Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “. . . Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” —Matthew 26:63
Are there times when a Christian shouldn’t talk about God? I
think so. In the face of insincere challenges to our faith, silence may
often be the best response. In the hostile situation of Jesus’ exchange
with Caiaphas, He chose silence at first (Matt. 26:63). He understood
that Caiaphas wasn’t interested in the truth (v.59). While we don’t
always know another’s heart, we must be sensitive to the leading of the
Spirit in every situation that we “may know how [we] ought to answer
each one” (Col. 4:6).
Also, if an answer to a question will move the discussion down a
rabbit trail and away from Christ, we might want to stop the
conversation and pick it up another day.
Are there other times when silence may be best? If talking about
faith distracts us or co-workers from performing our job, we should stay
focused on our work. Or if someone has shown a continual resistance, we
might choose to stop pressing them. Remember, we can be a witness of
God’s grace with our conduct as well (1 Peter 3:1-2).
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