The guards replied, “Never at any time has a man talked the way this Man talks!” -John 7:46

Just a couple verses before this the people around Jesus had become divided. Some said, “This is the Christ,” while others said, “Surely the Christ is not going to come out of Galilee… but from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem…” 

Why didn’t Jesus defend Himself? He was, in fact, born in Bethlehem and from the line of David as the Scriptures announced.

I believe the answer to this question is, at least in part, why Jesus sounded so different. Why the guards had never heard a man talk like Jesus. When the rest of the world is defending self and caring for self, Jesus was and is concerned only with the Father. Why didn’t Jesus defend Himself? Because He came here to show us how to sacrifice self, not defend it. He had no intention of defending that which is not Good. Self is the trap the rest of the world fell into – but not Jesus.

All through the crucifixion, Jesus lives out this same Trait. This Truth. He didn’t/doesn’t take the self-bait. Even on the cross, Jesus is asked to prove himself to the world; his brothers also try to coax Him to prove Himself to the world before the great celebration. To no avail. Here is an example before the cross: “When Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard about Him, and was hoping to see some [miraculous] sign [even something spectacular] done by Him. And he questioned Him at some length, but Jesus made no reply. The chief priests and the scribes were standing there, continually accusing Him heatedly. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking and ridiculing Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.” -Luke‬ ‭23:8-11‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Jesus had all the power and words at His fingertips to defend Himself, but He chose a different path. This truly is Freedom. To know so fully Our Creator – His Goodness, His Omnipotence, His Love – and to know so fully our humanness, the devastation of self – that we are perfectly assured that if we keep our eyes on the Father, just like Jesus, all will be as it should… regardless of what others think of us. Seriously consider this question: How much energy do we put into trying to control what others think of us? (Spend some time with this question – the roots of self go deeper than we could ever imagine.) What a burden lifted to let all of that go and cling to a Father who loves us instead.