It’s All Your Fault!!!

Have you ever been falsely accused?  Those times when you know that you are right and they are wrong.  How have you responded?  Often a righteous indigitation rises up and the temptation to respond is huge.

For most of this week we are focussing on the account of Jesus’ last few days as told by Matthew.  One verse always stands out to me: at the beginning of Matthew 26:63 it says “But Jesus remained silent”.

Jesus had been brought before the Council who were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Him (v59).  Very interestingly we read in the next verse that although they had many false witnesses “they could not use anyone’s testimony”.

Then when asked if He was going to answer any of the charges, Jesus remained silent.

Jesus never argued, never answered back.  He didn’t turn the tables on them and accuse them of anything.  He didn’t use it as an opportunity to teach.  He just confirmed their statement to them that He is the Messiah.

I’m sure the Council were looking for a lengthy debate, that they wanted Jesus to react, get angry and argue with them.  I can imagine their frustration as Jesus remained silent.

In the end it was the high priest who tore his clothing and shouted “He deserves to die!”

I remember a situation that my father, Colin Urquhart, went through, where he was falsely accused but he never defended himself.  He could have done.  He was encouraged to by many who recognised the false accusations for what they were.  However, he still made a decision to remain silent.

His attitude was that God would defend Him and that He didn’t need to defend himself.

Psalm 35:24 says: Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God; do not let them gloat over me.

Psalm 26:1 says: Vindicate me, Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

Whenever I have been accused of something, whether right or wrong, the first thing I do is pray.  I go to the Lord.  I try not to react.  I go to the Lord because I want to make sure that my heart is right.  Is there any area that I haven’t seen that I need to repent of?  If so, I repent.  Have I made a mistake and I need to own up to it?  Then I take the appropriate action.

However, if I can stand before the Lord, knowing that I have acted in a righteous way, then I give the situation to Him.  I begin to pray about the situation.  I pray for the person that has wrongly accused me – not that the Lord will convict them – but that He will reveal Himself to them more and more.  I speak blessing over them.

Yes, sometimes this is really hard but by bringing them to the Lord, it helps me have the right response when I meet them next.

Romans 10:11 says: As scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

This verse gives us confidence that when we are falsely accused that the Lord is never going to let us be put to shame.  He is for us and not against us.

Next time, you are falsely accused, try to be like Jesus.  Stay silent, pray, and then respond as the Lord shows you.

Family Application:

How Jesus responded leads to a discussion that you can have with your children and teenagers about bullying.  Matthew 5:44 says: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Discuss and consider how to respond and how to love, looking at Jesus as your example.