So He Opened Not His Mouth

When I woke up this morning the Lord laid on my heart Isaiah 53. Indeed an amazing passage of scripture and one that should be read before Sunday morning worship. As I began to read I saw new things. Things that made sense while being combined with my learning over the past couple of months. Let me explain.

Isaiah 53 is a power passage where we are painted a picture of the crucifixion day of Jesus. Isaiah writes the passage in a way that we feel as if we are standing right there, at the foot of the cross. We have no wiggle room. The passage is as uncomfortable as it should be and ought to sober us each time. After all, like many of you, I have read the passage from a vantage point of salvation. It is in this passage that we see what our Lord endured so that through His death we might receive life. But something new popped out at me this morning. Jesus's attitude throughout this ordeal.

In verse 7 we read - "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Upon reading that verse I stopped. "So He opened not His mouth." - Jesus never fought the idea of His death. But then I thought, what about the prayer in Gethsemane?

Jesus knew what His next day would look like and feel like. He knew all, after all He was God. But still He sought Father's will in prayer. Here in the prayer that Jesus prays we have the perfect representation of how we ought to bring our struggles before the Father. Verse 39 of Matthew 26 reads "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."" In praying this Jesus is laying His hearts hesitations before the Father. We must understand that within prayer, pouring our heart's struggles and worries before God is not a bad thing. That process is clear here within Jesus's prayer. But notice He does not stop there. He says, not as I will, but as You will. That, is the game changer. Jesus does not stop after laying His hearts worries before the Father. He forces Himself to see the bigger picture. His life's mission was the will of the Father, whatever that may be. So Jesus sought that will continually.

So, in Isaiah 53 we see several things. Jesus's agonizing death in which we were brought atonement, but we also see how to handle situations. I know I have written a lot on this already - but we struggle with difficult things daily. So, with all that being said - this is what I learned while reading today....

We must bring our hearts worries and struggles before the Father in prayer - while bearing His will in mind. We must remain respectful of that. But also remember, He is our Father - He wants us to come to Him broken and lost so that He can fix and guide us. Also, this morning I was humbled. Nothing in my life has been as trying as what Jesus went through during His death. I have not been rejected by my friends and family, and then accused and sentenced to death for things I did not do. Jesus was. He was cruelly beaten and murdered and yet - He was silent. He saw the bigger picture. Can I say during my struggles that I am silent? Can I say that I have sought the will of the Father, He showed me His will, and while I am doing it I am completely at peace about it?

Jesus was called a Lamb in Isaiah, an innocent Lamb, that while being lead to the slaughter, was silent. There must come a time during a struggle, after we have poured our hearts out before the Father, that we become as a lamb guided by the Shepherd. A lamb who is quiet and trusting in its shepherds wisdom and overall knowledge of its need and care. A lamb who simply follows, trustingly. It is not until then that we are lead to a place of peace, protection, and rest.