Day 6 - Aug 10

Prayer Points for today: Health for God’s people (mental, physical, spiritual)

Due Process

And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

Matthew 27:12-14

Jesus was standing before the one man that could stop the illegitimate railroad towards His execution.  It was His chance to defend Himself.  This was the one and only opportunity at what is the equivalent of our “due process”.  Pilate knew an innocent man stood before him, and yet Jesus said nothing.  He didn’t defend Himself, point the finger at others, fall on the mercy of the governor, or hire a dream team of lawyers.  He said and did nothing, and Pilate “marveled greatly”.  

Jesus, the great Rabbi, the one who spoke with authority, the one whom multitudes traveled great distances to hear, and the one who blistered the enemies of heaven was completely silent.  

It’s not that He had nothing to say; rather it was that He was standing in our place. Jesus was an innocent man accepting the penalty on behalf of a guilty race.  

Due process is the legal requirement that the state must respect all rights that are owed to a person.  Justice demands a fair and legitimate process.  Spiritual due process involves the final judgment.  Every person will be judged and either you will defend yourself before the throne of God and be justly accused by the enemy; or, you will stand in judgment with the perfect Advocate (attorney) Jesus Christ the Righteous, (who is also the one who has already embraced on your behalf your sentence of death.)    

Jesus stood before Pilate to accept our sentence of judgment.  It is God’s way of due process.  We rejoice that what was due us has already been done for us by our Savior.

In this case silence is not just golden it’s salvation.