Truth #125: We can amaze people by being silent when falsely accused - Mark 15-16

Mark 15:5
But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Jesus spoke many words when He was on the earth.   Many of them are captured by the Gospel writers.  We quote many of them.   Like all of God's Word, they are powerful and effective.  Hebrews 4:12 speaks about how powerful the Word of God is.  2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that God's Word is able to correct us, admonish us and profitable to chisel us into the image of Christ.   However, the above verse shows us that just the mere presence of Christ and NO words were amazing to Pilate.   When Jesus was accused of falsehood and insults where hurled at Him a like darts, Jesus did not answer.   Like my mother used to say when others would say bad things, "Just keep you tongue, son, keep you tongue."  Most of us, when we are insulted or accused of false things, can't wait to defend, deflect and/or defraud back.    But, our Lord was not like that.  He was able to keep silence.  Note what Peter later tells us about how Jesus responded here and others:

1 Peter 2:22-24
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Christ has given us both the pattern and the power to hold our tongue.   When we are reviled we ought to learn the lesson that Christ gives us here in this text.   When we are falsely accused, we need to remember what Solomon tells us in the Proverbs:

Proverbs 26:2
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
a curse that is causeless does not alight.

Whenever we are accuses of false, or even true, things, we should remember this:  IF it is false, you know it is false, so who cares; IF it is true, you already know it is true, so it shouldn't matter.   Jesus knew the things they were saying were false and did not respond.   That is Godliness.   We need to do the same.   We need not defend.   We need to remember that God is the avenger of false accusations as much as any other injury to us.   The truth is, silence can amaze people as much as words.  Look at Pilate.  He was the most powerful man on earth at the crucifixion.   Jesus silence caused him to realize the leaders where just doing this out of envy.    Silence is a powerful tool.