When He was afflicted
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7-9).
When we are afflicted, how do we respond? I'm reminded of the gospel song “In these dark days lift up your eyes to Jesus”: (v. 1) In these dark days lift up your eyes to Jesus Lift up your eyes He's still upon the throne And come what may, He never will forsake you For He is God to Him all things are known, (v. 2) In these dark days lift up your eyes to Jesus Lift up your eyes He's still upon the throne And come what may, He never will forsake you For He is God to Him all things are known, (Chorus) Lift up your eyes He still is there Be not dismayed He knows your weight of care In these dark days lift up your eyes to Jesus And trust in Him He will your burden bear. However, are we truly turning our eyes upon Jesus when we are afflicted? Or do we, in times of suffering, look at our difficult circumstances, becoming disheartened, disappointed, and even resentful toward God?
In today's passage, Isaiah 53:7, we see that Jesus, the Messiah, remained silent when He was oppressed and afflicted. Verse 8 also mentions that He was oppressed and was judged. As we meditate on how Jesus handled suffering when He was afflicted, we can draw three lessons for ourselves.
First, when we are afflicted, we should practice silence.
Look at Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” Even though Jesus was falsely accused and oppressed, He chose to remain silent. The prophet Isaiah emphasizes this by repeating twice that Jesus did not open His mouth. Imagine being wrongly accused, yet remaining silent when you have every right to defend yourself. It's a profoundly counterintuitive response. In human courts, we often speak out, seeking justice and vindication. However, Jesus, who was completely innocent, chose to be like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, silently enduring the false accusations and suffering. Henry Nouwen candidly confesses in his book "The Way of the Heart": ‘I am afraid of the silence. I am afraid to be alone with myself. I am afraid to be naked and vulnerable. I am afraid of the empty place. I am afraid of the dark place. I am afraid to be nothing. I am afraid to be helpless’ (Nowen). When we face unjust accusations and suffering, our natural instinct is to speak out and defend ourselves, fueled by fear and the desire to be heard. Nevertheless, Jesus' silence goes beyond human instincts. How is this possible? I find the answer in Isaiah 30:15, "… In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength. …." The Messiah, Jesus Christ, did not open His mouth like a silent lamb (53:7). He trusted God the Father in quietness.
We must learn to be silent when we are afflicted. To do so, we must heed the words of Henry Nouwen: 'Words lead to silence, and silence leads to words. Words are born in silence, and silence is the deepest response to words' (Nowen). The phrase 'silence is the deepest response to words' is a true challenge. Like Jesus, when we are afflicted, we must learn to be silent, trusting in God's (promised) word. Many voices will be heard, and we may have many things to say. But we must be silent when we are afflicted. In our silence, we must hear God's subtle voice. That voice is none other than the voice of God the Father that Jesus heard, saying, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.' Henry Nouwen said these words: 'Entering into silence, it is not easy to turn away from the noisy and bothersome voices of the world and hear the small, intimate voice saying, 'You are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.' Nevertheless, if we boldly embrace solitude and strip ourselves of silence, we will come to know that voice.' We must boldly embrace solitude and strip ourselves of silence.
Second, when we are afflicted, we must think.
Look at Isaiah 53:8 - " By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?" When meditating on the suffering of Jesus, who is the Messiah, at that time, the Jews mistakenly thought that Jesus was suffering and being judged by God for His own sins (v. 4). However, Jesus, as the innocent one, suffered oppression and judgment because of the transgressions of our people, and He died (v. 8). Jesus Christ, as the blameless one, suffered oppression and judgment on our behalf, and he died on the cross to atone for our sins.
We must reflect on this. While meditating on Jesus' suffering and crucifixion in silence, we must engage in biblical thinking. Especially when we are afflicted, there is a greater risk of not thinking correctly, that is, thinking in a biblical way. Usually, when we are afflicted, it is easy to not remain silent and instead complain or harbor resentment. Furthermore, it is easier for emotions to take precedence over logical thinking, making it easy to become angry. Additionally, we are more prone to commit the sin of thought under the influence of emotions rather than thinking centered on the Word. However, when we are afflicted, we must think about God's Word. We must think about Jesus when we are afflicted. When we are afflicted, we must deeply contemplate Jesus' suffering and his death while remaining in silence.
Third and last, when we are afflicted, we must not sin.
Look at Isaiah 53:9 – “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.” d
When we are afflicted, it is easy for us to commit sin. We can sin against God with our words, and we can also sin against God with our actions. However, Jesus did not sin when He was afflicted. The Scriptures say that there was no deceit in His mouth when He was afflicted. Jesus did not sin with His words when He was afflicted. Furthermore, Jesus did not commit violence. He did not sin with His actions when He was afflicted. Our Jesus did not sin even until His death. Although His grave was made with the wicked, and He was buried in the tomb of the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, our Jesus did not sin against God with His words or actions in any way. Do you truly think this is possible? We can learn that this is possible from Job, a figure mentioned in the Bible. Despite his immense suffering and hardship, Job did not sin with his actions or words. Because Job, a person like us, was able to do it, we too are capable. When we look at Job 1:22 and 2:10, the Scriptures say this: "In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong" (1:22), "’Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this, Job did not sin with his lips" (2:10). Instead, Job worshipped God when he was afflicted (1:20).
Therefore, when we are afflicted, we must not sin with our words or actions against God. Instead, we should be silent when we are afflicted. In this silence, we must hear the subtle voice of God the Father saying, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17). We must quietly dwell before the throne of God's grace, listening to the promised word of God. In such moments, we should be led by God's word rather than being swayed by emotions in our difficult circumstances. We must view our painful situation with a biblical perspective. Especially as we gaze upon the suffering Jesus endured, we must overcome and move forward in our own trials. Victory!
Praying to hear the subtle voice of God in the silence when I am afflicted,
James Kim
(After the early morning prayer meeting on the third day of the week of suffering)