The Loud Silence

There is something that grabs me with almost an aggravating intrigue about this last week leading up to Christ’s Resurrection:  It’s what I call the LOUD SILENCE.  Have you ever considered those last hours of Christ’s life?  It comes around every year with such familiarity that we are possibly tempted to overlook its deep, rich implications.  Phillip Yancey wrote: “How can we who know the outcome in advance ever recapture the dire end-of-the world feeling that descended upon Jesus’ followers?”   What is called Passion Week almost slows to an eerie beating of a bass drum.   And, the gospel accounts appear to have a measured approach in giving a more harmonious description than they do the birth or resurrection of Christ combined. 

Amidst the crowd and clamor of those hours, you can almost hear the beating of Christ’s own heart…the love that He had for you and me!  Listen – hear His weeping over Jerusalem as He approached it while the throngs praised Him…; hear the water as He poured it, trickling into the basin in order to wash His disciples feet…; hear the kiss on His cheek by His betrayer…; hear the slaps across His face and the pull of His beard…; hear the 39 lashes across His bare back…; hear the pounding of the nails in His hands and feet…; hear the forgiving words from His mouth…; hear the “no response” from the Father… ; HEAR THE SILENCE…the deafening SILENCE…that nobody else could hear.

Before we get ecstatic again over an empty tomb…let’s pause long enough this week to hear the LOUD SILENCE…in the heart of the SAVIOR…who knew what a week of passion meant for Him.  He knew it, because He walked into that LOUD SILENCE…like a lamb to the slaughter…who, the prophet Isaiah said, was “oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth…”   May we reflect in a kind of silence this week to recover the appreciation of a sacrifice only He could give.

What does your quiet time look like this week as you reflect on the “loud silence” that Christ experienced?