He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. —Isaiah 53:7
When Jesus was silent before His enemies during His trial, He fulfilled the Old Testament Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53. He suffered vicariously in our place and willingly endured the punishment due us for our sins.
Silence is often seen as an admission of guilt. And in fact Jesus was silent because He took the place of the guilty one. Our sins were placed on Him. He took upon Himself before God every sin of which He was accused, the sins of which we were guilty, not He. The Lamb of God suffered silently, as our substitute, paying the debt for our sin.
He suffered as He did because He was experiencing the full ramifications of our sin. The blows He took were blows meant for us and deserved by us. In His silence, He fulfilled His role as our mediator, representative, and Savior.
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“The Incomparable Christ,” Revive Our Hearts series
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible ®. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible ® and CSB ® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Make it Personal
Take time to give thanks that Jesus silently took the punishment that you deserved and bore your sin.