Verses for Vessels

Easter Lights..7

"He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth." - Isaiah 53:7 NIV

Hi there, it's another day in the diary of the suffering Prince. From the earliest verses he has borne  the brunt of God's judgement. Verse after verse has revealed a troubling barrage of affliction and pain. But it does not abate. No, not yet. As the saying goes, when it rains it pours. And pour it did. Perhaps, ... still does.

People talking...

The rise of social media as the major platform for human interaction in today's world has been quite a revolutionary phenomenon. You can sit anywhere in the world and connect with friends and family who could be anywhere in the world. People get to share their experiences, joys, tears, laughter, concerns, much more quickly and can get an instant response from their connections or the general public depending on how they have set up their profile. The sense of community, and camaraderie that is fostered among those who share similar views or like the same things can often be intoxicating. This has the potential to either nourish an individual's ego or conceal terrible physical loneliness and loss. Such is the need to feel relevant that many marketing ploys are employed to help those who so desire to get more 'likes' and 'following' on their page or posts. Not bad if you can manage the crowd and still possess your own soul. Social media has opened up a mostly silent world and now everyone is talking about something. This is great!

Street experts

It used to be that those who spoke boldly and confidently about a subject matter were men and women who were well versed in that area. You could listen to them because they have researched it, they study it, or they practice it. In fact we would have had to travel hundreds of miles, or even thousands of miles, to drink from the fountain of the wisdom of such better enlightened fellows. However, one of the stranger aspects of the social media revolution is the rise of those I would refer to as the 'street experts'. By these I mean those who hold really strong opinions about EVERYTHING and everyone, whether or not they have met them or they have studied the subject. Their best references come from an online search engine and they are quick to offer an analysis on expert opinions when they have had no real education or experience on the subject. They wait on the social media street, and are willing to flaunt their knowledge to passers by, but they have no resident knowledge. The sad bit is that, to their peril, some have preferred their vain conversation to proper truth from those who really do know. Others have had their precious reputations terribly damaged by confident lies that have been spread quickly by these sorts of evangelists.

Slaughter shearer...

The verse before us was written when men spoke face to face with each other, but the truth is still timely. Every now and again, farmers would shear their sheep to keep them from over heating from the weight and thickness of their own fur. It is good for the sheep. Sheep grow accustomed to this routine and they learn to trust the shepherd to get the job done. As such they hardly bleat during their shearing. This was the picture Isaiah painted of the Prince of glory as they mocked him and spat upon his face. He had some weight to shed, as it were, and he could only get it done on that Cross. So he opened not his mouth. He did not protest nor try to defend himself. I had always localised that testimony to Jerusalem and the passion of the Christ. But recently as I reflected on the numerous blasphemies, false accusations, and wilful misrepresentations of Christ, that such 'street experts' spew out against Jesus Christ in our world today, one would expect him to show up in the night to such persons as God did to Abimelech 1. Such an approach from heaven would humble them and bring those hearts to their peace with God. But then, today's verse is at odds with that thought. He opened not his mouth. Neither then, nor now. He opened not his mouth to the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. He opened not his mouth to Pilate and to Rome. Today, people are still dragging Jesus to the slaughter; each one trying to undo the other in the brutality of their killing. Even the church faces extreme shearing at many fronts. Perhaps it is for our good as the body of Christ. But however false and deeply offensive some lies against Jesus may be, as espoused by the 'street experts', it would appear that even today, he opens not his mouth.

Silent lamb

So let the mockers continue. Let the scornful revel. It was for you too that he died. His silence is not a sign of weakness. There was slaughter ahead. Jesus kept silent as though it was a harmless occasion of shearing by a trusted shepherd. But he knew full well that this was no shearing. This was death at the hands of the authorities. Still he opened not his mouth. This is what Isaiah seeks to present to us. Jesus put his trust in his Father, like the sheep would trust the shepherd in its shearing. He refused to express alarm, because he trusted God to keep him. The end was death. He went to the slaughter, without alarm... because he had to finish his cause, for me and you. And so as believers we draw a lesson from the master himself, our suffering Prince: We do not have to answer everyone or to everything that is thrown at us, especially on social media. If he, in all his righteousness and power, was maligned and falsely accused by those who knew him, and yet did not open his mouth or seek to protest his innocence, how then could we, with our frequent frailties be so arrogant as to open our mouth in response to the world. We do not have to be alarmed at the crises we may be facing. Our gaze must remain steady and our hearts unwavering. He that endures to the end shall be saved 2. Truly, this can be tough, but such is the nature of the lamb of God.

Think about it...

Maybe it is time to keep quiet and trust him, whatever may be said of you. The next time you feel a strong urge to respond to an unhelpful or derogatory comment about Jesus, your faith in Christ Jesus, or your character, ask him if it's worth it. You may very well see that he opened not his mouth. And trust me, he can speak for himself. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the strength to hold my peace in the face of persecution. I choose to forgive my accusers as you have forgiven me. Help me to trust your wisdom and power to see me through. In Jesus name, amen.

References:

1.) Genesis 20:3-6.   .2).  Matthew 10:22