Jesus and Silence
Silence and Solitude in the Life of Jesus: A Spirituality of Descent
“Jesus emptied himself ….and became vulnerable.” Philippines 2:7, 8
God descended to earth and become human. He gave himself over to be formed in the silence of the womb in the person of Jesus. Some of God’s best work in us is in silence. When we enter silence, we give ourselves over to a gentle formation, like clay in the Potter’s hand. (Jeremiah 18:1-6)
His “silent years” out of the limelight, were the foundation of Jesus’ life and ministry. He spent about 90% of his life in and around Nazareth in anonymity. The core of preparation was meeting God in the secret place of his inner self. It was through meeting God in places of solitude that Jesus discovered His identity and grew in intimacy with God. (Benner)
Jesus was trained deeper in silence and solitude, letting go and descent, in the desert for 40 days. Desert experiences serve us by greater forming our true identity. (Matt 4:1-11)
He offered compassionate silence to the accused woman, knowing words are not needed for healing. (John 8:5,6). Because Jesus was trained in silence, he was able to give silence at the proper time.
Jesus consistently chose solitude over people. Why? To care for his emotions.
To prepare for a major task (Luke 4:1, 2, 14, 15)
To recharge after hard work (Mark 6:30-32)
To work through grief (Matt 14)
Before making an important decision (Luke 6:12, 13)
When he was distressed (Luke 22:39-44)
To focus on enjoying his relationship with the Father (Luke 5:16)
He was nurtured in silence and solitude upon hearing of John the Baptist’s death. (Matt 14:12,13). Jesus was real about what he needed after a significant loss in his life. He shared his feelings and emotions with the Father and felt empathy and comfort from God.
He stood in silence, instead of denying false claims when he was on trial, trusting in the Father’s love to sustain him. (Luke 23:19)
Where do you most relate to Jesus in his need and practice of silence and solitude?
Where do you find yourself on the spirituality of descent that Jesus modeled?
How would your life look different if you embraced this type of spirituality and these practices?