With Easter coming this Sunday, more people than ever this year are going to be thinking about the death of the Lord Jesus. As they study the account found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they may wonder why Jesus—and innocent Man through and through—said nothing to defend Himself against the accusations hurled against Him. That was the nature of a question I was recently asked…

What was the significance of Jesus’ silence in Mark 15:1-5?

Here is my answer…

Hey,

So to be precise, Jesus wasn’t completely “silent.” He did speak, but He didn’t say much, and (especially) He didn’t speak in His defense, the way a normal person would, desperate to have the Governor find Him innocent so that He could be freed.

The Jews brought Jesus to Pilate with a host of ludicrous accusations, but for Pilate, the only real issue to resolve was whether or not Jesus was promoting himself as a King of Israel and thus a challenger to Caesar’s claim over the territory. If Pilate’s conversation with Jesus would have ended with him thinking Jesus really was trying to stir up a Jewish rebellion against Caesar, then he’d be duty-bound to nip that in the bud in the most brutal way possible.

Jesus, however, does not act like an ordinary person on trial. Even in such cases where a man is being framed, he still will be careful how he words his answers so as not to put himself in an even worse quagmire. The Lord’s answer to Pilate’s question was blunt and direct, however. When asked if He was “the King of the Jews,” the Lord’s response to the Governor is the same that He gave to the religious leaders: “Thou sayest.” In other words, He states it without equivocation.

And yet, despite such a statement being an obvious cause for a Roman response, the Lord doesn’t add anything to it. He doesn’t say “I am exactly as you say, but let me explain…” nor does He say “I am the King, as you say, and as we speak my followers are preparing to fight…” etc.

No, despite all the accusations hurled against Him by the leaders, Jesus said nothing in His defense. He answered none of those critics, knowing that they had no interest in an honest trial. Pilate, naturally, found the Lord’s handling of all this curious; he asked Jesus if He heard the accusations made against Him, but Jesus had no response. Of course He heard, but answering them was fruitless and beneath Him. He didn’t recognize the authority of the Jews who staged their mock trial. The Lord’s demeanor, contrasting with the frothing bloodlust of the leaders, likely played a part in Pilate’s suspicion of His innocence.

So even though, at the end of it all, Pilate did go ahead and order Jesus’ death, he did so after first trying to coax the people into releasing Him (by offering Barabbas in His stead), and only agreed to allow Jesus to die solely to placate the angry mob.

Yes, the Lord was mostly quiet during His trial, but a clue to His thought process is found in John 19:10-11. Pilate tells Jesus that he has the power to save or take the Lord’s life, to which Jesus says “you would have no power except for the fact that God gave it to you.” He then adds: “The ones who turned me over to you have the greater sin.”

Why do the Jews have the greater sin than Pilate? Because at least Pilate was a governing official with power given by God (as all governing bodies have—Romans 13). The Jews didn’t have that power. They were just a mob who wanted an innocent Man dead. Jesus didn’t play their game. He didn’t speak in His defense like they wanted Him to, because He didn’t respect their authority (same reason He was silent when Pilate shipped Him off to King Herod for a round of mockery and abuse).

At the end of the day, the silence of the Lord is a good reminder of the ugliness of His trial. The whole thing was a sham, not worthy of Divine commentary.

You’re invited to worship with us this Lord’s Day, as we celebrate the death and resurrection of our King (a celebration which we enjoy every Lord’s Day, by the way). See you then, Lord willing!

~ Matthew