Mark 14:60-61

Mark 14:60-61

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But he remained silent and made no answer.

Often times we miss the bigger picture. Often times when we are in some situation in life, good or bad, we fail to see that something much greater is at work. The high priest asking questions was missing the bigger picture…the people making false statements about Jesus were missing the bigger picture. Jesus was not…Jesus understood what was going on. Jesus understood that God had put this plan in motion, that he was a major player in that plan, and that nothing he could say in his defense before this angry crowd was going to change that. Perhaps that is why he remained silent when the high priest asked him to defend himself. I don’t really know exactly why Jesus chose to sit in silence…but what I do know is that he provided an incredible example for us of what it looks like to be a disciplined servant to the Lord. It would have been completely reasonable for Jesus to have called out those lies, defended his good name, and set the record straight. Yet he did not…that was not the plan that the Father had put into place. The plan was for Jesus to take the ridicule and false accusations…followed by beatings and imprisonment…and then finally, death on a cross. In our lives today, we are all fighting some kind of battle. For some, the battle might be monumental, all-consuming…the kind that tugs at every minute of thought during the day. For others, the battle might be less significant…yet there it remains, nagging at us, like that gnat buzzing in our ear, reminding us that it’s still there. Whatever the magnitude of the struggle, we still have to deal with it…we still have to get through it. And let’s be honest, no one really likes it and no one really welcomes it. But maybe there is something more to it…maybe there is a reason why we have been placed in the fight…maybe there is something bigger at work that we should consider. God is always doing something in our lives…God is always molding and shaping us into the image he desires…God is always directing, and redirecting, us to the path that he has designed. He may use both moments of victory and defeat to carry out his plan for our lives…he may use moments where we experience great joy and peace and he may use moments where we experience great pain and suffering. Whatever he is using, we can be completely confident that he IS at work in our lives and he is absolutely working with our best interest in mind. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it does mean that we can find some peace and rest amidst the struggle. May we pause today and take time to consider the bigger picture at work…may we pause today and consider what God is doing in our lives…and may we give thanks for his perfect plan and perfect love. To God be all glory!