What Jesus Didn’t Say

April 10, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

All throughout the first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—there are lots of “red letters” (words spoken by Jesus). But as each of these gospel writers begins to recount the arrest and sham trial of Jesus, I’m struck by how many “black letters” there are. This fulfilled an Old Testament prophesy—

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

The chief priests and the Sanhedrin brought out a string of witnesses to falsely accuse Jesus, but even then these witnesses couldn’t get their stories to jive, so Jesus remained silent. In exasperation the chief priest Caiaphas lashed out at Jesus, “Aren’t You going to answer these charges? Don’t You hear what they’re saying about You? Why won’t You defend Yourself?”

So here’s how Jesus responded to His accusers: But Jesus remained silent (Matthew 26:63). His silence resonated louder than any words could have!

How could Jesus do this? How could He stand silently when all of these nasty things were being said about Him?

He looked back—”…He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth…” (Isaiah 53:9). All four Gospels record Jesus saying, “You heard Me speaking in public all the time. My life has been on display for You. If I had said or done anything wrong, you could have arrested Me earlier, but the facts are: I haven’t said or done anything sinful.”

He looked forward—”…Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the Cross, disregarding its shame…” (Hebrews 12:2). He knew that one wrong word could undo all of the good words which He previously spoke, so He looked forward to the joy that would come after this was over.

I just went through a period of my life where people threw incredibly hurtful lies at me, but what was that compared to the horrific abuse heaped upon Jesus? If He could remain silent, how much more should I?

While I was in the midst of this difficult time, a prayerful friend handed me a notecard which I have kept close to me. Perhaps these words will be helpful to you, too—

May kindness be the response in you
where such a response is not expected.
May gentleness have the power
to overrule an offense and the power to heal. (David Teems)

May this Good Friday be a time of reflection in what Jesus didn’t say. And may I, along with you, learn this power of silence when falsely accused.

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My Big Three

February 2, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

three1Busy. Commute. Busy. Lesson prep. Busy. Kids’ schedules. Very busy. Meetings. Extremely busy. Household chores. Hectic busy. Hospital visits. Running-to-catch-myself busy.

In my busyness, something gets squeezed out of my life very easily. I don’t intend for this to happen, in fact it’s the last thing that should ever get squeezed out, but it does. I can tell when it does. Not right away, but soon it catches up with me and I’m running on vapors. I know that when I take the time to put it back into my life, the busyness doesn’t seem so busy anymore.

What is this power source? Consider the life of Jesus.

No one had more to accomplish in such a short period of time than Jesus. He only had three years to find, equip and launch the men who would take His message to all the world. No small task, and not a minute to lose. Yet instead of seeing Jesus run at the frantic pace I so easily slip into, I see these incredible pauses.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. (Mark 1:35)

How long did He pray? The Bible doesn’t say, but I suspect He was in prayer with His Heavenly Father until His conversation was concluded. It may have been a while, or it may have been somewhat shorter.

Then all throughout the day, Jesus was never rushed or pushed or running helter-skelter, but He seemed to move at just the right speed. This is because Jesus was taking His cues from His Father all day long:

For I did not speak of My own accord, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it. I know that His command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say. (John 12:49-50)

Sometimes when there were big decisions or momentous occasions facing Him, Jesus would spend an extended time in prayer. For example:

 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles. (Luke 6:12-13)

I’m trying to make Jesus’ big three my big three:

  1. An untimed conversation with God every morning.
  2. All-day sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
  3. Periodic prayer retreats before making big decisions.

This is taking all of the discipline I can muster, but I must make this my top priority!

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The Apathy Of Blurry Eyes

January 15, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

eye-chart1My son, Harrison, had an extensive eye exam today. Now he is asleep in my office.

During his eye exam, his pupils were dilated, so now he has blurry vision. And, apparently blurry vision leads to sleepiness. It’s actually not the eye drops that led to his malaise, but the lack of the ability to see clearly. If he cannot see what’s happening around him, why would he even try to engage in his surroundings. Instead, he’s just accepted his condition as something which can’t change.

This reminds of a man named Bart—

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and His disciples left town, a large crowd followed Him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, He’s calling you!” Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. (Mark 10:46-52, NLT)

Were there other blind people that heard Jesus? It’s almost certain there were. Were there other blind people in Jericho? Probably. But it appears that their blindness had caused them to slip into drowsiness and apathy, to simply accept their condition as something which couldn’t be changed.

Bart would not settle! He believed Jesus could change his condition! He called out to Jesus. He shouted even louder to get Jesus’ attention. He threw aside his coat, jumped up and ran to Jesus. He boldly stated his need to see, convinced that he was talking to the one Person who could change his condition.

Jesus said that Bart’s faith—his persistence, his unquenchable desire to see clearly, his belief that Jesus could do something for him—is what brought about his healing.

Have you become accepting of your condition? What’s holding you back from shouting out even louder to Jesus? What have you given up seeking? Don’t hold back—shout out to Jesus again today!

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Like A Child

January 5, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

“I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” —Jesus, in Mark 10:15

“Like a child” doesn’t mean childish but childlike.

There’s a HUGE difference.

Childish is petty and selfish and self-absorbed.

Childlike is full of wonder and awe, ready to dive in, living with such innocent acceptance.

Yesterday morning our worship time was taken to a new level of childlike faith when The Rock worship team helped lead worship. The simple childlike faith … the unquestioning love for Jesus … the passion to press in … the sensitivity to His Spirit! It was so sweet to be a part of, and so wonderful to see how our adults responded.

There was a powerful move of God because of the childlike way these young worshippers helped all of us receive the Kingdom of God: like a child. I can’t wait to do that again!

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Observations From Family Court

November 6, 2008 — Craig T. Owens

I was in court today. Family Court, to be specific. I was there supporting a family who is attempting to gain custody of their niece. She is a lovely young lady, and they are a beautiful family. In waiting for their hearing to take place I sat through about a half dozen hearings.

Judge Jennie Barkey was incredible to watch. She was loving and firm and decisive, and clearly only had in mind the best for the children. In fact everyone in court today only had the best in mind for the kids. As Judge Barkey’s decisions were announced some smiled, some frowned, some cried, some laughed, and one skipped out of the courtroom. I was emotionally drained before the hearing I was there for even began!

I was moved at how petitioners, social workers, advocates, and friends all were single-minded in their desire for the best for the kids. Some may not have liked Judge Barkey’s rulings, but that didn’t take away from the focus on the kids. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said that kids were the picture of God’s Kingdom, and He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. I pray that I can always have that same single-minded desire to only desire and work for the best for the most innocent and vulnerable in our community. It’s what Jesus would want, and it’s what He blesses.

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