Matthew 26:59-63
Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

Many times during His ministry, the Pharisees tried to provoke Jesus. They often asked questions hoping He’d say something they could use against Him. They denounced Him as a sinner every time He healed on the Sabbath. They goaded Him and tried to set Him up and even sent liars to misconstrue what He had said. They were always trying to get Him to say or do something they could point to as proof that He wasn’t of God. But Jesus is always in control. His emotions never get the better of Him. He never lashes out. He doesn’t do anything impulsively.

Jesus’ behavior is often very much unlike ours, a stark contrast that Peter demonstrates just outside where Jesus is when a little provoking from some servants causes him to deny three times that he knows Jesus, that he has followed Jesus, that he’s ever had anything to do with Jesus. Our emotions and our pride can often get the better of us. Before his denials, Peter had failed to spend time in prayer with Jesus and was weakened spiritually because of that. And when we’re standing in a place of confrontation depending on our own strength, we are often vulnerable to the kind of failure that Peter experienced.

May Jesus enable and empower us to demonstrate restraint and self-control, to not be easily provoked, to not get worked up emotionally, to not be enticed to sin by those around us. Let us be like Jesus in our ability to hold our peace, especially when it would dishonor God or hurt someone else. There is a strength that He can give us to hold our tongues when we are trusting in Him and looking for His help to navigate difficult situations and relationships.