Monday, March 14, 2016

We concluded our last visit by saying, if you want to provide the best answer to a question it is always good to ask if God has already spoken on the issue. If He has, that should be your answer. If He hasn’t, then craft an answer that is consistent with other related issues or don’t offer an answer at all. That’s right. We don’t have to give an answer to every question. Jesus demonstrated this communication skill by at times simply being silent. Remember when Jesus was arrested and taken before Caiaphas, the high priest. They were looking for false evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death. Matthew 26:62-63 says, “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!” He wasn’t going to respond to falsehoods. His silence screamed out, “Sham!!” But when He was charged under oath, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God,” He replied, “Yes, it is as you say. But I say to all of you: in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven!” His silence in the face of the false accusations set the stage for His affirmation of who He is. And then He amplified His affirmation with more truth than what they had asked for. His silence was a master communication skill to capture all ears when He did affirm truth.