Significant but Silent
by Lindsey Hanekom
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant happening in history, and always will be. It is the defeat of sin and death for all eternity. The release of the promise of eternal life in relationship with the Living God, the very reason for our existence, was redeemed back to each and every one of us.
Yet, these pivotal moments in history were shrouded in silence and often isolation for Jesus. For all the accusations thrown at Jesus through both His trial with the council and before Pilate, he remained silent, only speaking to confirm who He is. His disciples were long gone, denying even knowing Him. During the crucifixion, Jesus spoke only a few times, otherwise He remained silent, regardless of the accusations and mockery that were relentlessly thrown at Him, just as it was prophesied in today’s verse in Isaiah.
When we consider the Resurrection, this too happened in secret, silence and isolation. Nobody else was there to witness the biggest victory this world will ever experience. Even the days following the Resurrection were not ones of loud victory cries and worldwide excitement. Jesus chose to appear to the few, not the many or the crowds. These were deeply relational times, not times of great healings and miracles such as those which preceded His death and victory. The greatest miracle of them all ended in quiet, deep and personal relationship encounters.
If I was planning a history-making event today, I would be contacting the world’s media, tweeting on Twitter, snap-chatting on Snapchat, sharing on Instagram, posting on Facebook and have my live web stream up and ready for the world to watch. Yet this is not God’s way, His way is personal, quiet and with no show. He has nothing to prove to anyone!
Maybe this Eastertime, we too can look to Jesus and ask Him for one of those most precious of encounters: quiet, personal and deep; not a show, not an experience, but a real and personal encounter. This, after all, is what His death and Resurrection was all about – to restore relationship with God Himself.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, there are no words that can thank You enough for what You suffered for me through Your death and Resurrection. I ask You today for a deep, personal encounter with You, for this is what You won for me and I long for more of this in my life. Amen.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
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