Can You Remain Quiet?

3 minute read

“But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ” Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent…”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26:60-63‬ ‭NIV‬‬


How strong is your clap back game? For those that don’t know what that means, to “clap back” is a millennial/generation z term for defending yourself or responding when someone accuses you of something. These days, everyone is quick to clap back. People are even being killed for it. Think about the number of road rage fatalities we hear about or the arguments that end in shootings. Clap backs can cost more than we would ever think!


What I love about Jesus, though, is He legit modeled everything for us! He gave us a guide to life;  For every situation we will or could encounter. We just have to pay attention and apply it. 


Look at how he handled this perfect clap back worthy situation in our text. 


The Bible says that two witnesses came forward saying that Jesus alleged He would destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. Guess what Jesus did? He did not respond to them. 


I know you’re probably thinking, “WHAT? He didn’t say anything?” Nope! Not a defense, not an explanation, nothing! 


Now, none of us like when someone alleges anything about us, and we definitely aren’t  about to sit back and not defend ourselves. But Jesus taught us something very valuable here—everything does not require a response. 


How often do we get angry and want to defend ourselves? Or feel disrespected by someone, and we have to say something? The Bible is clear  in telling us “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression” (Proverbs‬ ‭19:11‬ ‭NKJV)‬‬. Jesus is showing us that sometimes, the best response is nothing. We must have discretion. Be slow to anger. Overlooking an offense is our glory! 


You don’t have to respond to a rude person or argue with the person who cut in front of you or defend yourself for every single thing. Listen, no one can defend you better than God! Also, it’s really not your job to change other people’s views of you. You can line 10 different people up, and they will all say something different about you. That’s their issue. Your job is to just keep being you. 


Jesus showed us that we don’t need to say a word, even when the situation would warrant a response. “And great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of Your children” (Isaiah 54:13). 


Will you model Jesus? 


Xoxo

About the author: Janea Dillon

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