The first of a series of reflections based on this online stations of the cross experience.
“Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But (Jesus) gave them no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Matt. 27:13-14)
It takes a ton of strength to not respond when someone is making accusations against you. Especially when the accuser is someone you love deeply. Especially when those accusations are not valid, but come from a deeper pain in the accuser. I think the natural reaction when someone you love is making accusations against you is to get defensive, to try to correct what you perceive as false in the way your actions or history are being reported. You want to take their pain away. You want to correct their misconceptions.
But the harder response is to stay silent, and not to give an answer. The harder response is to let the pain and anger of the accuser impact you in a way that really hurts.
When love for the accuser is stronger than your need to be right, or your need to be vindicated, the hard-but-better way to respond is to give no answer. When love for the accuser compels you to not take the pain FROM another person, but carry the pain WITH another person, the hard-but-better way to respond is to give no answer.
Because sometimes there is no way to answer. Sometimes there’s no right thing that you can say to take someone else’s pain away. Sometimes the way you can express love is to listen to the accuser without challenging their accusations.
Maybe this is how Jesus could stand in that courtyard and hear those accusations. Maybe he could stay quiet because he knew what he could do in that moment was hold the pain and anger that was being thrown at him without throwing it back. Maybe the way through the accusations to healing and reconciliation requires someone to stop defending, justifying and correcting the pain of the other.
Something in Jesus’ silence amazed the governor. Something in Jesus’ silence impacted the situation. Something in Jesus’ silence is part of the power of this story.