\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was silence around\nthe table and the silence was eloquent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Top chefs cooking in the\ncompetition for the BBC programme \u2018MasterChef\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women and men at the top\nof their profession, Michelin starred, restaurant owners from high end eateries\nproviding some of the best food prepared with the best ingredients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One chef, in turn\npresenting their dish before the judges and their peers; asked his peers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was silence around\nthe table. The silence was eloquent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judges disliked it;\nmessy, overdone, underdone, tasteless, not seasoned, not what we expect from\nthis chef, he has cocked up there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His peers, professional,\nthe best there can be\u2026 \u2018Mmmm, it looks good\u2019 \u2013 cut away to another scene. There\nis no more commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wonder how the chef\nfelt. Did he just put too much into it, forgetting to taste his own food, was\nhe concentrating in the wrong place and had victory in sight? One thing I am\nsure of, that when it came to the tasting and judging, the silence was\neloquent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was condemnation of\nthe chef\u2019s ability, the concern not to criticise a fellow professional who had\nmade a mistake. The silence was eloquent; he didn\u2019t need more than the silence\nto be made aware something was just not right, his face gave the game away. He\nwas discomforted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus, in front of Pilate facing\na life and death situation was challenged by a question, \u201cWhat is truth?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The man Jesus, who\npreached truth, was being confronted with the question he himself owned. \u201cI came into this world to testify to the\ntruth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.\u201d <\/em>John 18:37-38 NIV<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pilate finding nothing\nwrong with Jesus or his comments, but questioning \u2018what is truth\u2019, moved on\nfrom this question; Pilate would continue to look after his own interest. He\noffered the crowd Jesus freedom. But unlike the chefs who responded with\nsilence there was a profound roar from the crowd who wanted Jesus condemned and\nanother man freed, \u201cNO not him (Jesus)\ngive us Barabbas!\u201d<\/em> So Pilate gave up Jesus up to the crowd. Truth was not\nin sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Old Testament book of\nEcclesiastes reminds us <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA time to be silent and a time to speak.\u201d<\/em> Ecc:3:7 NIV<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus was plied with many\nquestions, but he kept his silence whilst those around vehemently condemned\nhim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are different types\nof silence and many that have a purpose. Jesus was not going to pander to\nranting crowds, or officials, or those in power who were not prepared to\nsacrifice their position. Jesus didn\u2019t take the easy way out; his silence was\nnot the eloquence of disappointment. It was the silence of the way to the\ncross. His silence to those around him was the flame that fed their fire; his silence\nwas their reproach; \u201cA time to be silent\nand a time to speak.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We have a new place of\nsilence, given as a gift of God, it may not be the conventional silence but it\nis a gift;<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBe still and know that I am God.\u201d <\/em>Psalm 46:10 NIV<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two final thoughts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did the chef go off and\nreflect on why his peers were so silenced by his cooking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did Jesus become silent – to be still and know God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image Credit: Revolt<\/p>\n