THE SILENT SERVANT

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53:7-9‬‬)

We live in a day where people are very demanding concerning their “rights.”  Loud voices protest nearly everything it seems.  In some cases, there are legitimate grievances that should be addressed, and in others, the desire to legitimize preferences and perversions.

If there were ever a case to assert one’s rights, it would have been the arrest and trial of Jesus. From a human perspective, this was the greatest miscarriage of justice in human history. The only perfect Man who ever lived, who went about doing good with a heart of pure love, was seized by a lynch mob, made subject to an illegal trial, tortured by judge and jury, and condemned to die—although the highest official in the land declared, “I find no fault in Him.”  The cross that was meant for a wicked man named Barabbas became the cruel means of Christ’s death, while Barabbas was set free!

Yet, Jesus called for no lawyer. He did not appeal the verdict. He offered no defense for Himself. He did not seek an organized protest march by His followers.

Why?

He was not a bellowing bull at the butcher. He was not a squealing hog at the slaughterhouse. He was a Lamb—silently watching His blood pour out.

It wasn’t that He could not have done something, but that He would not do anything. Surely, the Man who spoke to a storm and demanded it to stop, could have called the same creation to open the earth and swallow His foes. He could have summoned the legions of angels to swoop in to His rescue. All they needed was a word. They were there in heaven, hands grasping fiery swords, ready to respond, but no call was given.

Why?

It was His mission to earth. He came to die for sinners like us. I am Barabbas—and so are you—Christ dying in my place, as Peter said, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” (1 Pet.3:18).