Silence can be unsettling, especially for those of us whose experience with the world is so predominantly tech-mediated. We tend to assume that most everything in life can be managed by some pill, procedure, product, policy, protocol, or pioneering innovation. Being subjected to silence reminds us that there is a reality external to our will that imposes itself upon us.

In the Bible, silence is the posture of those who are exposed to divine judgment (see Isa. 41:1; Hab. 2:20; Rev. 8:1). When the guilty stand before the righteous Judge of all the earth, there is nothing they can say. They are sinners, and they have absolutely no control over the situation.

When Jesus was brought before his human judges, he too was silent. But his muteness was by no means an indicator of guilt or lack of control. As the spotless Lamb of God, he was completely innocent of the charges that had been brought against him. And as the eternal Son of God, he was in full control over everything that was happening to him. In light of this, his silence speaks volumes to us today.

A Righteous Silence

Jesus’s silence before the bar of earthly justice was a righteous silence. During what was essentially a show trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus did not refute the false testimony that was brought against him. Instead of defending himself against the trumped-up charges, he submitted to death on a cross in obedience to the will of his Father. He thus showed himself to be doubly righteous. That is, in addition to being innocent of any wrongdoing, he was also perfectly obedient to God. His righteousness was even confirmed by the man who ended up condemning him to death: When Jesus was examined before Pilate, the latter repeatedly said, “I find no guilt in this man,” underscoring that Jesus’s execution was unjust (Luke 23:4, 14; see also Mark 15:14; John 19:6).

The righteousness of Jesus’s silence is also evident when we consider the argument that he could have put forth in his defense. He might have been acquitted if he had told Pilate that his kingship was no threat to Caesar. However, it would have been misleading for Jesus to say such a thing. While it is true that his kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36), its spread through the proclamation of the gospel subverts human governments’ propensity to make themselves supreme. Moreover, the consummation of Christ’s kingdom at his return will result in the destruction of every earthly power. As the prophet Daniel foretold, the kingdom of God “shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Dan. 2:44). Jesus refused to bear false witness about this.

A Sovereign Silence

Jesus’s silence before his human judges was also a sovereign silence. That is, it was the means by which he exercised control over the outcome of his trials. When he was brought before Pilate on the charge of being a conspirator against Rome, he did not answer Pilate’s questions about this accusation. In fact, Jesus comes across as the one who was conducting the interview with Pilate, not Pilate with Jesus. Jesus was not being forced. Unlike silent sinners before the bar of divine judgment, he was in complete control of everything that transpired when he was put on trial. His silence before Pilate only underscored that he was laying down his life entirely of his own accord.

Jesus spoke of this in his Good Shepherd discourse, saying,

I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. . . . For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. (John 10:14–15, 17–18)

By laying down his life, Jesus secured eternal life for those he was given to save. His death was not the death of a helpless victim. He willingly laid down his life in obedience to the will of his Father. His silence before his judges bore witness to this. Even when he appeared to be utterly powerless, he was in control over everything that was transpiring around him.

A Necessary Silence

Lastly, Jesus’s silence when he was on trial was a necessary silence. We can see this when we consider Pilate’s amazement at Jesus’s silence (Matt. 27:14). Pilate marveled because he suspected that Jesus could have successfully defended himself against his accusers. But this is precisely why Jesus’s silence was necessary. He was silent because he needed others to do what he himself could not do: condemn the innocent to death.

While Jesus was sovereign over what transpired at his trials, he exercised his sovereignty through the personal moral agency of others. Jesus was the only perfectly righteous man who ever lived. More than that, he was God in human flesh. His condemnation was the greatest act of evil that has ever been perpetrated. Obviously, Jesus could not be the one who committed such a grave injustice. He is God, and God cannot do anything that is evil. His silence ensured that he would be subjected to the unjust judgment that he could not render on his own.

Because Jesus was the silent Lamb (Isa. 53:7), he is now the conquering Lamb (Rev. 5:5–6). Because he was mute before his human judges, he is now at the right hand of God continually interceding for us (Rom. 8:34). And because he opened not his mouth, we now open our lips and proclaim:

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! (Rev. 5:12)

The author is pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Laconia, New Hampshire. New Horizons, July 2025.