The Substitute for Our Sin

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 was fulfilling the Old Testament Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53. He was suffering vicariously in our place. He willingly endured the punishment due us for our sins.

Silence is often seen as an admission of guilt. Jesus was silent because He was taking the place of the guilty one. Our sins were placed on Him. He was taking 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 was fulfilling His role as our mediator, representative, and Savior.