Monday; August 29
When Jesus was standing in front of His accusers, He had every right to be upset. He had been falsely charged, berated, belittled and misrepresented. If there ever was someone who had a platform to claim being bullied or mistreated, it was Him. Yet, even though He had the perfect opportunity to defend Himself and retaliate against those who were out to get Him, He did nothing. Matthew records, “And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.” (Matthew 27:12). As we look back on this choice by the Son of God, there are a couple of rationales for His response (or lack thereof). First, this fulfilled prophecy, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7). If we are looking for evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, here is another proof. Second, it appears that Jesus was modeling Christian beh