“Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.” But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”
Jesus stood before the assembly while accusations were hurled against Him from the very people He came to save. He knew His death was on the horizon and He stood there listening as they accused Him of many things. And yet He didn’t fight them with words of denial or rebuttal. He knew who He was and that this was a part of His Father’s plan of redemption; so He stood there in silence until Pilate asked Him if indeed He was that King of the Jews. Then He says one sentence. “It is as you say.” The only acknowledgement He gave was to the truth of who He really was. As for the other accusations He ignored them.
Can you even imagine what your reaction would have been if an assembly of people were falsely accusing you? There was a time in my life where my reaction would have been way different than Jesus’ because there is nothing like the feeling of being falsely accused. But as I have come to understand who I am IN Christ I no longer feel the need to refute any accusations that are assailed against me. While some accusations may seem valid due to my past actions they are not the truth of who I really am IN Christ.
I am a new creation who is daily being transformed into the person God has created me to be. I am forgiven and set free from the sins of my past and they are no longer held against me. But the pressure that comes from the assault of accusation can be an incredible burden on the mind. In order to relieve that pressure we have to remind ourselves that Jesus stood falsely accused on our behalf and took the very sins we have committed or will commit to the Cross with Him. And at the Cross He silenced the voice of accusation when He defeated the accuser of the brethren, satan himself.
When we accept this truth we are empowered to stand in the face of accusation and keep silent just like Jesus did. Even when the accusations seem valid we have a calm and peaceful countenance about us and do not feel the need to deny them. I have a friend who is walking this out during a very difficult season of her life where many accusations are being assailed against her. While many of the accusations seem valid due to her past actions, they are not the truth about who she is as a new creation IN Christ! Each time an accusation is hurled she reminds herself that Jesus died on her behalf and when the voice of accusation tries to convict her of a past sin, she looks to Jesus as her defense.
He reminds her that He died for that sin and tells her she is acquitted so she will not have to live out the sentence that her sinful action requires. He fills her with peace and reminds her that she is the righteousness of God IN Him and that she is highly favored and dearly loved! When she accepts her right standing with God, IN Christ Jesus, she is able to identify who the real accuser is and not react to the person who stands before her hurling the accusations.
She renews her mind to what John wrote in Revelation 12:10 when he said, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” This enables her to find compassion in her heart for her accusers and pray for them like Jesus instructed in Luke 6:27-28. He said, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
This is the key that unlocks the door to true inner peace and keeps the devil from getting a foothold in her soul of judgment against her accusers. She begins to pray that those who are accusing her will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and accept what He did for them on the Cross just as she has. I have watched her be transformed from a person who feels the need to defend herself against false accusation to a person who is so solid in the knowledge of who she is IN Christ that she lets the accusations roll off of her like water off a duck’s back. She is an inspiration to all who are witnessing this transformation and she will have an incredible testimony of God’s faithfulness when this season of life is through.
My desire is that the entire body of Christ will come to this revelation because many people who wear the title of Christian are the very people who are hurling accusations against each another. But if we all come to understand our right standing before God, IN Christ Jesus, we will no longer stand in the assembly of one of our own and hurl accusations that have already been paid for by the blood of Jesus. And if one among us has committed a sin it will empower us to deal with it in a spirit of love being led by the Holy Spirit and they will be more receptive to receive correction, than one who feels his own people have turned against him and want to crucify him.
Prayer: Lord let me receive Your Word today so that I grow in more wisdom in understanding the magnitude of Your sacrifice for me on the Cross. You took on the punishment for the sins I deserved to die for. You stood in the assembly, were falsely accused, and stayed silent for me so that You could overcome the accuser of the brethren at the Cross, so I could stand guilt free when he assails accusations against me. Give me the strength to stand up under the temptation to react when false accusations are hurled at me and remind me of who I am IN You so I can resist the temptation to react. Amen
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