He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). And He said, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:11).
Then when Jesus was arrested, Peter drew his sword. But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place” (Matt. 26:52). Then Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (26:53-54).
And finally, when Jesus went to the cross, He did not complain. Jesus knew that what He suffered was the Father’s will.
Jesus could have stopped His arrest, trial, and crucifixion at any moment, but He chose not to do so. Why? In all He suffered, His will was completely aligned with the will of His Father. This is the point of Isaiah 53:7.
How was Jesus oppressed and afflicted? He was oppressed by His unwarranted arrest; He was afflicted by a legal process that was, in truth, a flagrant abuse of power. And “yet he opened not his mouth” (53:7).
When false witnesses testified against Jesus in the house of Caiaphas, Jesus “remained silent and made no answer” (Mark 14:61). When Jesus was accused by Pilate, Matthew tells us that “he gave no answer” (Matt. 27:12).
But when Isaiah says that Jesus “opened not his mouth,” he is not suggesting Jesus never spoke during His trial or crucifixion. The point is that Jesus said nothing and did nothing that would save Him from going to the cross.
In your own words, why didn’t Jesus stop it when He was oppressed and afflicted?
