of them and a son of them. When you meet Him, He will look like the Jews. He talks like the Jews. He teaches like the Jews. All His mannerisms are the Jews. We use the language barrier as a defense. I’ve learned to listen. Every word of their worship is calling on His name.

He grafted us into them and not the other way around. He is their root. They are natural branches. We are from the wild olive tree (Romans 11:24). They are the seed of Abraham. Jesus is the Seed of Abraham. Their covenant is eternal. Because of it, so it ours. We need to act like His, grateful for being included in what isn’t ours, grateful for each person who finds Him, and let His Word make its own defense.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory, the beauty, of God (Romans 3:23), and that’s the point. That He forgives anyone who ask and removes their sin as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Never to return, in other words. Paul murdered Christians on behalf of his idea of godliness. Then Jesus spoke, and He became one. We need to remember this and keep ourselves where he stood for the rest of his life. In love with people and willing to give his life for them. Just like Jesus.

Illustration by Chloé on Unsplash


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com